Tips for increasing your productivity are a popular subject. When you dig into you will realize it is a rabbit hole. The rabbit hole is so deep, and at times, the tips are so contradictory you can get confused. Anyone can come up with something as a tip, and that is where it can get confusing. I have noticed most of the so-called tips are too philosophical or grandiose. Yet what people really need are actionable tips that they can use. That is why I am sharing with you some practical tips to increase productivity. I use these things in my life and have proven to work effectively.
Waking Up Early And Conditioning Yourself In The First Hour
This is something that is inspired by the book The 5 Am Club. It is more than just some lofty concept; I have seen it working for me immensely. The idea is to gear up for the day by prepping yourself in the first hour. You have to wake up early; that is first and foremost – preferably 5 am. That can differ from person to person but the principle is to wake up early. In the book, the author, Robin Sharma, calls that first hour the victory hour and you should structure it as:
The Victory Hour – 5:00 am To 6:00 am
The idea is not just to wake up early. You have to productively use that time, which is why Robin Sharma underscores taming your first hour. He calls it the Victory Hour and advises that you must apportion it into 3 segments and do specific activities as follows:
5:00am To 5:20am
The main focus in these first 20 minutes is movement. You must do exercises that get your heart rate up and snap you out of sleep drowsiness. You can do activities such as walking, jogging, cycling, and the like.
5:20am To 5:40am
This segment is about reflection. You must take time to journal or write down what you intend to do in the day. You can also take stock of what is weighing down your mind. It could also be an inspiration or ideas that can come to mind. You can do this with the help of taking a walk or meditating.
5:40am To 6:00am
The final 20 minutes are all about learning. You can do this by reading a book, listening to a podcast, or studying a topic.
It is a matter of principle not strictly adhering to those time slots. If you can follow as is, that is okay, but you can be flexible to suit your preferences. The principle is having movement, reflection, and learning in that first hour.
Deep Work
Deep work is a concept where you set aside a number of fixed hours in your day where you work uninterrupted. There’s a great book on the subject; Deep Work by Cal Newport. During those hours, you block any possible distractions. It depends from person to person, but it is mostly the first hours of the day for me. Usually, 5 or so hours. I can either do that from 6 am to 11 am or from 9 am to 1 pm. Then if I have more work to do, I find time from 4 pm to 6 pm.
To streamline your deep work activities, you should use two rules or methods inspired by Robin Sharma. These are the 90-90-1 rule and the 60-10 rule. The 90-90-1 rule entails dedicating the first 90 minutes of your day (outside the victory hour) to working on the most important project or goal of your life at any given time. Then you consistently do this daily for 90 days. Chances are high that you will complete the goal in 90 or fewer days. The 60-10 rule involves breaking down your tasks into 60-minute blocks of work, followed by 10-minute breaks.
As always, it is the principles that matter most. Otherwise, you can tweak the ratios. I have seen these work effectively because I apply them to my own life. When you do these things, it will dawn on you that a day is more than enough to accomplish many things. The day appears inadequate because you probably waste most of it.
Typing Faster
This might not apply to everyone, but it will to many of you. Especially for those of you who work with laptop or desktop computers and type a lot. Typing speed is central to productivity. If you are slow, you will spend too much time on tasks that can take much less time. You can enrol for training classes to learn how to type faster. You also have platforms like YouTube, where you can find countless practical videos on that subject. There is a useful website called Typing Club; check it out as well.
The other thing I have realized is when you type daily, you gradually get faster. I have come to a place where I can now type for several minutes without looking at the keyboard. This is known as touch-typing. It happened over time which is quite fascinating.
Anyways, typing faster starts off with understanding a simple basic. Your hands should never cross each other when you are typing. If you do that, then it is clear you are doing something wrong. The left fingers must cater to the left half and the right fingers to the right half. Each and every finger must have dedicated uses. The order or positioning of your fingers will guide you in that. For instance, your thumbs are for the space bar. It takes some time, but it all starts with treating your keyboard as two halves.
With 3 tips, you can skyrocket your productivity as an employee, business person, entrepreneur, or just a random individual. Productivity is a function of having a system by which you do things. Productivity is not an accident; it is prepared for and worked on diligently. These practical productivity tips can take you to heights you never thought possible.
