8 Quick Tips That will Make You 75x More Productive

The power to do more (even with less) is the secret of success.

We may be tempted to think, that the more time and work we put into a task, the more expected result we get, but unfortunately that's not the case.

According to the 80/20 Rule or Pareto principle( the law of the vital few), 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results.

So, focusing on the vital 20% will make you more productive than the rest 80%.

Work smarter with these 15 tips and increase your productivity by 75%.

1. Set goals, targets and deadlines

There is always much to be done, but setting goals will help you focus on your high level priorities and not squander your time on every thing you come by.

Learning to recognise non-essential tasks is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to be productive.

So set goals that cover all the vital things you need to get done, and keep them in sight at all times. This will make it easy to spot inessential activities, so you can avoid them.

2. Make your life easy and boost productivity by using the right tools.

Irrespective of the work you do, there are lots of great tools that will help you work faster, more efficient and effective.

Leverage on technology and automate as many task as possible.

Always be on the look out for productivity tools in your field and leverage on them.

3. Organize your work environment

A chaotic work environment can hinder efficiency. Have only the things you need around and create or find an environment that stimulates your productivity.

4.  Weed out distractions

Take decisive steps to shut out distractions, minimise the time you spend with energy vampires.

Intentionally spend less time with people that waste your valuable work hours and also turn off notifications when working.

If you stumble upon an interesting article, then save it for. Same goes for checking of emails and your social media accounts. Unless they are part of your job, save them for latter

5. Eat healthy

When we think about the factors that contribute to work performance, we rarely give much consideration to food, but the foods we eat actually affect our productivity.

As it turns out,  just about everything we eat is converted by our body into glucose, which provides the energy our brains need to stay alert. When we’re running low on glucose, we have a tough time staying focused and our attention drifts. This explains why it’s hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.

Also not all foods are processed by our bodies at the same rate. Some foods, like pasta, bread, cereal and soda, release their glucose quickly, leading to a burst of energy followed by a slump. Others, like high fat meals (think cheeseburgers and BLTs) provide more sustained energy, but require our digestive system to work harder, reducing oxygen levels in the brain and making us groggy.

As research shows that the right food can boost your brain power, choose your nutrients wisely in order to be more productive.

6.  Delegate and/or outsource

The most productive people don’t carry the weight of their entire business on their shoulders. If there’s someone better suited to a job, they’ll delegate it. Smart delegation of tasks helps you stay focused on the big picture.

Find people who are better than you at certain tasks and delegate. It will increase efficiency and also free up your time.

If the work is something that needs to be done but (1) can be better done by someone else (2) isn’t part of your scope of work or (3) isn’t the best use of your time, delegate it out to the relevant people. Striving to get the maximum out of the time you have involves taking out items which aren’t effective uses of your time, such as administrative work.

- Celestine Chua (PersonalExcellence

7. Exercise regularly.

A habit of regular exercise will help keep you mentally sharper and improve your overall health.

Exercise aids productivity in several ways.

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain. And that sharpens our awareness. Exercise enhances our body’s ability to transfer glucose and oxygen throughout our brain and body, thus increasing our energy level. According to studies walking both indoors and outdoors can make us 60% more creative.

8. Take a break

Do you set aside big chunks of time to get work done, only to end up feeling like you’ve barely made a dent in it? Do you have that one task that always seems to get pushed off to the next day? Do you end your workday feeling drained rather than satisfied with what you’ve accomplished?

You need a break!

If your brain is completely fried or if you are physically too tired, give yourself a time out. No point pushing yourself onward and moving millimeters forward when you can give yourself a good rest and boost yourself after that. Else, you’ll just end up in a productivity slump.