How To Get More Done In A Day

One of the most resounding lessons I learned in the University, about the Chancellor of Covenant University Bishop David Oyedepo is how much he gets done every 24 hours. How he sleeps so little and does more even in his advanced age. I was also in a self-empowerment class where I was taught that you can have 3 working days (which is an average of 8 hours each) in your 24 hours. I was wowed! But as I grew older, I am learning that staying up 20 hours of your day does not necessarily help you get more done in one day.

So, how can you get more done? How do you increase your daily productivity?

1. Don’t try to do too much

Will it be ironic to say that your to-do list might be what is keeping you from getting more done, from being more productive? We are told we need to plan our day and create a to-do list, then pack in one day what we haven’t accomplished in a whole month.

What we fail to do is make a SMART plan, we are not realistic with our to-do list.

An unrealistic to-do will discourage you more than motivate you. Thoughts of how much more you still have to do or haven’t done have the capacity to weigh you down faster.

Don’t try to do too much, try to do only what’s important. Attack your tasks one at a time. Take one and finish it before you move to another one.

If you have too many on your to-do list, you will be tempted to multitask which greatly reduces the level of your productivity.

Would you rather have finished 2 things at the end of your day or have 5 done in bits?

2. Actively cultivate and maintain a conducive/productive atmosphere

A dirty or disorganized workspace, A poorly lit unventilated room, noisy rowdy environments are all examples of things which may be reducing your daily productivity.

Ensure your environment supports productivity. Put as much attention on your workspace and the working environment as you put on the work itself.

You wanna get more done in a day, create a very conducive working space, invest in a better workspace.

3. Stay motivated

Couples of hours after starting your workday can be difficult sometimes, you start losing concentration and your motivation level starts to drop. So it is important to stay motivated, and this can come in different ways.

It could be snacks and coffee for you or it could be having playing music for someone else.

Find out what keeps you motivated and keep it very close to you.

4. Rest

This is so important. So many times I know I am tired and becoming less productive, but instead of taking a break, I keep pushing. If you’re are sincere with yourselves,  a 30mins rest, nap or merely doing something else asides from work will get you refuelled and energized to do more.

But most people are focused on that 30mins or 1 hour they’ll lose and not on how efficient that will be after that rest.

Learn how to replenish your energy, don’t burn out.

5. Keep forward (don’t look at lost time or opportunities)

What do you do when you’ve missed out on some deadlines and fallen behind on your plans for the day? Keep moving forward. Move on to the next thing.

Don’t get caught trying to redeem the past that you lost or you would lose the future also.

Restrategize, reevaluate but keep moving.

6. Learn to know when to stop and continue the next day.

Yes, it’s better to live to fight another day than die/wreck yourself today and not have tomorrow.

We won’t all be Bishop Oyedepo that can work 18 hours every day. So learn to stop, close the book, shut down the computer, leave your work desk until the following day.

This is very similar to resting, you will accomplish more refreshed than pushing yourself when you are tired.

7. Evaluate your strategy and optimize where necessary.

When you continuously evaluate your output, you will know what works and what doesn’t. Be flexible enough to change, to introduce something new.

Learn from your successes and failures and build a more efficient work schedule and work lifestyle.

Thanks for reading, What has worked for you? Please share as a comment below. Remember to share this article.

Read also; 7 Tips To Maximize 24 Hours