How To Develop Productive Habits: 11 Most Useful Strategies

Today you’ll find out how to develop productive habits.

Forcing yourself to abruptly adopt a few beneficial habits can be difficult. Luckily, anyone can lay the foundation for future success by making a few small changes to their environment and processes.

All it takes is a little planning and a healthy dose of optimism to be the most productive version of yourself. With the right mindset and a little effort, you will tick tasks off your to-do list faster than you can write them down!

How to Develop Productive Habits:

1. Take advantage of the daily planner.

Planning your day can help you focus on the important things. Being efficient takes more planning than effort, so spend 5-10 minutes each evening (or morning) planning how you’ll spend the coming day.

First thing in the morning, make a list of the most time-consuming or important tasks and leave time for e-mail, cleaning, and rest.

Set specific goals for the day. Pick three main things to do and set aside at least 90 minutes for them.

If you want to set an everyday schedule, get up 5–10 minutes earlier in the morning than usual to set aside time for this. Busy morning routine does set the tone for a productive day!

Break your day into chunks to avoid spending hours in the same place or doing the same things. It will be easier to sustain your attention throughout the day if you move around a lot and alter things up.

2. Put down the phone.

Silence your phone unless you are waiting for a crucial call. Random messages, notifications and social media can easily distract you. Stop procrastinating on the phone if you catch yourself doing it.

When you are focused and engaged in what you are trying to do, you will be more productive, so eliminating the most evident distractions is greatly important.

There are apps you can download to block access to your account at certain times of the day or after browsing for a while if you are addicted to monitoring social media.

If you truly want to focus on something, you can all the time put your phone in another room or in a desk drawer.

3. Organize your home or office.

You’ll be more focused if you have a neat workspace and an organized home. Clutter can distract you from the work you want to get done.

Take a couple of minutes at the end of the day to clean up the mess by taking out the trash, throwing things out, and organizing your workspace or home. It will be easier for you to create good habits if you wake up in a clean home and live in a neat work space.

4. Complete all important tasks before lunch.

Do important tasks very first thing in the morning, because most people are more productive in the morning.

If grocery shopping is on your to-do list today, do not put it off until 8 p.m. when you are sleepy. Make those calls or set up the meeting before noon if you want to offer a new service to a few key clients.

Planning your day this way won’t only help you get the most significant things done, but that initial sense of accomplishment will help you keep your pace throughout the day.

Take a brief break if you are having a hard time staying energized throughout the day and are not working. A twenty-minute nap is an excellent way to get back into productive thinking.

5. Concentrate on one task at a time.

Multitasking is hardly ever a productive way to operate (1). If you focus all of your efforts on one activity at a time, you are much more likely to complete it.

Turn off the radio at work, turn off the TV while you study, and do not divide your time between e-mail and other work-related responsibilities. When your brain prepares for a new job, you spend plenty of energy switching between tasks. Jumping around like this isn’t conducive to productivity.

When you are in the zone where time flies and you are utterly absorbed in what you are doing, you are most productive. It’s a lot harder to get to this state if you are continuously switching between two or three different activities.

6. Look for value in worldly things.

It’s hard to be productive if you think you are wasting your time. Before you start, try to find the meaning behind everything you do.

For example, if you are just filling out a time sheet, remind yourself that you are helping your boss maintain transparency. As a result, you will be more productive at work, and that is precisely what you want! You can even relate all of this to your company’s goals to remind yourself why it is so important.

Finding value in small things has a positive effect on your entire worldview. You’ll never achieve anything if you hang around all day feeling like you wasted your time!

7. Take a break every hour.

Set aside 5-10 minutes every hour to recharge your battery. Get up and stretch, go outside to get some fresh air, or take a brief walk in the halls.

As well as helping you return to work feeling refreshed, it will also give your body a break from sitting or staring at the computer for long periods of time, depending on what you are doing.

The Pomodoro Method is popular with busy people. This involves you working in successive intense bursts, such as focusing on a subject for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break. If you lose your enthusiasm for work after about 35–45 minutes, this is an excellent solution.

8. Set aside 5 minutes each day for yourself.

Start small and let easy actions turn into regular routines.

Set a goal of spending just 5 minutes a day developing a new habit. Over the next week, double that amount. Stick to the 10 minute a day rule for the next week or two.

After a few weeks, your brain will get used to devoting 10 minutes to this work. This is a wonderful approach for building small procedural habits, such as daily morning exercise or meditation.

If you are not used to doing anything at all, it might be tough getting through the first week, but hang in there! It will get easier and easier as time goes on.

Doing your little habit at the same time every day will also help with habit formation.

9. Relax on your day off.

You will burn out if you do not take time off.

Make time to spend with family and friends, read the books you want to read, and do activities you enjoy. If you keep pushing yourself to do more and more tasks, you’ll ultimately fail. If you want to be productive, you need to relax on your days off.

Take a vacation or a long weekend to relax, or if you are going to spend time with your loved ones or create a new habit. There’s some evidence that it is easier to form new habits after a long period of relaxation.

10. Take care of your body.

Try to eat a balanced diet (2) which includes lean protein, vegetables, and healthy whole grains. Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

To reduce stress and feel good about yourself, try to get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week in the form of jogging, biking or lifting weights.

If you are not feeling well, it is hard to develop an effective routine. Taking care of your body is important for your overall health, but it is also important if you want to be a productive person.

Don’t forget to take care of your mind and soul! Meditation and yoga are excellent strategies for maintaining mental and emotional health.

11. Recognize and reward yourself for developing good habits.

Reward yourself for sticking with them as you increase your overall productivity. After completing your daily plan, take a moment to drink a good cup of coffee.

Get a small piece of candy when you finish filling out your report in the morning. It’s important to regularly give yourself small incentives to maintain productive habits if you want them to be sustainable.

Breaks should be taken instantly after doing productive work. Taking breaks is an excellent way to reward yourself, and you should take them regularly. It’s a win-win situation!

Thank you for reading this article on how to develop productive habits and I actually hope you take my advice into action.

I wish you good luck and that I hope that its content has been a good help to you.