Or at least a semi-productive one.
Feel free to use what works and discard what doesn’t.
- Wake up early. Earlier than you normally do. That way, you have more time. In a perfect world, you’d go to bed earlier the night before.
- Tackle the most difficult task first. Especially if you’ve been procrastinating. Get it out of the way. At the very least, start something.
- Bunch things together. For instance, let’s assume you need to use the computer for a bunch of tasks. Try to complete all three at once rather than turning on your computer multiple times during the day. Get all your groceries in one trip. Run a bunch of errands together. Pay your bills at the same time.
- Break up big projects into small tasks. If only so you’re not as overwhelmed by all you have to do.
- Have incentives. Motivate yourself to work hard with rewards. It can be a piece of candy or a night out with friends.
- Multi-task, don’t multi-focus. It’s almost impossible to focus on two or more tasks and do them well. It is possible to do two things that don’t split your attention or require intense concentration though. For example, listen to a podcast while washing the dishes.
- Get rid of distractions. Go to another room that doesn’t have a tablet, TV, etc. Ask a family member to change the Wi-Fi password. Or get a friend to hide your smartphone.
Here’s to having a productive day year.
Herminia Chow 