You might have stumbled across this article because you haven’t been getting much work done during these quarantine months and need some productivity tips. Maybe you’ve headed back to work and are struggling to get back into the groove of things. Here are a few tips we’ve curated to get you back to your most productive self.
Eat the Frog
“Eat a live frog the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you” – Mark Twain
Eating the frog may seem like a ridiculous statement, but there is some productivity wisdom in it. Mark Twain essentially said if your job was to eat a live frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning, so the worst is behind you.
The Eat the Frog method is all about tackling the most challenging task first. Once you get that out of the way, your day will be easy breezy! This technique is excellent for procrastinators and people who get lots done but never the big things.
Eating the frog will really set you up for success.
Pomodoro Method
The Pomodoro Method is a system developed my Francisco Cocirillo. Simply put, the method works like this. You pick a task you want to tackle and set a timer for 25 minutes. If you realize something else comes up in the 25 minutes, write it down and keep working on the original task.
After 25 minutes, take a small break. Your break could be grabbing a cup of coffee, taking a short walk or, stretching. Repeat this process four times, but after your fourth Pomodoro, you can reward yourself with a more extended break that’s between 20-30 minutes.
The Pomodoro method helps you stay focused on one task. To assist with this, make sure you remove distractions like extra screens and phones.
Create Systems
At Key West Video we love having systems and processes in place to allow for seamless workflow. This can apply to your daily life as well. There are a plethora of apps like Trello and Monday.com that allow you to manage multiple projects at once.
Specific To-Do Lists and even automating some of your repetitive tasks can save you so much time.
Break Large Tasks into Bite Sized Pieces
When we make to-do lists, we tend to put big projects as one item. However, generally speaking, big projects have several different components to them. In video production, for example, there’s scriptwriting, picking a voiceover, making storyboards, and receiving branding guidelines. Some of these small tasks can be big tasks on their own.
When you break your large tasks into smaller pieces, it tricks your brain as well. You might find yourself less stressed out when you have a plan in place to tackle a large project.
Only Check your Email at Designated Times
This one can be a little difficult since your job might count on you continually checking emails. However, if you know that your emails can wait, make sure you only check them twice a day. Checking your email can ruin the flow you might have had from a productive work session. Reducing how much you check your email tends to be everyone’s first productivity tip.
There are several other great productivity methods out there but this is definitely a great start. Keep an agenda, set timers, delegate and automate. Your possibilities are endless. What are your favourite productivity tips?
