Why Your Days Turn Out to Be Unproductive

 

Productivity is a proactive decision, and while it is easy to encourage everyone to just jump onboard and get right down to being productive, in reality quite a number of people struggle with being productive. This is not due to any lack of ability nor intention on their part, but because there are certain habits that they engage in that detracts them from having a meaningfully productive day. People can start their day already tired and they could be actively playing a hue role in why they are so reluctant to proceed with the day. And when a day starts out like this, the resultant end is 24 hours of accomplishing nothing. Productivity is efficiently carrying out your activities in a rightly manner, it is proactivity with a direction and goal in mind. Some decisions you make and some destructive routines you participate in set you up for failure and affect your performance without you even realizing what you are doing to yourself. However, these bad habits can be identified and gotten rid of, and replaced with healthier habits that boost your performance, creativity and productivity. Some Bad Habits That Make You Unproductive Procrastination Everyone comes across a certain task that they just keep putting off. It could be because it is a particularly difficult, annoying, or downright stressful project. Whatever the reason, we tend to avoid it. Do you know that postponing difficult tasks only just makes them much harder for you to do? By putting off responsibilities it becomes increasingly difficult to complete them, and this delays progress in an unhealthy way. Especially if you are a professional dealing with a deadline. The tasks will just keep piling up, and the energy you use to stress over it could’ve been better spent actually working on the project. And at the end of the day when the deadline looms before you, rushing is the only option and the quality of what you have dished out in a hurry is low and this affects your integrity with your team, employer or consumers.  How to tackle procrastination? When faced with a mountain of work stubbornly tackle the hardest ones, giving them more priority, you can make these hard tasks appear simple by breaking down into small actionable steps. There are No Clear Distinctions Between Your Personal and Work Life Getting distracted by personal issues while at work, and having pressing work issues interfere with your personal time leads to a clash of interests that makes you unfocused and this will cause you to burn out. You will find yourself working late nights, being all over the place and always feeling disoriented. Interruptions to your workflow by personal matters reduces your productivity to a drastic level, and at the end of the day you will have accomplished nothing except fatigue and mental drain.  To avoid this happening you should be strict with differentiating working hours from personal time, and establish clear boundaries for both yourself and persons of interest connected to your work and personal life. Establish your workspace and ensure it is safe from interruptions. Your rest and break times should be respected by all because your brain needs time to recharge and focus and think away from noise and distraction. You are likely to make more mistakes when you are tired. So remember clear boundaries are extremely necessary. Starting Your Day Without a Plan Managing your time throughout your day is not a bad habit at all. In fact it is greatly encouraged. Most of the time an unproductive day can stem from an unplanned day or a poorly planned day. Diving headfirst into a day with no solid design for how you wish to carry out your tasks, in what order and in what fashion, ends up killing your productivity. You will react to stimuli instead of being in control and focused. This is a time killer because you may end up wasting valuable time on unimportant activities with no clear direction. To avoid having an unproductive day, take at least 5 to 19 minutes each morning to think about your to-do list for the day. To help you visualize you can write them down or use a digital tool like your calendar or reminder or notepad app. This will help you plan your day into a productive and well managed space.  Screen Time in The Mornings  Your phone shouldn’t be the first thing you check when you wake up in the morning. Take the time first to meditate, journal, exercise or even just stretch. Have a glass of water and enjoy your own headspace. Those emails, calls, messages and your social media can and should wait, because they consume so much of your time than you realize. A quick glance at your screen can spiral into a straight hour of doom scrolling. This is a distraction and it inhibits your focus. Have healthier morning habits starting from when you wake up.  Multitasking Multitasking is not the road to productivity that you think it is. In fact multitasking can be more unproductive and draining than just lying about. Those half-finished tasks, the mental exhaustion of juggling so many things at once, your constantly shifting attention and lack of concentration all lead to making the tasks you are carrying out last longer than it needs to.  Single tasking is much more productive. When you focus on one task at a time, you manage your expectations and give it your all. This leads to results and progress.   Conclusion All of the mentioned habits above may seem miniscule and irrelevant when isolated, but when you compound them you realize that these little habits are affecting your productivity in a negative manner. You will feel stressed, overwhelmed and unmotivated. Productivity is not about being busy but mainly concerned with doing what is important. So if you know that you find yourself unable to be productive, check your habits and adjust accordingly. This requires discipline on your part but the reward is magnificent. Start now.