Productivity hacks are great ways to make the most out of your day. As I shared in the last blog, having set processes can really help streamline your productivity.
Now, I’m going to share with you why your attitude and mood can make a huge difference to how you work each day.
Respect the low vibe days
Expecting to step into your business every single day with a spring in your step and the energy to get everything done is not rooted in reality. We all have days where the energy may be lower or the day is derailed by things we didn’t anticipate.
How we respond to it is what counts.
For example:
- If you’re having trouble focusing on the task at hand, switch out work that requires critical thinking for work that doesn’t need you to be as on the ball.
- If you’re sick, too stressed out or have a jackhammer parked out your window from roadworks, it’s OK to reschedule to another day if the work quality will be better as a result.
- If you’re not feeling the work, you can also take the pressure off and aim for the draft or the plan as opposed to the finished product and give yourself a break once that is done.
I know what you’re thinking now: this is procrastinating, lazy or unrealistic. That is what I used to think and still am tempted to sometimes think. However, we are not productive in those moments and it is more efficient to do the work when we will be productive and the work that we produce will be of a much higher quality.
Of course this is not always possible, but when it is you should not feel guilty for reshuffling in order to make a day productive when our vibe is low. Running your own business gives you more flexibility to do this. And sometimes, that very act of taking the pressure off ourselves and getting some scut work done can be just the inspiration we need to return to the major items on our ‘to do’ list.
Remember that despising or dreading your work is a huge productivity killer and your clients will notice. So when you can, respect the occasional low vibe days so that you will have more of the energetic and enthusiastic days.
“Your attitude can be one of the most effective productivity hacks.”
Activating task rewards
You don’t need to buy yourself a cupcake or cram an episode of your favourite TV show into your lunch break in order to reward yourself for completing a hard or involved task.
All you need to do is pop the cork on a task that looks fun or mindless that’ll give you a productive high.
Most of the business owners I know have fun tasks, interesting ideas and yes, even mindless aspects of their work that tend to be pushed way down the priority list. But taking that 5 or 10 minutes once the critical work is done to have a bit of a play in the ideas that tempt you can be a double reward.
First of all, you get to work on something you enjoy. Secondly, it stops being pushed away in favour of more pressing items. And finally, those 5 or 10 minute blocks will add up over time.
Such an approach can spur you on to do your work more efficiently because the more productive you are, the more likely you’ll be to get a little play time.
I know it works for me!
“Your attitude and mood can make a huge difference to how you work each day.”
Productivity hacks are personal by design
We all know what inspires us to work harder and to maintain focus. We also know what breaks our attention span or causes us to avoid completing the task at hand.
Knowing your productivity triggers, both positive and negative, helps you create an approach to work that works for you.
When we next talk productivity hacks, I’ll share with you some of the apps I have discovered that help make my working day easier.
In the meantime, feel free to share the ways you keep your attitude in check and mood high in the comments below.
