By Kayla Collett I’m sure we’ve all struggled with our productivity in one way or another, but this curfew certainly makes getting things done all the more difficult. Tempted to sleep, play games, laze around, and simply just do nothing, I’m certain that a lot of us have struggled with being productive during this curfew period. Being forced to stay at home can have a negative impact on a lot of our daily lives, but I’m determined to change that. I personally found that my productivity before this Covid-19 situation was definitely much better than it is right now and I feel like that is probably the case for a lot of you reading this. Hence, here are a few ways to be productive and how you can follow them to regain the sense of determination and motivation that might’ve dwindled during this prolonged curfew period.   

1. Make a to-do list

  To-do lists are arguably the most important aspect to being productive as well as motivated during your work hours. They set you up for a productive day and if done right, can ensure you complete your tasks on time, as scheduled. To-do lists make you avoid multitasking and getting distracted by scheduling your time productively. For example, if you write “check and respond to emails from 1.30 to 2 p.m.” on your list, you’re more likely to follow that schedule if you set your mind to it than if you were to just simply check your emails without a scheduled list of things to do afterwards. This allows you to avoid being dragged into the habit of multitasking, whereby doing multiple activities at once makes you feel productive (checking emails while writing up a report, for example), but in reality, it only drains your time and worsens your productivity even more. Hence, making a to-do list and sticking to it is highly important because it lines up your day perfectly with activities and assignments to do without getting distracted by other less important tasks at the time.    So, how do you write a to-do list in order to set yourself up for a productive day?   I strongly recommend starting with the most difficult tasks first before you go ahead with the easy ones. This is because your motivation usually dwindles by the time you do a lot of tasks, so as you complete the harder ones, moving onto the easier ones, like checking your emails, etc., will be much more simple and will work more smoothly than doing the easy tasks first followed by the harder ones. In my experience, this has worked amazingly well for me, but sometimes it might not work for everyone (that is, some people may work better if they do easier tasks prior to doing the harder ones). It’s up to you to experiment with your to-do list to see what works for you.    But how do you actually stick to your to-do list?   My biggest advice would be to keep your list to a manageable size. Not everyone works well with a list of activities, assignments, and assortment of things to do that will keep you occupied for eight hours straight, and I highly doubt the majority works that way (I certainly don’t!) So, in order to actually stick to your list, what works best is to keep it short, simple, and concise. Make your mind up to complete it (maybe watch a motivational video or two on YouTube to get you started) and then just do your tasks. Yes, it’s easier said than done, but it’s simply down to discipline and grit to get you to start. Once you begin though, finishing is easy.   

2.                 Turn off your phone

  No one wants to hear this, but turning off your phone and putting it somewhere you can’t readily reach it (perhaps in one of your desk drawers or in your wardrobe) definitely helps in increasing your productivity. When you have less distractions available, you’re less likely to get distracted – simple logic!   

3.                 Download a productivity app

  I personally find that the Forest app helps a tonne in increasing my productivity. The app allows you to grow a cartoon tree in the time span that it takes you to complete your tasks (you can set this time anywhere between 10 to 120 minutes. I know I asked you to turn off your phone, but Forest’s “deep focus” option does not allow you to leave the app; your tree dies if you leave. This simple mechanism actually makes me focus much more than I thought it initially would, and for a really cheap and affordable price of just about Rs. 380! I invested in this app and I honestly think it’s an absolute lifesaver with regards to my productivity. Try it out for yourself and I’m sure you’ll find it works amazingly!   

4.                 Figure out your peak hours

  This is super important in maintaining your productivity. Some people work better early in the morning and some people work better at noon or even late at night. It’s all up to you to figure out whether or not you work better at night or day, and if you have the liberty of working freely during the day or night, definitely work during your peak hours to achieve maximum productivity. This will ensure you work during the times you are most productive (I’m sure you know what time you prefer working at when you are simultaneously better and more productive at working) and help you stay motivated and determined when completing your tasks.   

5.                 Find the time to exercise

  Exercise is an extremely crucial point to working more productively as it sets you up for a productive day or night (depending on which you like to work during). Exercise is super important in making you more happy, productive, and motivated to complete your tasks. Although, you should make sure you don’t exercise too late in the night as you might be unable to sleep. Since exercise increases your blood flow, it means that you will become more alert and able to focus on the task at hand. It draws you away from your screen (which is what I’m sure most of you are working on) and brings you back to reality where you can complete your tasks with ease during your utmost productive times. Trust me when I say that exercise is highly important in not only maintaining your alertness, but also your physical health and fitness during this work-from-home period, which is also super important as it ensures you are happy and healthy.   

6.                 Take breaks

  I can’t stress this enough, but breaks are your best friend when completing a lot of work during a specified period of time. Obviously, don’t abuse the amount and length of breaks you take, but definitely don’t allow yourself to work like a robot continuously over a long period of time. You’ll only be tiring yourself out and working yourself to the bone if you do. It’s not difficult to take a 10-minute break here and there (perhaps after every hour of work you do) to interact with a pet or family member and just take time for yourself to relax and breathe for a second – you can even go on a small walk to take your mind off work.    (Note to layout; CONCLUDING PARA)   I hope these methods work well for you and help you achieve maximum productivity. Although simple, these actually are the basic ingredients in allowing you to have a productive day. Try them out to see how they work for you and remember to allow yourself a few breaks here and there in order to actually maintain your sanity! Don’t overwork yourself and don’t underwork yourself either – it’s important to maintain a balance between the two in order to keep yourself in a productive state. Happy working!   PHOTOS: Getty, How-To Geek, Forest, VectorStock, Fiverr, Vecteezy, Freepik