Write your daily plan down on a notepad, digital planner, or a calendar. Writing things down rather than committing them to memory will help you to remember and actually accomplish your tasks. Writing down all you plan to accomplish in a day can also help you avoid over-booking yourself and taking on more than you can handle in the time allotted. It’s good to be ambitious, but it’s also important to have a realistic daily plan that you can accomplish.
Write down each task or project as soon as you can so you’re sure to be prepared for it and accomplish it on time. Note any big deadlines or due dates and pencil in some reminders a week or so before the actual deadline. This will help you work more efficiently and get your big tasks done in easier increments. This type of advanced planning will also help you schedule leisure actives, breaks, and vacations. If you know when things are going to be due, you can more easily plan around them and make sure you have enough time to get things done as well as thoroughly enjoy your break time.
If you’re a student, consider setting aside specific days for specific subjects: Mondays can be reserved for doing all of your science reading for the week, for example, while Tuesdays can be dedicated to math. In an office setting, allocate specific days for specific tasks: Mondays can be just for administrative tasks, for example, while Tuesdays can be focused on creative projects.
Getting little tasks out of the way, like grocery shopping or running errands, can help you focus on larger tasks that need to be accomplished later in the day.
On the other hand, if you get the menial tasks out of the way first, you might be reluctant to tackle a big project in the second half of the day.
Set a series of alarms to cue you to move on to other work and stay on task during the day.
Use a stopwatch or another type of timer to keep track of how long you work on each task. Set goals for yourself and turn this into a game; you’ll work far more rapidly if you’re attempting to beat the clock.
Working this way can help you develop a work “flow,” something that behavioral psychologists have described as a feeling of accomplishment, productivity, and happiness.
Focus on related tasks at the same time. Reduce the amount of mental energy used when switching between different tasks by bundling your multitasking activities together. For example, respond to all of your mail messages at the same time (email, voicemail, and snail-mail). [10] X Research source Write down your workflow items. Writing down all the stuff you want to juggle will help you to not get distracted or sidetracked with all the multiple things going. [11] X Research source Take some time at the end of your tasks to go over each item alone. This narrowing of focus can help with catching any errors and making sure you’ve done all you wanted while working on it in a multitasking atmosphere.
Spending the first few hours in the morning on something you care about—whether it’s playing with your kids, taking the dog for a walk, or doing yoga—can help clear your mind and put you in a better mood for the rest of the day, which will help you stay focused and work faster. Set up separate personal and work or school email accounts and limit how often you check your work or school account over the weekend. Try to be mindful and take some time to really switch off from your work worries, especially on the weekends, so that when you do get back to the grind on Monday you can be refreshed and ready to work faster and more efficiently.
If your space feels calming instead of hectic, you’re likely to be more efficient.
Don’t fall into the faulty misconception that “one does their best work under pressure. " Psychological studies have shown this to largely be untrue![15] X Research source Procrastinators who wait until the last minute often get less done and produce work with more errors. Plan a celebration or treat for yourself when you complete your task on time or even early. If you have something fun to look forward to, you’ll give yourself extra motivation to get your work done.
