How to Improve your Daily Routine to Increase Productivity

Productivity is an essential factor when it comes to accomplishing your daily goals. Everyone likes to work smarter, not harder. That’s why we should strive to achieve more each day. However, most of us still struggle with productivity.

The way you start your morning can influence the rest of the day. Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling exhausted and too lazy to get up? You almost feel like throwing that alarm clock out the window. If that’s how you start your day, imagine how you will spend the next hours? How can you be productive and get excellent if you feel this way?

The usual routine would be starting your day with your alarm clock’s sound, going to work, beating deadlines, creating plans, and going home tired and stressed. Being busy is monotonous. But, being busy doesn’t mean you're productive. Some busy people accomplish less, and some individuals accomplish more by doing less.

Successful People Use Productivity Hacks

Every successful person you idolize has its ways and techniques for dealing with every course they have for the day. Every wonder how they do it? Practically every successful person you’ve ever heard of, from celebrities, athletes, politicians, and entrepreneurs, all have this one key thing in common: they know how to make their days more productive.

Regardless of her busy daily schedule, Oprah Winfrey always tries to find time to meditate and do a workout before she starts working. Pop music and icon Lady Gaga never fails to allot 5 minutes of her time, to create compassionate thoughts for self-directed love and gratitude.

Even the famous Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s wealthiest billionaires, engages in mind and body exercises every morning.  He spends an hour doing cardio workout on the treadmill and watches instructional videos from the Teaching Company. He ensures that his health is always in good condition.

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs used to start his day by asking himself, “If today was the last day of my life, would I be happy with what I’m about to do today?” He knew that something needs to change if he answered this question with a no!

If you want to improve your career and look for ways to make your day more productive, you need to do the following:

#1 Wake up early

Waking up early can give you additional hours in the day and work on things free from distractions. You can do some exercises first or write down your thoughts in a journal. This is very helpful because, by the time other people are just starting to get up from their beds, you’re already prepared and energized to continue working on the rest of the tasks. Wouldn’t that feel amazing? Feeling like you’re ahead of everyone? 

#2 Create a great morning routine

There are various ways to spend your morning. Are you someone who checks your phone or social media account right after you wake up? Regardless, you must create a morning routine that makes you excited to start your day. 

Here are some ideas to start your day right:

• Eat a healthy breakfast.
• Do some creative and productive works such as journalizing or reading a book.
• Make sure to set the alarm time for you to wake up.
• Be consistent with your morning routines.
• Enjoy what you are doing. 

#3 Learn to prioritize

One of the biggest challenges you will face as an entrepreneur is prioritizing the work that matters.

Avoid procrastinating. Do what you can do today instead of piling tasks up for tomorrow.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

Collect the tasks you have in a day and to identify the works that are urgent and important. Do what is required to be done at the end of the day.

Part of learning to prioritize is to be flexible and adaptable. With this, you will learn to focus on the tasks you’re committed to finishing while being open to sudden changes.  

#4 Plan ahead

It’s a great idea to have a plan before going to bed. Create a to-do list. This can be a list of the most important things you want to accomplish the next day.

According to the famous motivational speaker and writer, Brian Tracy, planning your day the night before can help tremendously. Your subconscious works on your plans and goals while you’re sleeping. That makes you more motivated to start your activities when you wake up in the morning. 

#5 Learn how to multitask

Multitasking is one of the keys to a productive day. Not only will it lessen your workloads, but it will also allow you to finish a particular project in a shorter time.

Take it from Bill Gates. Bill Gates uses three monitors. One set up for displaying incoming emails, one serves as his regular desktop, and the other is set for whatever else he's doing. Gates gives each correspondence the time, focus, and attention it needs. It is something that you can implement in your life.  

#6 Relax and take productive breaks

"There is a virtue in work, and there is a virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither." - Alan Cohen

Your body and mind can be tired, too. Do not push your health to the limit. When you feel tired or fatigued, you will not be able to accomplish the goals you need to complete. 

Sometimes, you have to spend some time to relax and have a mental break emotionally and physically. It can help you get away from the stress of the busy world. This will free your mind from worry and will refresh your mind.

#7 Take care of your body

Stay fit and healthy. Despite your busy schedule, you have to give yourself time to exercise. Your body needs it. Also, get enough sleep so that you won’t experience burnout. Rest is not just right for the body, but it is also good for the mind. Remember, you can accomplish great things with a healthy body and mind. 

#8 Be happy, celebrate, and enjoy life

Make the most of everything and take time to appreciate the little things around you. It’s not just the big things that deserve a celebration. Every day should be a happy day. You have so much more to be thankful for in life! Enjoying life is the key to happiness. 

#9 Utilize the power of today’s productivity tools

Today’s technology offers apps and project management tools to organize, schedule, delegate, and implement tasks. A calendar app on your mobile phone can be a big help, so you’ll not miss any meetings and events. Other tools can also help you monitor your productivity levels so you’ll be on a proper track. 

#10 Reward yourself for finishing a big task

Rewarding yourself after finishing a big task will help you become more motivated. Whether it is a small or big task, you need to keep track of it and celebrate your milestones. Whenever you look back and realize how you’ve learned to become productive, you will be more motivated and grateful. 

Conclusion

We are all given 24 hrs a day, and if we wonder why individuals who accomplish more than other people are because of how they spend their time. They make the most of it. With all the tips mentioned above, you can start changing your daily routine and turn each day to be more productive.

One of the key aspects of improving your daily routine is to state your intentions; if you need to, you can write them down the night before to get a head start. Also, it is crucial to be as specific with your intentions as possible. 

If, for example, you want to be more productive, don’t just write that down. Instead, write something specific like setting up the alarm one hour or half an hour earlier than usual to get something done. 

Finally, suppose you state your intentions with clarity and work toward achieving them every day, even if you spend only one hour a day to achieve that goal. In that case, you will become more productive and efficient than you were yesterday.