Getting all your daily tasks done every day probably sounds like a pipe dream, but it is entirely possible with the right steps.
Accomplishing everything you set out to do on a daily basis will help improve your days, let you experience personal satisfaction and move you closer to your ultimate goals in life. It will also add to your overall success, as that’s what success means: meeting your targets and accomplishing all the goals you’ve set for yourself.
To get started on your personal road to success, try the following seven productivity hacks so you can meet your daily goals and get ahead in life.
1. Make A Basic Daily Plan
Write down a basic plan for each day ahead of time, and make sure this plan includes all the important tasks you want to accomplish on that day. You can go traditional, using pen and paper, or use your computer or mobile device for your list.
Make sure you evaluate and prioritize your tasks in the order of their benefits and rewards to you. The aim here is to get organized so you know what to do and how to do it. You don’t want to be confused by the middle of the day and waste time trying to remember whatever it was you were supposed to do next.
The tasks in your list should be as SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely – as humanly possible. The point here isn’t to stuff your list with more tasks than there are hours in a day to actually accomplish.
Try having three to five very important goals and a couple of less important ones. If you manage to get all the important ones done, you still had a pretty great day. Also take a closer look at your less important ones, as you may be able delegate or outsource those if you tend to run short on time.
Use visualization tricks to help you plan your day ahead of time. Try thinking of the following day the night before, which is a good time to make your list for the next day.
2. Assign Time To Each Task
Once you’ve written out your basic day plan, assign time to each task. Note when to start the task and when to end it if possible. Think about how much you want to complete each task with the time frame you’ve set, and remember to keep it SMART.
Doing all of this will help you control your day and your time and will also allow you to measure progress, manage time in an effective way and get more done.
3. Be Meticulous On Your Follow-Through
You can write out a great plan and assign perfect times for each task, but it won’t amount to much if you’re not strict on your follow-through. Here, you’ve got to commit to doing what you need to at the time you need to do it.
If you shift things, you could change your whole day. For example, say you need to write an article from 11 am to 12 pm. But when you turned on your computer, you got a new email notification and decided to check that instead.
This sets off a chain of events that seem to take a few minutes each, such as checking Facebook and reading a favorite blog, but in reality, all of a sudden it’s 11:30. Now, you have to work on that article until 12:30, and it’s eating into the time for your next task. For the rest of the day, you’ll be off your timetable, and it’s more likely you’ll not complete all your tasks.
4. Keep Yourself Task-Focused
Make up your mind to not be distracted. It’s all too easy to get caught up in what’s going on around you, but if you stay committed to your focus, you can get your tasks done in a more time-effective manner.
Of course, this flies in the face of multi-tasking, but single-tasking really is the way to go. It’s actually much harder to get things done if you’re trying to handle multiple tasks at once, because you’re more likely to be distracted and make mistakes.
If you find that you’re struggling to give your total attention to and stay focused on your current task, try the following:
• Make sure you have an entirely distraction-free environment
• Remove anything that has the ability to sidetrack you
• Be mentally alert and watchful of yourself
• Take breaks to avoid burnout as needed
• Keep an eye on your progress and redirect your focus when you find it moving
5. Assign Higher Priority To Quality Result-Producing Tasks
For the best results, you need to focus on giving your best efforts to your most important tasks, which are the things that will get you the closest to your ultimate goal. This is necessary because other less important activities will appear during your day, and they are essentially time-stealers. Sometimes, you may not even notice how much of your time is being snagged by these less important tasks until the day is almost over and you haven’t achieved much of what you wanted to do.
Keep the tasks related to your ultimate goal at the forefront of your mind, and eliminate other unnecessary activities. Always be on the lookout for the time-stealer traps, and make sure you’re aware of the most important tasks you have set for the day before it even starts.
6. Stay Sensitive To Your Schedule
Be sensitive to your day’s timing and scheduling, and also treat other people’s time with the same respect. For example, if you tell someone to see you at 2:30, make sure you’re there by 2:30 yourself. If you can’t make it because something else has held you up, try to contact the other person and reschedule for another time beforehand.
If you find yourself waiting, try to make use of that time instead of wasting it. Keep it simple, like making a short call you need to make or checking/replying to email. Have a handy list of short tasks that take less than 10 minutes to complete on hand for the times when you’re stuck waiting.
7. Evaluate Your Plan Success
Make a list of all that you’ve done since you’ve got out of bed up to the end of your day. Use this list to help check your progress and set goals for the next day. It will also help you re-focus on tasks that still need to be done. If you’re not happy with your evaluation, don’t worry; just recommit yourself to doing better next time.
All in all, you can get all your daily tasks done and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and success that brings. When you want to have an excellent day and move closer to your life goals, don’t forget to use the seven hacks outlined above to help get you there.
