Articles abound on the Internet about how to increase your “work” productivity. This article isn’t concerned with that. That is because if you work for an employer, I’m confident that at the end of the day, you’re tired, and you already do more than enough to earn your paycheck. Rather, this article is about increasing your “personal” productivity, so that you can spend your time doing more of those things that actually matter to you.
We can end up spend a lot of our time doing stuff that matters to other people. So, for instance, when you work hard at your job for eight-plus hours per day, you are spending those hours doing things that matter to your employer. And then, after work, you probably try to accommodate your spouse and your children by spending time meeting their needs. And pretty soon, the day is done, and you haven’t done a single thing that matters to you. Does that sound familiar?
We all have days like that. And those days leave us feeling empty. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you don’t spend a decent portion of your day doing the things that truly matter to you, you won’t be happy.
Below ways are to increase your personal productivity. Apply these approaches in your life, and see how much more personally productive and happier you can be!
To Increase Your Personal Productivity, Do No More Than What Is Necessary for Your Job
I’m going to let you in on a little secret that no one tells you when you enter the workforce. Exhausting yourself and working long hours will not get you ahead professionally. The people who advance professionally are simply the ones who are good at what they do.
For example, you can give 60-hours a week to your 40-hour a week job. You can skip lunch, field emails after dinner and work on weekends. And unfortunately, when it’s time for promotions, your employer is going to promote the person who is the best suited for the job. And that person may be your colleague who only works their 40 hours each week and is out the door every night at 5 p.m. on the dot.
I know that seems unfair. In fact, many people get very disgruntled by the fact that their excessive efforts often go unrewarded. But we don’t live in a world that rewards effort. We live in a world that rewards talent.
So, the lesson is this. Do your job. Do it well within the confines of a normal workday. And then don’t give your employer a second more of your time.
Instead, devote your personal time to the stuff that matters to you. That may be playing board games with your kids in the evenings. Or it may be waking up early each day to finish that novel you’ve been working on. It may be using your commute to learn another language, like French or Italian, because you want to take a trip to Europe next year.
Realize that work is a transaction. Your employer is paying you for a certain number of hours each day and no more. So, don’t give your time away for free! Instead, work the hours for which you are paid. And then use your free time to focus on being personally productive. In short, spend your free time on the things that matter to you!
Limit Your Screen Time
There are no bigger time wasters than television, YouTube and social media. For example, let’s say that you spend your Sunday afternoon watching sports on television. At the end of the day, you’ll have spent hours watching other people be exceptional. In the meantime, you’ll have sat on the couch and accomplished nothing.
Now, if you want to spend your free time watching other folks be amazing while you live an average, unexceptional life, that’s fine. But most of us want more out of life than that.
Realize that television, YouTube and social media simply offer you the opportunity to observe others being exceptional or interesting. But it is a massive time waster for anyone who themselves wants to be personally productive.
So, if you want to accomplish things in life, limit your screen time. Instead, choose to spend your free time accomplishing the things that truly matter to you. It may be that you give up watching sports on a Sunday afternoon to go to the gym to get healthier. Or you may stop looking at social media so that you have the time to learn a new language. The point is to stop watching other people do impressive things and instead do something impressive yourself!
Schedule Your Free Time
One important way to increase your personal productivity is to schedule your free time. Now that may sound awful. After all, your entire workday is scheduled. So, shouldn’t your free time be, well, free?
The problem with having unscheduled free time is that your time will end up being wasted on nonsense. You may end up spending your free time running errands or doing tasks for family members who say, “Hey! You have free time? Why don’t you do this for me?” Or, you’ll end up zoning out in front of the television or computer. And after 3 hours have elapsed, you’ll wonder, “Why don’t I have time to do anything that’s important to me?”
So, in order to not to waste your free time, you need to schedule it. For example, let’s say that you have a personal goal to get in better shape. If you wrap up eating dinner with your family at 7 p.m., you can put on your schedule – “7:30 – 8:30 p.m. Workout.” Or perhaps you want to work on your photography skills. Your schedule may say – “Saturdays 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Photography Practice.”
The bottom line is that you need to schedule your free time. And then you need to treat your free time schedule with the same level of seriousness that you treat your work schedule. And you have to force the other folks in your life to respect your free time schedule, as well.
I promise that if you schedule your free time, you will see an immediate increase in personal productivity. That’s because you’ll stop wasting time. And instead, you’ll use your time to benefit YOU!
Keep a Personal Goals Journal
Human beings are visual creatures. That is why people use journals. For instance, lots of people have Gratitude Journals. And they are effective! After all, I could get up every morning and think about all the things for which I am grateful. But if I write those things down, the act of reading what I have written nails down my appreciation in my brain.
A Personal Goals Journal will accomplish the same thing. A journal in which you write down your goals and plan how you will accomplish them will make your goals very real. For instance, you may have a general plan to take a trip to Southeast Asia. But as soon as you write that goal down, that trip starts becoming real to you. And if in your journal, you write down ideas for how to fund the trip and places you’ll want to see, that future trip will become very real to you.
The same holds true for any goal. Let’s say that you want to set up a side business on Etsy. Start with a Personal Goals Journal. Write down what you’ll sell, ways you’ll store your inventory, and how you’ll ship your product. That journal effectively becomes your planning space. You can doodle, jot down thoughts that just come to you in the middle of the night, and otherwise let your creative juices flow!
The benefit of the personal goals journal is that it will keep you motivated. And when you are truly believe in your goal, you make better choices as to how you spend your time. And those choices are the key to increasing your personal productivity.
Always remember that your free time is the most valuable resource that you have. How you spend your non-work hours can be the difference between having a healthy and meaningful life versus having a humdrum life. So, increase your personal productivity by spending your non-work hours in ways that benefit YOU! If you do, you’ll see your happiness increase, and you’ll feel better about your life generally. (To read about how to stay motivated to achieve your goals, click here.)
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