Does busyness make you feel like you’ll achieve more in a day? Maybe you juggle 3 or 4 tasks at the same time and think you’re accomplishing your goals for that day.
But the reality is that busyness actually hinders your performance. It means your mind is getting overloaded which will hinder your ability to plan, solve problems, make decisions or think creatively.
Your brain is not meant to do several tasks at the same time. Switching back and forth from several tasks at a time makes us tired and less efficient.
If you want to increase daily productivity, the answer to achieving more is to do less. Just focus on one task at a time.
Here’s how to become more productive and achieve more.
Make a To-Do List
Most people think there aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything done.
Sometimes they make a to-do list that has about 20 things on it. But it’s very unlikely anyone can finish a really long to-do list. Which leaves you feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
The goal is to make your to-do list with only 3 items on it that you want to accomplish each day.
Decide to focus only on those 3 things. If you happen to get more done, then that’s a bonus for you and you’ll feel great!
You can even make one of those tasks something that you’re working on for a long term goal. You can split your year up into 90 day goals and work on one goal for those 90 days. Take time to occasionally reevaluate your long term goals.
A good habit to get into is to write your 3 things on your to-do list the night before. That helps you calm your mind for the night.
If you have to prepare goals and objectives for a team, be sure to work on their lists ahead of time. This will keep your team on track and will minimize any distractions.
Related: How to Reinvigorate Career Motivation
Take More Breaks
If you have a major project to get done, it may seem natural to buckle down and focus on that task until it’s done. But the key to getting a huge project done is to take several mini-breaks.
If you were to continue to focus all day on completing your project, your brain will slow down and get fatigued which actually slows down your production.
To keep you refreshed and focused you can take several breaks throughout the day. If you go away from your desk for even a 5-minute break and do something different like a short walk, you will generate more energy. As you do this all day you will maintain your energy and be more productive than if you didn’t take any breaks.
You will get more done in less time because your brain can’t operate at full speed all the time.
When you’re focused on a task, only part of your brain is accessed. Staying focused for long periods means the other parts of your brain shuts down. One area that shuts down is the part of your brain that allows you to be creative.
So when you take a short break and do something totally different, it causes different neurons in your brain to fire, like your creativity. You can then access more of your brain making it that much more powerful.
Stop Multitasking
Multitasking might seem like you’re going to accomplish a lot, but it actually divides your attention and stretches you too thin.
At the end of the day, not everything gets done and you’ll feel ineffective and frustrated.
Switching from one task to another makes it hard to not get distracted. This can actually slow you down. Research shows that multitaskers have a harder time shutting down distractions than someone who focuses on one task at a time.
Focus on one task and the process you need to go through in order to accomplish that goal. When you experience less stress you will increase your efficiency and achieve more.
Don’t Be Afraid to Say No
Busyness is not an indicator that it’s better to do more.
It’s just a sign of busyness. It’s not an indicator of importance. You can say ‘no’ to the extra things that you don’t really want to do.
Say ‘yes’ to only those things that inspire and motivate you and make you feel great. Saying yes to things that aren’t motivating or inspiring to you will take much longer to complete. And you’ll feel like you wasted a whole day on nothing.
Your emotions can sometimes help you pick the tasks that you’ll be most successful and happy about doing until completion.
In order to achieve more by doing less, you have to understand that doing everything at once won’t make your day productive. List out all your tasks, and just pick 3 a day to complete. Each new day, pick another 3 tasks. You’ll feel more productive and efficient.
You may need to use different software to make you more productive and ones that can automate some tasks for you. As you continue to practice doing less, you’ll be surprised at how many things you can accomplish without the feeling of overwhelm and anxiety.
