Productivity is not about getting as much things done as possible, it’s about figuring out what are the things that bring you the most value, in business and in your personal life, and focusing on them. Some things will get finished in a day or a week and thers will be the kind of things you will need to do continuously, on a day to day basis.
Sticking to your productive routine is another way of saying taking control of your life and keeping it. It might sound rigid or hard to do, but the routine you choose is something that feels natural and, once the work is done, it gives you a big sense of accomplishment.
Like creating any new habit, a new daily routine can be hard at first. Especially if you are trying to get rid of some old habits and trying to introduce new ones, opposite ones. Everthing takes practice; not a couple of days of practice, more like a month to really get going and become good at something.
The thing is, people usually back out on a new diet regime, fitness training and working or personal routines they set no matter how great they become at it and no matter how great the results they see are. The reason is because it takes more then expected to establish a routine that becomes natural.
And once they break the cycle, they never get back on it. It takes a lot of will power to start and once they get back to the old routine, the one they were so used to, they just can’t seem to find the will to do it all over.
The same goes for your work routine, and even the changes you want to introduce in your personal life.
The way to handle not falling back to the old, ineffective routine is to set some boundaries or to let yourself have some rest of pleasures. For example, you work 5 days a week and with your new routine you manage to do all you need, and then you take the weekend off and refuse to do business or even think about it. So many people don’t do this distinction, or this cut, and they always take their work with them not realizing how much are they are taking from their “regeneration” with a few phone calls or problems they continue thinking about. To avoid it completely you plan your weekend with other things.
Or, when you work, you don’t aswer the phone or get interrupted by anyone, but, after work, you go out with your friends because you have set the time to do it and so you leave your work at the office.
Have clean focuses in your life; that way you will achieve a lot more and enjoy a lot more.
Sometimes sticking to your productive routine takes more effort then you are willing to put in at that moment, but doing it helps you move forward much more rapidly, be clear all the time and finish all the projects you wanted or intended to do.
We find ourselves just surfing the net, doing unimportant tasks we can finish easily, but which really don’t make much difference and just thinking about things we would like to do. Even when we are in the middle of something, we so often interrupt ourselves to do those things. Fascinating, but true. That’s what establishing a daily productive routine (and sticking to it) helps you avoid and fix. There is even more time in the day you can use to do all the projects you thought about than what you do now and still don’t find the time.
It’s not about overworking yourself or managing your time. It’s only about creating a familiar routine that puts you in your best creative state and allows you to easily follow through with your work.
That’s the most powerful tool you can have and it’s all you need.
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Nice article. Really helpful. :)
Hi Vishakh,
you’re welcome, I’m glad you found it helpful. And good luck with your work!