It can be difficult to become more productive, and the path is frequently paved with ups and downs.
After spending more than ten years researching the topic and working as a coach and trainer with individuals in this area, I have been able to pinpoint the main roadblocks that keep people from being fully productive every day.
These primary issues are emphasised in this article, along with the top, more typical ones.
You will undoubtedly be able to relate to one or more of these issues if you are having trouble with your own productivity or are just trying to get better.
Many people struggle to be productive simply because their work is disorganised.
The mail box is full.
Projects and tasks are not structured.
The entire work area is upside down.
The organisation of information, notes, and electronic files is poor.
In other words, the working environment is far from ideal, which frequently causes time to be lost!
We overlook tasks, misplace papers or information, and ponder where we might have kept such things.
We are wasting energy that could be used on tasks and projects that would have a higher added value while we are wasting time on them.
Being disorganised is a real issue that needs to be addressed right away if productivity is to increase on a daily basis.
Fortunately, getting organised is easy. And the one I favour is putting together an administrative framework. To learn more about this idea, take a listen to my free training on How to get organised to be 2x more productive.
The biggest obstacle to time management and personal productivity is procrastination.
A few years ago, I polled members of my Everyday Productive community to find out what they considered to be their biggest time management challenge.
Procrastination was the clear-cut solution.
Procrastinating is simply putting off the tasks you need to complete right now.
Everyone delays things occasionally, but that is unimportant. However, when this habit persists over time, it becomes a real problem.
It can be challenging for many people to get going and do something. They are aware of what they must do, but...
unable to reach work
feel unmotivated to complete the task
Feel worn out or preoccupied
The end result is that everything takes longer than anticipated. Even worse, we occasionally miss deadlines or find ourselves scrambling to complete tasks in time.
You must possess the ability to complete tasks regardless of how you feel in order to be productive.
Even though the task is tedious
Even if life is not what we want
Even if we lack inspiration
Even if there were better things to do.
To be effective, one must be able to complete the necessary important tasks. A fundamental principle of productivity is this.
Another difficult task is maintaining focus.
We frequently have a plan for how to move forward with a particular task and are aware of what needs to be done.
…However, when it's time to work, you become easily distracted and find it difficult to focus.
Ringing on the phone
new emails arrive
Social networks draw us in.
Our office counterparts break us up
Our minds stray. Etc.
In today's workplace, it can be difficult to maintain concentration.
However, you must develop this ability and be able to focus while working if you want to be productive every day.
To achieve this, we must learn to block out outside distractions, quiet the chatter in our minds, and create a working environment that promotes concentration.
This is a true art, but when it is accomplished, it is so beneficial.