Productivity Tips from our Young Co-operator Reece Leel

10-minute rule ⏰

Sometimes we have those gruelling tasks which we really don’t want to do, we already know the workload is going to be tiring and stressful, so naturally, we put ourselves off from doing it – usually, until the last minute when we burn ourselves out and dedicate hours to it.

The 10-minute rule is where you limit yourself to doing only 10-minutes of something at a time so that the task is broken down into incremental pieces. In this time, I close everything else out, set a 10-minute timer and just focus on the task at hand.

There are usually one of two outcomes from this:

1) Progress: You get 10 minutes’ worth of the task done, which can be repeated when you next feel like it, making steady but effective progress.

2) Realisation: After 10 minutes, the timer goes off and you may feel the sense of “this isn’t actually that bad” and may feel the urge to continue, something you were previously apprehensive about.

Retrospective thinking 🧠

It’s human nature to dwell on the things we “could have” had or done in the past, or to tell ourselves “if I could go back…I would change [___] about my life”

It’s important to realise that the present moment, today, will one day be looked at as the past, and you may think “I wish I acted differently/worked harder/made the effort”.

I have found it really useful to regularly remind myself to be the person my future self will be thankful for, in my case, that is someone who tries to get all tasks completed on time and takes planned care in my personal life

This sounds very philosophical, but it can start off as basic as making your bed, preparing healthier meals, drinking more water, and exercising. When you feel the “I’m glad I did that” feeling later down the line, it will become apparent why this way of thinking works and can be applied in any aspect of life.

Routine and taking time ⏳

It’s important to have managed routine in your life, this doesn’t necessarily mean every day needs to look the same, but it’s ideal to have some fixed aspects to each day.

I found this video here from EveryMind at Work useful, where Paul McGregor talks about managing anxiety and having ‘Non-Negotiable’ time planned into each day.

Non-negotiable time spans from the very basics of brushing your teeth and having breakfast, to an array of beneficial tasks you could plan into your day such as going to the gym or reading before bed. This is a guilt-free time that is set aside just for you.

For me personally, planning this personal time gives me something to look forward to and adds structure to my day, separating work time from leisure time and encouraging me to be productive when it matters most.  

Maintaining good sleep & diet 😴

Rest is vital for your brain to perform at its best, we all know how horrible and groggy it feels after a sleepless night, and how difficult it is to be productive when feeling this way.

One key thing which was affecting my productivity was lack of sleep, but this was a secondary effect of poor diet. Eating food with a high sugar/carb content later in the evenings is the worst time to give yourself a burst of energy and reduce sleep.

Another mistake was drinking fizzy drinks too late in the evening, even with dinner. Sugar-free fizzy drinks are in fact some of the worst offenders, they may not give you the sugar rush, but they often have more caffeine than their sugary counterparts, keeping you awake even longer.

I have cut down on the sugar and caffeine after 6 pm and have stuck to water and squash, which has helped me wind down much easier at night.

Plan! ✍

Anyone who knows me knows that I live off my lists, I’ve always got a to-do list that is constantly being ticked off and added to. Admittedly, I am sometimes a forgetful person, and it’s become much easier now I’ve accepted my forgetfulness and started keeping all my important tasks in one place.

It’s vital to find a consistent place to keep your plans, tasks and to-do lists, there’s no use in keeping multiple post-it notes, a diary, an app and a calendar with all different information on there, it’s impossible to keep track of it all sequentially.

I like to keep all of my lists in the ‘Reminders’ app on my iPhone, an app that comes with every iPhone. I never gave attention to this app until I realised how simple yet useful and versatile it is.

It’s there for a reason, try it!

I hope you found some useful tips above to make your day more productive. I’m always interested to hear how other people find ways to focus, so please leave a comment below if you have some tips that work for you!