10 Great Ways to Be More Productive and Achieve Goals This Year!
I love feeling like I can start fresh in the middle of the dark cold winter. There are always goals I want to try or try again. But how can I be more productive and achieve goals this year? By applying some time-tested productivity tips that have always helped me get more done!
Do you have some new goals for this year? Do you want to be more productive and less stressed? How can you finally achieve goals you have set for yourself and stay on top of your daily tasks?
Whether you are trying to get a promotion, homeschool your kids, declutter your home, or open your own business being more productive is important! We all want to work smarter not harder!
Try these 10 minimalist productivity tips to help you achieve your goals!
How Can I Be More Productive and Achieve Goals Everyday?
- Get the hard stuff over with first!
- Set a time limit and work at your task.
- Touch it once. Deal with things as they come up.
- Write a to do list.
- Simplify the task. Break it down step by step and focus on priorities.
- Choose what you will focus on. Don’t commit to doing too many things at once.
- Use a planner to lay out your short-term and long-term goals.
- Tell others about your goals to help you stay motivated.
- Remember hard work will pay off. Don’t give up.
- Believe in yourself. Build self-worth.
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Be More Productive Tip #1: Get the hard stuff over with!
My mom always told me that I couldn’t play until I picked up my room or finished my homework. She said you have to do your chores before you can have fun. Your mom probably told you the same thing.
This concept is actually a really important way to be more productive. In Brian Tracy’s book, Eat That Frog, he emphasizes this habit. (I highly recommend reading it!) If you get the hardest thing you have to do each day done first thing, then the rest of the day will fall into place. You won’t have the big task hanging over your head and you will move more swiftly towards your goals.
To be honest with you, getting in the habit of getting what you have to do done before you do the things you want to do is the single greatest way to increase productivity! You will also find that you actually enjoy life more when you aren’t letting the hard stuff weigh you down by procrastinating!
Be More Productive Tip #2: Set a Time Limit
It can be pretty hard to get motivated to do the boring jobs in life. When I didn’t want to clean my room or do the dishes my mom would tell me to work at it for 5, 10, or 15 minutes depending on the task. She said; “You’ll be surprised how much you get done. You might even finish!” This proved true!
If you tell yourself you’re only going to work on your boring chore for 5-15 minutes you will often complete it because you are focused on it! If you do not complete it, you will usually find that you are so close to completing it that you just muscle through to the end!
This tip has helped me to be more productive. It helps me to get my laundry folded, organize my desk, dust the house, do the dishes, declutter, and more!
My friend over at www.beingsen.com wrote a great article including this tip and others to help you stop procrastinating.
#3 One of simplest ways to be more productive: Touch it once!
The simplest way to be more productive and not let the little tasks get in the way is to not let them pile up in the first place! How do you do that?
This is one of my favorite productivity tips. Use the “touch it once” rule. Instead of putting your dirty cereal bowl on the counter put it in the dishwasher. When you change clothes put your clothes away or in the laundry. When you get the mail figure out what you need to keep and what you need to trash right away.
If you “touch it once” and handle each tiny task as it comes you will find you do not have a lot of big chores waiting for you on the weekend. This will give you more time to focus on your accomplishing goals that are bigger than weekly chores.
#4 My favorite of all productivity tips: Write a To-do List
Using a planner has changed my life because every morning I write down the things I would like to get done that day and that motivates me to focus and get them done!
Writing a to-do list will help you clarify what needs done and what doesn’t need done. It will help you to allocate your time in slots that make sense for each task and you will find yourself getting more of what you have to do accomplished faster. Then you can get to all the things you actually want to do!
Using a planner has helped me be more productive and achieve goals like nothing else. Read this post to learn how to use a planner: Easy Planner Tips That Will Simplify Life and Your Busy Schedule!
Not only will using a planner help you see what you need to do. It will also help you develop better time management.
#5 Simplify the Task to Be More Productive
When you have a big project it can be overwhelming. One of the best productivity tips for big projects is to write your to-do list for that task step by step. This will help you to simplify the task so that it is not so daunting. As you complete each small part of the job you will feel more accomplished and motivated to tackle the next part until you finally accomplish your big goal!
Another way you can simplify the task is to ask yourself what parts of it really need done and what you could leave out. Focus on the essentials to make the biggest impact faster!
You will simplify your life achieve goals if you do not fixate on perfection or make things overly complicated. Look at each thing you have to do with a minimalist mindset.
#6 Choose What You Will Focus On:
When I was almost done with my correspondence schooling program I started working and volunteering. It took me two years to finish my last subject! Thankfully I was ahead in the first place. Why did that happen though? It happened because my work and volunteering were what I was focused on and I didn’t make much space for schooling.
This taught me a fundamental rule of productivity. You can only focus on so many major tasks in your life. I try to focus on just two big things at a time because every time I add a third commitment it drowns something else out.
Follow the “2 not 3 Rule” to be more productive and you will start accomplishing goals faster and better! When you over-commit yourself you will find you struggle at everything and your goals are never reached but you become burned out and frustrated instead.
#7 Plan Ahead:
Have you set some bigger goals for yourself? Big goals can take awhile to achieve! But every big goal comes from taking a lot of smaller steps.
If you want to be more productive and achieve goals you need to plan ahead. Think about how long the big goal will take to achieve. Then think about what smaller goals will help you to achieve it. Set monthly goals in your planner and create sub-tasks for each week that will help you to continue moving forward.
If your goal is a fitness goal these smaller goals may involve exercising every day and sticking to a diet. When your goals are career or education-oriented your smaller goals may involve finishing certain courses or projects. If your goal requires tools get them so you are ready!
Whatever your big goal is you will only get there by working consistently towards it, so make a plan and write it down!
#8 Tell Others About Your Goals!
Being a productive person is not always easy. Goal setting is one thing but reaching your goals can become difficult when you face set-backs or lose motivation. One of the best ways to stay motivated is to tell others about your goals. Share with your friends and family what your goal is and why you want to achieve it.
As time goes by your friends will be interested in your progress. They will ask you how it’s going and you can share your achievements and setbacks with them. When you know that they are interested in your progress will help you to stay motivated and they will be able to encourage you when you need it.
If you don’t want to tell anyone about your goals you probably don’t actually have any intention of achieving them. If you speak your intention you will achieve success!
#9 Achieve Your Goals Through Effort!
I will never forget the time the handsome neighbor boy came by after digging a trench across his front yard. My mom commented about how hard that work was and he simply said; “I like hard work. It keeps me strong.”
Needless to say, it didn’t seem a very deep comment at the time but I never forgot it. It became my mantra every time I had something hard to do. It made me realize that hard work is good for you. I suddenly appreciated what hard work could do for me. It makes you stronger. It improves you and your life!
Another phrase along these lines comes from Beachbody’s trainer Autumn Calabrese who often says; “You can do hard things!”
It is important to remember that no progress comes without effort and achieving your goals can be difficult. Maybe your natural tendency is not to be productive and driven. But working hard and doing some mental skills training to help develop motivation and focus is well worth it for all the benefits it brings! If you want to be more productive you will have to put some hard work into it. Focus on your goals and work hard for them! It will make you strong!
#10 Believe that You Can Do It and You Will Be More Productive and Achieve Goals
You can apply these minimalist productivity tips to help you achieve your goals! These productivity tips will help you to succeed!
But you have to believe you can do it and stubbornly persevere with consistent effort and planning. Don’t forget to notice the steady progress you are making and give yourself credit!
As you fight distraction and become more productive in everyday activities it will build your self-worth. Self-worth is vital to being motivated enough to achieve your big goals!
Be More Productive and Achieve Your Goals! It’s Worth It!
I have found that increasing my productivity actually helps me relax more. That sounds strange but when you don’t procrastinate, the hard stuff isn’t hanging over your head stressing you out. When you know what you have to do and you get it done you can move on to the things you’ve been wanting to do.
Sure it take’s work to be more productive but when you achieve goals you have been dreaming of for a long time you will be happy you made these productivity tips habits that work for you in every aspect of your happy simple life!
What are your big goals? What keeps you from being productive and how can you combat it? Please share in the comments below!
