How to stay productive

Productivity is an elusive idea that many of us strive for, but struggle to consistently maintain. All too often, we wake up, look after other people, rush out the door, grab a coffee – and then bang! All of a sudden it's 3pm and we haven’t even begun our daily to-do list.

We thought we’d share our favourite hints, tips and tricks that we’ve adopted at The Like-Minded Collective from some of our favourite leaders in business, health and wellness. It’s important to note however, that what works for some people may not work for all. We encourage you to look at these tips as tools in your productivity toolkit that you can try on for size and see if they work. Adapt them to both your lifestyle and personality, and you will be well and truly on the path to productivity.

Tip 1 - Turn Off Social Media

We know, we know – easier said than done! But all too often, we all become lured in by the temptations of new Instagram posts or tweets to check. You can begin by turning off your social media notifications for an hour at a time, and then allow yourself five minutes to scroll. Overtime, you may come to realise you can go the whole afternoon without checking your facebook!

Turning off social media will let you focus on the task at hand and dedicate your sole attention towards it. You will likely see an improvement in the quality of work as your brain is given more room to be creative.

Tip 2 - Make a To-Do List

This is a tip as old as time, but we will say it again because of how much we love it! We personally love dividing our To-Do lists’ up into different circles of our lives. For instance, we may have a To-Do for our personal lives (such as buying that birthday present!); one for our health (book that doctor's appointment, schedule that yoga class); one for work (send out that contract); and one for me time (go and see that new exhibition you wanted to see). We find that setting our To-Do list’s up like this makes it feel manageable and we’re less likely to be overwhelmed. Depending on how you like to work, you can structure your To-Do list in a similar way or go for something different (perhaps organised by priority!)

Tip 3 - Look after your body

We find this is the most overlooked tip when it comes to being productive. It is no secret that how you feel relates to how you work. Sometimes, working constantly long hours, with very little rest breaks, does not make you the most productive. Instead, it can mean you are more depleted and indeed, more unproductive. Sitting at the same desk all day (especially when combined with sleep deprivation) will make you less creative, and thus less able to have brilliant ideas or breakthroughs.

To combat this, we suggest implementing a tried and tested formula of looking after your mind and body – exercise, sleep, and mindfulness. Even if you have to make the 5am spin class before needing to be at work early – something is better than nothing! Taking a quick walk outside in the sun at lunchtime can improve your serotonin and make you sleep better that night. Our bodies work in tandem, and if we don’t look after them we can’t expect them to perform at their best. If you find stress is impacting your productivity, we recommend mindfulness activities such as meditation or journaling, to lower your cortisol levels and bring you back to a headspace where you can work efficiently. Learn how to identify mental fatigue, and then implement active strategies to combat it and operate as your best self.

We hope these tips have inspired you to adopt some new strategies into your day to day life. Whether it be trying to multitask less, or investing in a standing desk – we encourage you to try different techniques to work out what is best for you. Once you nail down your own individual formula, you’ll be able to stay on task, combat mental fatigue and boost your creativity. Let us know what you try!