It is a fact that having a productive week is not easy. It feels like an uphill task to fix everything as needed! And in the end, you feel that nothing has been accomplished. It is a widespread situation considering the kind of stressful lifestyle we follow these days.
It was concluded during a study at the University of California that interruptions are very hard to handle. The average person takes about 30 minutes to get refocused if and when interrupted. We also know that there is an increase in online distractions. Such distractions require innovative measures. Handling online or IRL distractions is just the beginning, though.
A very stressful period is a busy week in anyone’s life. At this point, careful organisation of life changes the game!
All said and done, improving productivity is not something that can be done overnight. Efforts, bit by bit when it is made regularly, changes can be seen.
Before we discuss how to have a productive week, it is essential to understand its benefits.
- A productive week can bring out positive thoughts in our mind. If you plan your week and make it a productive one, then there are more significant benefits.
- You can make the best use of your time. The reason being, the planning you have done beforehand keeps you busy with specific productive tasks. In this way, time and energy are used productively.
- A productive week is what can change your life. You develop a sense of looking at things with new interests and start learning new things.
The advantages of having a productive week are numerous, but we have tried to present the major ones. It is to be understood that time is very important in one’s life. And having a whole week that is productive is like such a blessing!
After discussing the advantages, it is essential to show the methods to achieve a productive weekend.
Going straight forward, there are many ways to make a week productive that are easy and quick. But we will here talk about eight significant ways to achieve the same.
Proper planning and targeting.
The best way to deal with the situation is to get things done. GTD ( Getting things done ) is a concept that is concerned with the prioritization of the plans.
According to a famous author, David Allen, it is impossible to achieve a productive week even if the to-do list is very long. He states that planning the procedure can make all the difference. Utilising the GTD concept if a week is planned and the only relevant task is focussed upon, then it is certainly feasible to make it productive. It would not be ideal to think about the number of tasks.
Lack of focus and not writing down the task list can produce bad outcomes. You need to figure out the priorities. And follow them.
Be careful about multi-tasking.
Multi-tasking is something that has become a big part of our life. And it is not a wrong concept. But there are specific and significant concerns associated with it. Jumping from one task to another can lead you into a big mess! No tasks were correctly handled. You will remain at level zero at the end of the day. Hence, to make your week productive, avoid unnecessary multi-tasking. It is somewhat next to impossible to avoid multi-tasking all the time. But if a genuine effort is made, you can achieve a better focus.
Record your progress.
It is a vital aspect, and you cannot ignore it. You have to understand how and where you are wrong! All this can be better comprehended when you record the progress you are making throughout the week; after getting a task done, list it as progress. In this way, you can analyse the real progress during the week.
Keeping a record of your progress would give you a unique opportunity. You can, at any point in time, review the same. Reviewing would be handy in finding out where and how you can do things differently or innovate. Along with that, the record will help you in prioritizing your main goals with clarity.
Starting a conversation is next to impossible to be able to handle everything singlehandedly. Problems can show up at any time, pace, shape or size. The biggest concern is that we are never prepared when it arrives. To avoid such an alarming scenario, it is recommended to talk to people, share the issues, and find s feasible solution collectively.
It is to be remembered that a plan can turn out to be progress or an issue. It is wise to have friends, colleagues, family, well-wishers, etc., who never leave you to face the issues alone.
Learn the importance of saying no.
It is essential to be able to realise the main goals for a week. You should be ready to exclude anything extra from the to-do list distracting you from the primary motive.
Start planning for Friday evening.
It will help you have a stress free weekend. You can start outright on Monday morning with greater focus. As such, Friday evenings should be devoted to planning the following week’s to-do list.
Be result-oriented
It is vital to avoid overthinking. While writing down the to-do list, keep track of the goals with clarity. It would not be wise to record the plan of action or anything else. There needs to be simplicity. It should be about clearly mentioned goals and progress made.
Please keep it simple and systematic
There is a term work-overload. And there also exists a concept of distraction during work hours. To have a productive week, both of these need to be sidelined. If you have multiple responsibilities, then plan them accordingly. Give enough importance to every primary step. At the same time, it is essential not to get distracted or be a distraction. Keep your goals identified and work towards them without unnecessarily making calls or sending emails to your team.
Final words. Having a productive week is beneficial, but it is not easy. Many things need to be settled. Firstly, it is essential to have thought-out goals for the week. Then it would help if you worked towards them without stopping or distractions. Then record your progress and learn from it. It is a step-by-step process. Dedication is required to be able to finish the to-do list and record the progress.
