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Every person wants to be more productive, and accomplish more. However, that’s easier said than done. We face countless distractions on a daily basis that divert our attention and make us feel less focused. If you’re one of those people who wants to become more productive and don’t know how to, this article is perfect for you. Here are some tips that will make you more productive, achieve more in school or even become employee of the month. Let’s get started!

Go for five

No, not a five-minute break. Start working for five minutes. In most cases, these five minutes are enough to give you the push you need to continue with your project or school assignment.

As Bruce Lee said, “if you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

Start working for five minutes and you’ll end up finishing the entire project.

Divide

Dividing your projects or assignments into smaller fractions makes you more productive. Extensive thinking about the project as a whole only causes procrastination. The solution is easy: divide the work into smaller fragments and only focus on next immediate step.

Identify and remove the “itch”

What’s preventing you from starting to work? Everyone has that “itch.” The best thing you can do about it is to identify and remove the problem. If you realise your itch is tiredness, take a power nap. If it’s because you are stressed, find a way to manage your stress effectively. If your itch is a TV or phone, turn off the TV or make sure your phone is on silent. Removing the obstacle will make you more productive.

Be confident

Sometimes, fear of the worst case scenario prevents you from getting things done. Victories and defeats are a natural part of our lives. Sometimes we do everything perfectly, and sometimes we don’t. The key is to learn from defeat or failure, not letting it discourage you. When you consider every failure as a lesson, you can use them as an opportunity to grow. You will know what mistakes not to repeat and how to deal with a worst-case scenario in the future. Become more confident by telling yourself that you are able to handle every problem that might occur. It will give you the extra push to start and finish your project.

Find your Mantra

Find or come up with positive affirmations, statements that can motivate you to start working and become more productive. Mantras are private and personal; you repeat them to yourself, or write them onto a post-it note and stick it on your fridge. It doesn’t matter whether you took them from some old expression, or made them up yourself. The important thing is to make sure it works for you. Here are some mantras that you may find helpful:

  • Done is better than perfect.
  • Yesterday I did, today I do, and tomorrow I will.
  • Let’s see what happens.
  • If you don’t know what to do, do something.
  • Simplify, simplify.
  • You’re perfectly capable to do everything.
  • Perfect is the enemy of good.
  • I believe in myself.
  • The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish.
Clarence Ho

Author Clarence Ho

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