Kick-start your productivity

Sometimes you just feel lazy and sometimes mornings are a little longer than planned. When you are feeling a bit slow or tired here are some easy ways to kick-start your productivity.

(Ironically I used these ways to actually write this article today so now I know for sure this works.)

But first a few disclaimers.

Productivity stands for the state of being productive which can be described as working, creating and producing. Feeling productive or being productive can be great because it is in some ways a creative process.

And while I am all for being productive I think you can also take a break and be utterly unproductive and above all your health and mental state should go before any of this.

So if you want to feel productive because of deadlines or personal gain go ahead. But if you are feeling slow or tired/sick, you are better of taking your rest so you can be productive later.

Now back to the actual ways to kick-start your productivity.

For heightening your productivity, there are 3 main times where you can take action. Mornings, through the day and evenings.

• Mornings are where you lay the foundation for a productive day. So if you want to kick start the productivity of an entire day this is where your tips are.
• If you are already through the day and you need to be productive for a certain tasks or so this is where you will find the tips to kickstart your productivity quick and easy for a short while.
• Evenings are when you make a start for the next day. This also means making your mornings easier. Morning and evening rituals and tips are best combined with the biggest improvement.

(Looking for an entire week of productivity? Read 7 things to do on a Sunday for a more productive week by Very Erin)

Kick-start your productivity in the morning

Open up a curtain and let in daylight.

How does this work; Daylight wakes up the brain. Feeling more awake is great for feeling more productive as well and getting out of bed.

Drink a glass of water when you wake up

How does it work; Because over the course of your sleep, you will probably have lost a lot of fluids. Your brain needs quite a big amount of juice to work optimum. Drinking immediately will make you more awake and sharp.

Eat a big breakfast.

How does it work; You need something for your brain and body to burn. Calories are a measurement of energy. Make sure to get that energy in for the morning and you will profit all day!

Eat something healthy.

How does it work; For me, there comes a kind of slow feeling with beeing full of crappy food. While smoothies, salads, bread, healthy pasta etc bring me a feeling of wanting to be active and still feeling light while having eaten a lot. Still not feeling it? Try drinking a glass of water with lemon juice. The fresh taste and the water make you feel refreshed.

Kick-start your productivity now

Feeling unproductive in the middle of the day? Trying to do a task but it is not working? This are some things you can do to refocus or help you get into it!

Drinking a big glass of water before any task.

How does it work; It makes you refreshed and your brain needs water to think a lot.

Focus on one thing at the time.

How does it work; Multitasking is a myth. There only so many things we can do at the same thing. Like, drinking a cup of tea while listening to a friend. That is possible multitasking. Trying to update your site while at the same time writing new posts and doing social media.. probably doesn’t work that good. Just spend 1 hour on each instead of 3 hours of all.

Do a brain purge.

How does it work; If you find it difficult to focus or you feel to overwhelmed you need to everything out. Just get a paper and write it all down; tasks, ideas, and any floating around things. Scrap anything not necessary. Record the good ideas somewhere save and make a to-do list of you tasks. Now you are ready to do just what you need to do first.

Open a window or try creating a fresh scent.

How does it work; Freash air makes your brain more awake just like oxygen Creating a fresh smell like citrus or ocean can help aswell

Get up and move

How does it work; If you are starting to feel a little tired or so getting up and doing some jumping jacks or walk a little can help. When you sit (or lay) Your blood doesn’t have to pump that hard because your muscle needs less oxygen and your body burns less energy. If you need a little kick getting your blood pumping will give you more of both even after you sit down again.

If none of these work “just starting” might be the way for you. If you want to write 1000 words just start with 100 words of gibberish and so forth.

Also letting go of perfection might help. By “just staring” you can just get a thing done first. You can worry about editing later.

Kick-start your next day by doing this in the evening.

Write down any tasks so you don’t have to think about them when you go to sleep.

How does is work; A clear mind is a better-rested mind. And when you want to sleep thinking about thing ou still need to do might not be the most effective. Also, this way you can re-evaluate that same list the following day and know your task immediately. You can include any worries or silly task on this and just scrap them the next day with a clean mind.

Get your glass of water

How does it work; The glass of water I talked about for the mornings. Having this ready will help you remember to drink and that makes one task less.

Tidy your room (a bit)

How does it work; When you wake up, it will be in a more productive environment because less clutter ca help you have a more clear mind and a good workspace

Close anything electronic and put off your notifications so you don’t check your email or such.

How does it work; The blue light that comes from screens make our brains think it is still day and they should be awake which is not great for your sleep. Some people are influenced more than others. But turning off notifications and so make sure you stop working which is also crucial for a good night rest.

Any kind of relaxing exercise.

How does it work; Can be great to help you sleep better and have a rested mind. Examples are breathing exercises, meditation or yoga. These all put you body and mind at easy to some extent making it easier to relax and sleep.

I also have a post outlining 40 ways to relax. Which are great before you go to sleep.

The best way to be productive is by having enough sleep. So anything that can help you sleep better will work for you.

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Productivity is a relative concept and it is for you to decide what you see as being productive. For me, it is simply having done a task that I wanted done or working on something for some time. The easier it is for you to see yourself as productive, the more satisfaction you will feel from doing this. When you feel satisfaction about being productive (and you get to know this feeling) it will be easier to start next time.

Getting angry or being dissatisfied with your own performance when trying to be productive will only make it harder for yourself to repeat the task.

So try to be nice to yourself and your body and mind while being productive.

Do you work from home and looking for more specific tips? Read 3 things for more productivity while working from home.

I would love to know if you have some tips on how you kick start your productivity for the day! Let me know in the comments.