How can you be more productive without adding stress? And I don’t mean only in your work, I’m also talking about your personal life. Nowadays, the lifestyles we live can be incredibly stressful to us; balancing work, friends, family, hobbies… It can all be too overwhelming! I do believe there are things you can do to better your productivity without adding stress, so in this post, I’m going to tell you which ones there are.

This is all based on my personal experience & beliefs and should not be taken as professional advice. If you need to speak to someone about your mental or physical health please do.

1. Find A Planning System That Works For You.

I can’t stress this enough (haha). Everyone has their own way of remembering things, but I believe that planning is a great way to know what you have to do and when you have to do it without stressing out about remembering everything! Find a planning system that works for you. For example, I love having a physical planner on my desk, I love writing things down & using monthly and weekly inserts. Btw, I use my own designs which are minimalistic and simple. but for my day to day tasks and to quickly write things down, I use my calendar and notes app on my phone and laptop.

2021 Weekly Planner Inserts A4 and A5

2. Stick To A Plan.

Planning is the best way of arranging your days or weeks in a way you know what you have to do and when you have to do it. But you also have to make sure you’re going to accomplish these tasks & not fall through! Create a working and task habit that works for you, and if it doesn’t, try new things out! For example, you might realise that you’re trying too hard to tick off things out of long and impossible lists for just one day. So instead of overworking and ultimately failing because you’re too exhausted, try spreading these tasks in different slots or blocks.

3. The Under 2 Minute Rule.

I read about this somewhere and thought it was great advice! The under two-minute rule consists of completing small tasks first, so basically, the ones that will take up to 5 minutes or less. This way, you’ll tick the things off your list that would usually pile up! So if you have an under two-minute task, do it then and there and stop procrastinating. Reply to that e-mail, make that quick phone call, it will help with your productivity and decrease your stress levels because you won’t have that pile of to do’s, the list will be shorter! Ticking things off a list will be very encouraging.

People also use the two-minute rule to make habits as easy as possible by scaling down goals into non-time-consuming tasks. This helps to push yourself into starting a goal and stop procrastinating.

For example: ‘Working out for an hour’ becomes ‘Putting workout clothes on’.

READ: HOW TO MAKE A VISION BOARD THAT ACTUALLY WORKS

4. Focus On One Task At A Time. Stop Multi-Tasking!

Task switching constantly can be stressful and tiring and will also reduce productivity. Planning to do different tasks at different times is a great way of furthering things when you have multiple to do’s to complete on a time budget. For example, you have two tasks you need to complete before the week ends, but you want to be overwhelmed and mix things up. What you’d do instead of stressing out about both of them at the same time is decide when you’re going to do each task. You might like to focus on one task in the morning until lunchtime, and the other task after lunch until the evening. Maybe you can plan Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to one task, and Tuesday and Thursday to the other one or Monday to Wednesday on one and Thursday and Friday on the other.

5. Take Breaks.

Taking breaks makes you be more productive. However, don’t just justify distractions as taking a break! You might be good with a 5-minute coffee break, or at some other point, a 20 minute go for a small walk and get some sunshine break. Whichever one it is, make sure you do take breaks when you need to.

6. Figure Out Your Most Productive Go-Times.

Not everyone is a morning person, not everyone is a night person. Sometimes you need to concentrate more on certain tasks, so you should do those at your most productive times. I’m much less productive after lunch, so I try to do as much as I can until then, or sometimes I get into work and idea mode at night!

7. Declutter.

The best way to be more productive is to make sure your workspace is one where you’re comfortable and is also tidy. Your surroundings matter a lot when trying to get things done! If I work from my room, I try to tidy right before I do work. Not only my desk area but I also make my bed, tidy up my clothes, etc.

Your Energy Is Sacred Quote

8. Move Your Body.

I can’t be productive if I’m feeling nervous, and the best way for me to calm my nerves is to go to the gym! Working out makes me feel amazing after, and my mind is so much clearer and ready to conquer the day. However, you may not have time to go to the gym before going to work or doing the things you have to do, so maybe going out for a quick run, or walk will be your go-to.

9. Stop Thinking You Have To Be Productive 100% Of The Time.

This one goes hand in hand with point 5. I believe it’s counterproductive, stressful and overall unnecessary for you to think that you have to be productive constantly. This will just make you feel stressed out and anxious all the time. Whenever you take breaks, don’t feel guilty for doing so, enjoy them!

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Which are other ways you think can help to be more productive without adding stress? 🦋

Comment down below!