Increase your productivity by this 3 step approach

I saw the question "Why am I unproductive?" and other variations of it a lot on Quora. I have compiled my answers into the blogpost here. 

Please enjoy and leave your comments!



Take a step back and zoom out. You can look at time management as a 3 step process:

  • Plan
  • Execute
  • Analyze



Plan

  • Clarify your values, think about what’s really important for you and why. How would you imagine things would be if you were reasonably productive? Also, think about the negative outcomes if you don’t - try to really imagine that outcome and see how that makes you feel.
  • Set your goals. Try and be as specific as you possibly can. What do you want? What do you want it?
  • Explicitly state the outcome/result you want to achieve.


Execute

  • Remove distractions. Work aggressively towards saying “no” to existing and probable distractions and carve out time slots in your day that you would protect at all costs. Most distractions are our mobile phones so definitely keep it away during this time.
  • Exhibit unyielding focus. The ability to focus is a skill that needs to be trained in order to strengthen it - Try to increase the intensity of your focus. One way to do it is to give yourself a challenging enough deadline to finish a particular task that’s not possible without extreme focus.
  • Execute Daily - Consistency beats crashing. Also the muscles of removing distractions and increasing focus get stronger with repetition rather than a one-off marathon. These abilities will help you a lot in life - so execute daily!


Analyze

  • Regularly review progress. Setup a cadence - a week, a month or a quarter depending on your specific timelines that you will review your progress with ownership and openness. Don’t do it with judgement - try to be as objective as possible and recognize your progress.
  • Find an accountability partner if you can. This could be a friend, a colleague, an acquaintance or even your social media connections/community. Find an individual or group that keeps you honest.
  • Don’t chase perfection, be resilient. The ability to set goals and achieve them through hard work is an art - and we get better at it over time. True productivity is not being busy all the time but rather consistently achieving the right outcomes. The process includes making mistakes and failing. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you are not able to execute according to plan - but never stop, stay resilient.


Jawad Khan
With Jawad Khan's blog, I am working towards creating a Self Improvement Platform. I am dedicated to curating and providing you the best of Self Improvement content, with a focus on themes like productivity and improving your mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. I want to turn my passion for Education and Self Improvement into a booming online website. I hope you enjoy my content as much as we enjoy offering them to you. You can also check out my Linktree for more content and information.

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