1. Create an Effective Workspace
Setting up an environment that fosters productivity is the ideal starting point and is a combination of your physical and digital workspaces.
Physical Workspace
Moving piles of papers away to find your keyboard, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, and working with insufficient lighting are all physical aspects of your workspace that can make you less productive.
Consider these basics to improve both body and mind:
🗑️ Regular decluttering to increase productivity and help mental clarity.
🪑 Ergonomic furniture to improve comfort and help prevent back pain.
💡 Natural light to reduce eye strain and boost energy.
You can also enhance your mood with personal items like photos or a potted plant and encourage collaboration with a cozy sitting area.
Digital Workspace
Along with your physical environment, creating a productive digital workspace is just as important. Being unable to spot important emails because of inbox chaos or a crucial file because of an unstructured file system can not only cause frustration, but waste time.
We’re in an age where taking advantage of digital tools can increase productivity! Applications that provide inbox organization, task management, file arrangement, and calendar automations can eliminate tedious tasks allowing you to focus better on important matters.
One such application is Clean Email which is a mailbox management application that works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and other IMAP email services on any device. It offers automation features like:
- Screener for filtering out new senders and reducing inbox clutter.
- Smart Folders for an organized mailbox with zero effort.
- Auto Clean to once configure handling your incoming and aging emails, and have the app process them for you automatically ever after.
A study conducted by Slack found that 3.6 hours are saved each week by workers using automations and that 77 percent of workers believe automating routine tasks “would greatly improve their productivity.”
So, make use of automations and tools that can lighten your workload, remove clutter, and expand efficiencies.
2. Determine Your Most Productive Time
Identifying the times of the day (and even the days of the week) when you feel most productive is a big advantage. This allows you to tackle important tasks during those times while leaving trivial duties for other times.
⏰ For example, early risers may feel more energetic between 8am and 11am while night owls may be more alert between 6pm and 9pm.
Forbes shared a few details based on analyzed data from a project management software company. This includes the most productive time of day being 11am, most productive day of the week being Monday, and that productivity drops after lunchtime.
If you’re unsure of the best times for you, you can create a log to track when you’re most attentive and active. This can help you identify patterns over time and adjust accordingly.
3. Begin Each Day With a Plan
Whether you’re trying to be more efficient in your work or home life, making a plan for your day is a terrific way to stay on track.
This can include creating an achievable task list. Note the word achievable here! You may have 30 tasks you’d love to complete today, but is that realistic? Make a list of the items you want to complete that you know are within reach.
📝 When you start each day with a plan of what you want to accomplish, you’ll not only feel more focused but also more satisfied at the end of the day when you finish what’s on your plate.
4. Focus on Important Tasks First
Once you determine your most productive time of day, planning to tackle your most important task first makes sense. If you have many tasks and aren’t quite sure how to identify the most crucial ones, consider using the Eisenhower Matrix, also called the Urgent-Important Matrix.
Developed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, this handy concept of task management helps you figure out which tasks should be done now and which can wait.
The matrix includes four quadrants for your tasks:
- Do First: Urgent and important.
- Schedule: Less urgent but important.
- Delegate: Urgent but less important (and can be delegated).
- Don’t Do: Neither urgent nor important.
💡 You can find templates online, create the matrix yourself, or use the Eisenhower Matrix web app (shown above) for free. For a quick matrix setup, you can also jot down a list layout with four columns as the quadrants.
5. Batch Similar Tasks
Another way to efficiently manage tasks is by grouping similar ones. For instance, if you want to read, send, and reply to emails, batch those tasks into a single task. Or, if you want to research, compose, and distribute a report, you can group those tasks into one.
This is an effective technique for tackling smaller related tasks and you can work it in using the Time Blocking method of time management.
Using the above tasks as examples, you might block an hour on your calendar in the morning for handling emails and then block two hours after that to work on the report.
By grouping similar tasks and using the time blocking technique, you can better concentrate on each batch rather randomly than jumping between them as time allows.
💡 Tip: Learn how to make a calendar in Google Sheets to add your time blocks or how to share your Google Calendar so others are aware of your blocked times.
6. Break Down Large Tasks
On the opposite side of smaller similar tasks that you can group together are those large ones that require much of your time. With these types of duties, consider breaking them into several tasks.
For example, if you have a large project to work on that will take the entire work week, break down the project into smaller tasks that you can tackle each day.
This not only helps you manage the massive task with more focus but accomplish and schedule your other tasks around it.
💡 Tip: You can use the Time Blocking method mentioned above to schedule the times to work on that big task too! For instance, you can block one to two hours each day or three hours on three days.
7. Delegate Tasks to Others
If you decide to use the Eisenhower Matrix mentioned earlier, then delegating tasks to others is part of that process. But if not, you can still review your tasks for those that can be handled by someone else.
When a coworker or team member can work on a task that isn’t required to be completed by you, hand it over. This gives you more time to focus on other duties that you must take care of yourself.
8. Reduce Distractions
Many people struggle with how to stop wasting time and be more productive. Things like scrolling through social media, playing games, and watching videos can suck up a lot of time, and before you know it, you’ve just wasted an hour or more.
📌 As noted by Zippia, the average worker spends 2.35 hours each day on social media which is 32 percent of their time. The statistics go on to mention that “checking social media is also the most common and prominent distraction” with 47 percent of workers using it in the workplace.
If you have a hard time staying away from social media and similar distractions when working, consider tools that limit the amount of time you can spend on these and other apps.
With features like Screen Time on Apple devices and Digital Wellbeing on Android, you don’t have to delete apps on your phone or computer that distract you, but instead limit your use of them.
9. Reward Yourself
Maybe you’re wondering how to be more productive and motivated. A good way to accomplish both is by rewarding yourself.
When you complete a task, indulge in something you enjoy. It can be eating a delicious snack or listening to your favorite song. Having something to look forward to can motivate you to finish the task thus making you more productive—and happy!
10. Take Regular Breaks
One more tip for being more productive is to take time for regular breaks. Get up and stretch, go for a walk, or grab a drink. This gives your body and mind some brief time away from work and allows you to return to a task with mental clarity.
You can use tools like timers to help you know it’s time for that break. The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time management concept, and you can find many online Pomodoro timers as well as apps for your mobile device.
The premise is simple. You work on a task for 25 minutes and then take a short break for five or 10 minutes. After four of these cycles, you take a long break for 20 to 30 minutes.
This technique raises awareness of how you spend your time, assists in identifying patterns and where you can improve, and can help you be more productive in less time.
Bonus: Keep Your Inbox Organized with Clean Email
A cluttered inbox can slow you down, but Clean Email makes it easy to keep things organized. Available on the web, Mac desktop, iOS, and Android, it helps you manage emails wherever and whenever it’s convenient.
Unsubscribe from emails you no longer want
Stop wasting time deleting unwanted emails one by one. Unsubscriber lets you see all your subscriptions in one place, making it easy to unsubscribe, pause, or mute senders in just a few clicks.
Declutter instantly with Cleaning Suggestions
Sorting through thousands of emails manually? That’s a thing of the past. Cleaning Suggestions analyze your email habits to identify and group similar messages, allowing you to quickly archive, delete, or move them in bulk.
Final Thoughts
Identifying how to be more focused and productive can be challenging. Hopefully some or even all of these tips help you start your journey of realization and lead to a more productive life, whether at work, at home, or both.
FAQs
How to be more organized and productive?
Prioritize tasks, create a structured workspace, and use time management techniques like batching and time blocking. Digital tools like Clean Email can also help automate repetitive tasks at work and reduce distractions.
How does happiness help us to be more productive?
A positive mindset boosts motivation, focus, and creativity, making tasks feel less exhausting. Happier people also tend to have better problem-solving skills and higher energy levels.
How does discipline help you to be more productive?
Discipline builds consistency, helping you stay on track even when motivation fades. It reduces procrastination and ensures important tasks get completed efficiently.
