8 tips for the ultimate productive day

Busy, busy, busy… Yet again a super long to-do list! You start off great but after a few hours your concentration is just lost. Just follow these 8 tips and kick some ass.

1. Create your perfect day

Do you do most of your work in the morning or are you more of a night owl? Not everyone is productive at the same time. Period. Self-knowledge can take you a big step forward. Plan your agenda (meetings, briefings, …) so you get the most out of your day. Put all-in on your most productive moments and complement lesser moments with rather simple tasks.

2. Small tasks, big results

Don’t fill your day with big, elaborate tasks, but also make room for small victories. For example, covering your bed. Good to know, do it in the morning and create a good feeling during the working day. Some advantages:

You’ve already finished something,
You’ve prepared something,
You set the tone for the rest of the day.

This also applies to other small to-do’s. That good feeling when you can tick off something will give you courage to take on the bigger tasks as well.

“The Secret of getting ahead is getting started”
Mark Twain

3. Start the day with a positive morning routine

Successful people like Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk and Barack Obama swear to a clear morning routine. So take your morning routine into your own hands. Draw up a plan that you feel comfortable with and that fits in with your situation. Is useless social media scrolling in the morning disastrous for your start of the day? Just don’t wake up those first few hours? Experiment with your wake-up time or start the day with things that give you energy. Determine clear steps that will help you to be the best version of yourself.

Want to know everything about the perfect morning routine?

The morning routine: performing a daily ritual of half an hour or an hour to walk through life hyper-productively day in and day out.

4. A fresh start ensures more productivity

Bye, bye hot shower and hello cold water. Take on the challenge and get into a cold shower each morning. A fresh start guaranteed with a lot of endorphins screeching through your body! Getting rid of your hot bath/spa moment? No, just keep those moments for the evening. That way you have something to look forward to.

5. A healthy breakfast is key for a productive day

No one can be productive with a grunting stomach. Concentration takes energy. Healthy nutrition is essential for productivity and yet one in four eat breakfast regularly (Shame on us!). Therefore, despite the chaos and hustle and bustle of the morning, try to choose a healthy breakfast so that you get enough vitamins and minerals.

6. Keep calm and take a break

Fact: No one is productive for 8 hours. Got a dip? Is it time for a coffee chat? Or do you just want to change your mind? Whatever the reason, step away from your desk and do something complementary. Meditate, do breathing exercises, go for a walk or pool. Take a break and then go to work fresh and productive.

7. Lists, lists & LISTS

Grab a pen and paper and write down what you want to do today. Lists will help you determine the focal point of your productive day. And no, they don’t have to be life changing events. Pumping up the tires of your bike, reading a book, baking (and eating) a cake, etc. also deserve a place on your to-do list. It’s all in the little things. But visualizing your to do’s will make you take a step forward every day.

The Pomodoro technique also makes use of this and helps you to organise your time more productively. This way of time management consists of 6 steps:

Determine which task you need to perform
Run the Pomodoro timer (Traditionally 25 minutes)
Work on the task
Make sure the task is completed when the time is up and check it off your to-do list.
If you have less than 4 tasks on your list, take a short break of 3 to 5 minutes, and go back to step 2.
After 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break of about 15 to 30 minutes. Remove all already completed tasks and go back to step 1.

Extra tip: Keep your list throughout the day and scrape what you’ve accomplished, it feels so good!

8. Go for an end-of-the-day routine

In addition to a morning routine, build in an end-of-day routine. How? Simple. Organize your desk before you go home or go over your duties for the next day. Make sure you also create a moment of rest at home before you get under the wool. A cup of tea and a good tune in the background, grab a book or have a nice chat. Let go of the day.

“Productivity is NEVER an accident. It’s the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort”
Paul Meyer

Anyway, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’re not going to be able to be as productive every day. But every time you take a step forward, you get closer to your goal. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Keep these 8 tips in mind and over time you will see that your productivity has increased rapidly.

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