Do you Really want to Do More?

from the DLM Blog:

5 Simple Ways to Double Your Productivity

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 07:34 AM PDT

Doubling your productivity is simple, but not easy. Changing your habits requires a bit of self-discipline, but it can be done. You can double your productivity by incorporating any of the five simple steps below into your life.

For the longest time, I refused to try any of the techniques that are associated with productivity. I believed they were nothing more than gimmicks.

Weird, I know.

But I was wrong. You can systematically double, triple, and even quadruple your productivity by incorporating the habits of highly productive people.

1. Plan
   Before you go to bed today, write down exactly what you are going to work on tomorrow. This can be as simple as writing down the three most important tasks that you have to accomplish the next day.
   
   I also recommend that you order them after priority. If you could only get one task done tomorrow, what would it be?
   
   When I started doing this, my productivity went up several hundred percent. And I was already a pretty productive person.


2. Visualize
   I have found positive visualization to be extremely efficient in motivating, inspiring, and encouraging me to take action.
   
   Not only will it make you feel good, it will all so help you stay focused on the tasks that matter.
   
   If you ever realize that you don't know why you're doing a task, you need to step back and re-examine what you're trying to accomplish.


3. Single-Task
   In order to really be able to focus, you need to single task. That means eliminating any distractions that you might have.
   
   When I'm writing, I shut down my e-mail, my browser, and everything else that might pop up and distract me.
   
   Now, I still have the urge to check my mail and chat with my friends, but I refuse to do so until I have finished all my most important tasks for the day.
   
   If you want to produce exceptional results, you have to focus on the tasks that are hard but that ultimately satisfy.


4. Work Offline
   One of the best ways to become highly productive is to work off-line. Now, sometimes this isn't possible, but when it is, it will dramatically boost the amount of work you can get done.
   
   The Internet is a huge pile of distractions. It will keep you from achieving your goals if you let it. Most people spend their days on Facebook and twitter, and then they wonder why others are more successful than they are.
   
   Don't let this happen to you. Take control of your destiny and start focusing on work that truly matters.
   
   You alone are responsible for your results, and no one else.


5. Get Rid of Your Inner Critic
   Last, but definitely not least is the ability to temporarily suspend your inner critic and eliminate perfectionism.
   
   This is extremely valuable for me as a writer, because trying to produce creative work while trying to edit it at the same time leaves me with a blank mind.
   
   This applies to every field, and you have to find out how you can suspend your inner critic so you can get more creative work done.

This is Nothing New
You’ve probably heard many of the above tips before but never applied them. Why haven’t you? The simplest tips are the most powerful. You can dramatically increase your productivity if you take the time to make the above tips a habit.

If you make it your mission to become more productive by incorporating new habits each week, you will be amazed at how much you can increase your productivity in just a few months.

There are no limits, except the ones that you impose on yourself.

Written on 4/15/2011 by Henri Junttila. Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where he shares his personal tips on how you can live the life you know you deserve. When you feel ready to take action, get his free course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you will enjoy one of his top articles: 77 Great Quotes That Will Change Your Life.

Photo Credit: Steven Blom