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7 Ways to improve your productivity


1. Start the day before

Reduce tomorrow's stress by preparing yourself for tomorrow

Things you can do:

  • Set out your clothes for the next day

  • Mentally take yourself through the day

  • If you need to study, think about the times during the day you will dedicate to each topic

  • Set goals for the major things you want to accomplish the next day

  • Set aside items for breakfast (e.g. set up your coffee machine)

2. Sleep

  • Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night

  • A Harvard study estimated that sleep deprivation costs American companies $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity

3. Create limited to-do lists

  • Before starting work, list out all of the major things you want to get done that day (be realistic)

  • List the time slots you want to allocate to each item

  • Tip: keep a small notebook to record things you need to do in a day, what you achieved that day, and things you need to carry over to the next day

4. Do the most important things first

  • Doing the most important things ensures that you can end the day feeling like you've accomplished a significant task

  • It also allows you to fit in more during your day

5. Don't multitask

  • Finish one task before beginning another

  • An American study reported from The Journal of Experimental Psychology found that it took students far longer to solve complicated math problems when they had to switch to other tasks - in fact, they were up to 40% slower

  • Switching tasks can make it more difficult to tune out distractions

6. Designate time to handle emails

  • Try checking your email before work and reply only to those that are urgent and need an immediate response

  • Allocate 15 minutes around midday and 15 minutes at the end of the day to respond to other emails

7. Disconnect

  • The internet provides a constant stream of new distractions. Try working away from the computer and the internet whenever you can

  • Place your phone and laptop in a separate room or in your bag

  • If you need to use the computer or your phone, download an app that blocks certain sites at certain times of the day

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