In approximately 618 hours, the year will end, and we will undoubtedly be visited by a meditative state we have become all too familiar with.
We might reflect on goals and aspirations, how we achieved them, what went wrong, and how we intend to do better in the coming year. However, we tend to forget about our goals at the workplace and how efficient we were at an "action" that takes up most of our lives.
So, this year? Let's try something a little different. Dig a bit deeper and see if all the declarations of "I declare my week productive!" has been worthwhile. It would indeed be the time to test and see if all the declarations of "I declare my week productive!" proved worthwhile.
Done reflecting?
Now you see, you could have been more productive, right?
Not to worry, I'm here to help make your 2023 work-life worthwhile.
* we won't spam you, never.
16-11-2022
Wake up at 5:00 am to get ready and have some personal time, hit the road at 6:00 am to avoid traffic and get to the office by 8:00 am to start work.
Run through the activities for the day, have lunch at noon, and realise that the day is almost ending and you still need to accomplish something you set out to do.
Close at 5:00 pm and sit in unending traffic, only to continue the cycle with a fresh batch of tiredness and lack of productivity each day.
Suppose we consider our typical day work scenario as a blueprint. In that case, in between commuting from home to your workplace, you can try something that would lighten your mood and keep your mind from work ahead.
Take Yaa Antwi, our template for a revamped productivity guru. In starting her day in the banking industry, she listens to a motivational podcast in the morning, such as The School of Greatness or the Daily Boost (Career Group Companies, n.d.), preparing her mind for any mental strain work might involve. Other times, she listens to loud music to adequately wake her up in the morning. On other days, soft, calm music starts her day. Sometimes, we can conquer all that the day has to offer us, but our mindset towards it stands in the way of completing our goal. So clear your head and do something you love.
As we gear towards another year, what new goals can you hold yourself accountable to? The first goal is to have a to-do list at the start of each day. These lists are the safest bet to keep you focused, no matter how much you chat with your work besties. If you know you need to check things off your to-do list at the end of the day, it will keep you straight and accountable. But don't forget to let yourself breathe like Yaa often does.
Don't box yourself in the to-do lists you set for the day. Instead, be conscious of the items on the list and their priority level. Organise your to-do list to ensure that activities that are top priority are completed at the required or assigned deadline.
For anyone who doesn't mind going all out and loves software that takes care of all productivity needs, you can use apps such as Notion. Or you can be a little old-school by writing down your to-do list in a productivity diary and ticking off completed tasks at the end of the day.
Within these hours, schedule to do your most complex and challenging tasks as it is proven that you have more energy in the early parts of the day. After Yaa creates her to-do list, she schedules everything. Alert: Schedule everything! To do this, you can fill up your calendar ahead of time (Alpaio, 2021).
Whether you pledge your allegiance to Google or Microsoft, that doesn’t matter. As long as you have your activities and tasks, alongside meeting times and even breaks scheduled in your calendar, you will receive that much needed reminder to perhaps, complete that deliverable, during the day. For some of you, especially obsessive over workers, you might need a reminder to stop for lunch, or take a winding down break.
In attacking your work, put aside the "canker" of social media and remain focused; checking your tweets every 5 minutes would not get the work done. One way you can do this is to set timers on apps that you are helplessly addicted to. Timers that will automatically lock you out from the apps. Timers that will force you to, indeed, get the work done.
And last but not the least, respond to emails!
This is typical lunchtime, Finally! Whilst eating lunch, you can get as much phone time as possible. Take this time to also relax and chat with your friends at work. It keeps you feeling lighter and not burdened by work. At this hour, Yaa would simply be relishing a hot bowl of jollof with soft fried plantain and grilled chicken, while casually scrolling through TikTok trying to learn the new dance routine. Yaa perfectly understands how much this solitude time on her phone does to her productivity levels after lunch.
Back to work, but this time, you can finish up on the tasks you could not complete earlier or start on the lighter tasks. At this time, Yaa for example, might benefit from her calendar reminders for tasks remaining in the day. It's almost closing time, so that's enough motivation to push through. Don't forget to have something to munch at your side to keep yourself awake cause the afternoon air comes with drowsiness.
It is the last hour to the end of your day. At this time, you could go over your to-do list to see what you could accomplish in the day and even use it to create your to-do list for the next day. This time is also used to finish tasks left halfway and leave the day on a good note. Let's look at how Yaa closes her day, she takes stock of what she could accomplish and prioritises what she could not for the next day.
What has been outlined above is a rough outline of how to manage your day effectively. It may vary based on your work schedule, but some techniques can be used in everyone's day.
Prepare your mind for the work ahead
Create a to-do list for each day
Have a reward system to keep you motivated till you get a break
Reduce the phone time to focus on the work
Schedule heavier tasks for the start of the day when your brain is more active
Take a break or a pause when you need to rejuvenate
With the right actions backing our favourite work declaration, “I declare the week productive!”, you can be assured of being able to manage your day to get the most results efficiently.
* we won't spam you, never.
16-11-2022
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