Productivity Techniques That Are Worth A Try
If you're like most people, you've probably made an initial effort to be more productive, but after a couple of weeks, lost your rhythm. Don't worry, just pick right back up! What may help, would be a proven plan for optimal productivity. Well, guess what? We've got three you can pick and choose from! Here are a couple of productivity techniques, taken from TheMuse.com:
Craig Ballantyne's 10-3-2-1-0 Formula
Although most productivity methods start when you wake up, Ballantyne believes your bedtime should take utmost importance. It makes sense – if you don't get enough sleep, your next day will be thrown off. So, he created the 10-3-2-1-0 formula. It's a memory aid to help you get enough sleep. It means:
10 hours before bed: No more caffeine
3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol
2 hours before bed: No more work
1 hour before bed: No more screen time
0: The number of times you hit the snooze button in the morning
This way, what you do during the day won't disrupt a restful night's sleep, thus, making you less likely to hit that snooze button and sleep in!
The Pomodoro Technique
This is a time management method, so get your time ready! You're given 25 minutes to work on ONE chosen task for only 25 minutes. You work until the timer rings, and take a five-minute break. Repeat the cycle four times and then take a 15-minute break. These little intervals are called “Pomodoros” (“Tomatoes” in Italian). The idea? Don't allow time for distractions to creep in. Many have found that this maximizes concentration, while also preserving energy because of the short breaks. A break every 25 minutes? Sounds great!
The Eisenhower Method
Yup, you guessed right – this is named after former President Eisenhower, who is said to have followed this method. It's all about prioritizing. For everything on your to-do list, you must ask two questions: “Is it urgent?” and “Is it important?”. Then, put your to-do list into the four resulting categories:
Urgent and Important: Get these done first. Deadlines, a crying baby, an emergency tech issue, etc.
Important But Not Urgent: These should be steady tasks that you can work on consistently. For example, networking, business planning, long-term goals, etc. These have a longer range timeframe.
Urgent But Not Important: Did you just get a phone call in the middle of a meeting, or an inbox full of emails that won't benefit you in the long run? You can cut down the amount of these time-consumers by simply setting up boundaries. Let people know you're availability to receive these at certain hours in the day.
Not Important or Urgent: These might be little ideas that aren't likely to come to fruition, “maybes”, and things that you generally should delegate.
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