How To Be More Productive By Knowing Yourself – Part 1

Let’s talk about how to be more productive by knowing yourself. There is a lot to say, so this will be split into multiple parts.

 WHY DO YOU NEED TO OBSERVE YOURSELF?

You need to know who you are, how you work and what you do before you can take a good look and identify improvement areas. Before creating new habits, you need to know what kind of habits you might want to get rid of and replace them with new ones.

You will learn a lot about yourself and know yourself inside out. This can be a daunting task but it will be worth it and will also improve other areas of your life.

WHAT TO OBSERVE

MORNING AND EVENING ROUTINE

Have a look at your morning and evening routine. What is it that you do daily or at least on a regular basis? Do you have a routine? If you don’t, I recommend you get one. It can help you to get focussed in the morning and clear your mind. But don’t get too hung up on the routine. It is not supposed to be a chore. You should enjoy it and do it when you feel like it and you need it.

A routine also helps you to look after yourself, which will have a massive impact on your health, and wellbeing, which is influencing your productivity

Are you having a gratitude journal? Maybe you meditate? Doing some yoga before going to sleep or when waking up. Do you have breakfast – at what point and what? Are you doing exercise?

LUNCH BREAK HABITS

A lot of people think they are more productive if they work through lunch and/or work whilst having lunch. Yes, you are working more minutes/hours but you will be less focussed, as you are multitasking and taking a proper lunch break WITHOUT working is very important. It will help you to recharge your batteries and clear your mind.

If your work is in front of a screen, it is very important to take regular screen breaks. This is better for your eyes and productivity as your brain gets different impulses from different environments and images.

Not only having lunch whilst not working is important but also what you eat. Some foods will slow you down whilst others will help you to be more productive.

LISTENING HABITS

Do you sometimes feel like you have listened to someone but then don’t remember what this person has actually said because your mind has wondered? Or did this happen to you? Have you talked to someone and that person didn’t really listen? They didn’t answer questions properly, changes topics or didn’t react at all?

Active listening can make a real difference. This means that you really focus on what the other person is saying. You will show that you are listening by nodding, giving feedback or asking questions for clarifications or more information.

In your next conversation, make sure you are actively listening. What difference did it make? Write down your observations:

If you want to dive deeper and maybe even do the 7-day productivity challenge or the full online course, join the Academy were you have access to it and much more – including a great community!