Is your To Do list stressing you out? If so, you are not alone. When the list is growing like a weed, and the light is never at the end of the tunnel it's time to look at your productivity levels. The last thing we want is for you to be working late at night or weekends trying to catch up. Working with more productivity during the day means more time and energy for free time and play - as well as increased job satisfaction. Banishing that insidious feeling of things hanging over you can be one of the most potent choices you can make in favour of your wellbeing and your life/work balance.
A great question to ask yourself is What would I do if I had an extra two hours of free time for myself each week? Wouldn't that feel amazing? In my experience almost everyone can create an additional two hours for themselves by upping their focus and productivity with simple tweaks and techniques, so, I have a short series of 11 productivity hacks you can use to work shorter and with more focus. Let's go!
1: Honour your ultradian rhythms
You have heard of circadian rhythms, yes? The ebb and flow of our levels of depth of our sleep at night - we run through one full sleep cycle every 90-120 minutes. Well, fascinatingly there is a similar biological rhythm that runs through our waking hours too. It's called our ultradian rhythm and it's a subtle version of the night-time one, an ebb and flow of our energy and concentration levels every 90-120 minutes through our waking hours. When do we know we have got to the end of one cycle and it's time for the next one? We start to feel bored, our concentration goes, we feel fidgety or we yawn or want distraction - it will happen every 90-120 minutes. Knowing this is a great way to boost your productivity levels. When you get that subtle nudge from your body that you have got to the end of one ultradian rhythm and are ready for the next one, instead of ignoring it and pushing through with willpower or with coffee, take a moment to honour your body and reset between one rhythm and the next. Just a couple of minutes will do it. Get up and walk around, go and say hi to a colleague, or grab a drink of water. This actually is the time to do a quick check on Facebook as it changes your energy and focus from tasks to people and connection. A productivity tip that includes Facebook?! Am I good to you or what?
So, do something for two or three minutes that's different to the past 90-120 minutes. Reset. And then dive back into the task at hand with renewed energy, focus and concentration for the next 90-120 minute cycle. When you honour the natural rhythms of your body like this you will not only find you are more productive but that your work is more enjoyable too. Your concentration levels are way higher and the work is more effortless and inspired.
