7 unconventional ways to get more work done

Tick tock, tick tock; time is ticking and before you know it, it’s already passed midnight!

Have you ever felt like you didn’t have time in a day to do a proper job? Or even felt like you worked all day but somehow didn’t get anything done? Most of us work longer hours or drink an extra cup of caffeine a day to compensate for more time – but end up still feeling defeated or overwhelmed at the end of the day.

If this is you, don’t worry; we all have been there, luckily there are ways to be more productive during the day. So don’t freak out just yet because before you know it, you’ll be back on track; being efficient and actually get things done. Sounds good? Read on below for 7 unconventional ways to get more work done:

Start Your Day with a Full Tank

This is one of the most important ways of making sure you are productive and get the most out of your day. Because if you’re already exhausted and you barely even started; you already know the day will be wasted and you will most likely not get much or anything done.

It’s important that we get the full rest of sleep, getting a solid 8 or 9 hours of sleep every night will definitely make a difference. If you decide to skip sleep, our body will eventually shut down, basically telling you, it’s time to relax and take a break.

Winding down and relaxing at least once a week, like Saturday or Sunday, will allow you to reset, recharge and be ready to take on that upcoming week ahead.

Don’t Use To-Do Lists

Yes, admittedly, to-do lists can keep you to stay organized and can be used productively. However, if you suddenly became busy and had absolutely no time to do anything; your to-do list might just be your worst long nightmare.

To-do lists are great visual pieces to look at to remind you of all the things you need to get done; however, it can easily just overwhelm you and stress you out even more making you more of a procrastinator.

You don’t have to give up your to-do lists completely, instead, try a different approach. Look at your already made to-do lists and pick out the first three highest priorities and then write those on a separate piece of paper to remind you that day to get those done. Then once those are finished, at the end of the day write another three top priorities for the next day to get done, and so on and so forth.

This way you have a shorter list to work with that day that won’t overwhelm you and instead motivate you to get it finished by the end of the day. If you do this daily, you’ll be able to get your tasks done by the end of the work week.

Start Your Day in the Wee Hours

Many of us are not early birds and like to sleep in until the very last minute before we actually need to get up. However, while waking up seems dreadful, it might be the key to productivity! Believe it or not, you can actually get more work done in the early, early mornings.

Because tackling your biggest priorities before the rest of the world wakes up feels way more accomplishing and will freely allow you to do other things that you may not have time for on a regular normal day.

Take Little Breaks Throughout the Day

You may feel like if you stop working on something, you will lose focus and won’t be able to finish it by the end of the day; well you’re wrong. It’s good to take short breaks, even if it’s just for 15 or 30 minutes, in between work. If you give yourself time to relax and not think about work, it will allow your brain to recharge and then when you return, you’ll be able to get the job done, effectively and efficiently. Working long hours, with no breaks in between will only cause you to burn out!!

Ignore the Deadline

Deadlines usually make us feel overwhelmed, stressed out or rushed – so why not just forget about it altogether? Instead, break down the project into small parts and make new little deadlines (up until the actual deadline) for yourself. By doing this, you’ll be able to spend more time on the project rather than spending time freaking out about if you’ll do a good job by the time it’s due.

Stop Multitasking

Multitasking will surely get many things on your to-do lists done in a flash but will not be as thorough or be done correctly. There is no way our brain is capable of doing multiple things at one time.

You may think multi-tasking will help save time during the day, but in return you will not receive any quality work and perhaps feeling a bit overwhelmed. Stay focused by sticking to doing one thing at a time. Trust me; you will end up finishing the task in a shorter amount of time if you concentrate on one thing at a time.

Track What You’re Wasting Time On

What in your regular routine is making you less productive and what can you change to be more productive? The first step in becoming more productive is tracking what you do every morning and throughout the rest of your day. Using apps like RescueTime, figure out how long it takes you to do everything each day, and look for patterns. You might find that certain things you are doing every day is the reason you are less productive.

Which of these will you be using? Get a head start and follow these 7 unconventional ways to help you get more work done in a day.