The Streamlined Mind - Work, Work, Work - Be More Productive

If you've taken all of the advice you already know on board and started putting some of these systems in place then you should start to notice life becoming a bit easier. You have more time, you have fewer decisions to make and you're less stressed thanks to a quieter social calendar.

But you're probably still over-worked and over-stressed and this comes down a lot of the time to your work. Work is what makes many of us so stressed and it's what leaves us with so little time to do anything else.

Time to put a stop to that.

Be More Productive at Work

The first thing you need to do is to start approaching your work in a more productive and efficient manner.

How do you make sure that you get through that to-do list and that you aren't constantly treading water?

The first thing you need to do is to remove multitasking from the equation. While multitasking maybe useful in some occasions, studies show that it simply doesn't work in a workplace environment.

The simple reason for this is that activities that require our mental faculties don't enable multitasking.

What you think is multitasking is actually sequential tasking - you're quickly switching from one task to another and back. This takes up more mental energy and less work gets done overall.

Instead then, you need to set out the tasks you need to do and then work through them in order until they're all complete.

This means that you should start your day with a to-do list. And there's a definite art to coming up with a to-do list. Tim Ferriss, author of the Four Hour Workweek, always talks about having one task that he absolutely must get completed that day and then completing that. Everything else, he considers to be 'extra'.

This is generally the best attitude to take to any list of objectives. Complete the biggest and most important task first and then move onto the smaller ones.

The reason this is so important is that the biggest task is going to take the most time, the most focus and the most energy. It's also going to give you the biggest sense of satisfaction once ticked off.

If you complete all the smaller tasks first, then you risk taking up a lot of time with switching between tasks, answering emails and setting things up.

This can end up taking longer than you think and then not leave enough time to complete that one 'big task' that you needed to finish. As a result, the day ends and you're left feeling stressed.

Instead, work on that one massive task that will make a real difference first. Then start on those smaller jobs and get as many as possible out the way. You can do this after 4pm, at the point in the day when you're starting to feel less productive.

Removing Distractions

Now you have just one big task to complete during your work day, you should stand a much better chance of getting into a 'flow state'. A flow state is an almost mythical state of mind that is described by many productivity gurus.

The idea is that by focusing on one job that you need to complete you can eventually get into a state of mind where you're able to shut out all outside distractions and work in a fast and focused manner. This results in the best work and also allows you to get through the task without procrastinating.

The most important key to being able to get into a state of flow, is to make sure you remove distractions and things that can break your concentration.

And the number one culprit? Email.

Email at work is one of the things that is most responsible for causing us to become distracted and stressed and as soon as we start responding to emails we can find ourselves getting into a 'reactive' mindset as opposed to a 'proactive' one. Now we're working to someone else's agenda instead of our own and that means we're less likely to complete the tasks we set for ourselves.

One important tip then is to make sure that you complete at least a certain amount of work before you even look at your emails.

In fact, you should aim to set yourself a certain amount of work before you complete any other task.

How you might have previously started your day is by going and making a cup of tea, having a chat and then answering your emails. A couple of those emails might take some time and thought and you can then end up quickly taking a look at Facebook for a break.

By the time you've started completing any actual work, it's already 11am!

So instead, start your day by sitting down and making a 'gentle start' on that one big project. Now set yourself a goal. If you have to write 6,000 words today for instance, then tell yourself you won't make that first cup of tea until you've completed 2,000 words. And you won't look at emails until you're on 5,000 words.

Suddenly, you've changed your regime in order to put the pressing work first. The psychological impact of having this much work 'under your belt' cannot be understated and because you have made such a start, you'll find it's much easier to just jump back into work.

By the time you've answered those emails, you'll now have completed a huge amount of work and be well on top of your daily tasks! Meanwhile, having a 'goal' to work to can act as great motivation.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is another tool you can use to formalize this process. Simply use a timer and set yourself a specific amount of time that you're going to focus on your work. This can be 10 minutes, 20 minutes or 60 minutes.

Work until that time is complete and the timer sounds and once that's happened, set the timer for 5 minutes to rest and relax.

Then, set the timer for another block of work.

Dividing your day into periods of work and rest like this helps you to maintain separation between your productivity and recovery and this can prevent burnout while also helping you to finish more work.

Reducing Email

The only downside to this plan is that a lot of people will feel very unsure about ignoring their emails in case they are missing something very important. A way to avoid this nagging concern is to consider investing in a smartwatch.

While you might think that having yet another device with notifications is only going to make matters worse, in fact this gives you a handy (no pun intended) way to check what the email is about without having to actually load up Gmail and potentially get sucked in.

Another option is to set-up an autoresponder on your email that tells your audience you will only answer emails at certain times of day but that they can contact you by phone only if it's an emergency.

When you do this, you ensure that there's always a way you can be reached in a serious emergency but at the same time you also avoid getting inundated with unnecessary calls.

Reducing Communication Overhead

Communication overhead is a term used to describe the negative impact that lots of meetings, emails and phone calls can have on your productivity. When you're in a meeting you aren't working and when you're on the phone, you're not working!

To get around this, try to keep unnecessary communication to an absolute minimum. You can reduce this in a number of different ways.

For instance, if you find yourself in lots of long phone calls, consider asking people to email instead of calling. Alternatively, preface your phone calls by telling the person you're speaking to that you only have five minutes so you'll need to get straight to business. They may offer to call back, but simply say 'no it's okay, but we'll just have to make it quick'.

As for meetings, consider discussing with your manager whether you really need to be present for meetings. Try skipping one to begin with and explain that you have lots of work to finish and that you feel your time could be put to better use in other ways.

Flexi-Time

If you can arrange flexi-time with your work - or even arrange working from home - then this can help you to save a huge amount of time on commuting and getting started with work.

Again, try to discuss with your boss how you could be put to better use by doing other things with your time and you can provide the same service from home. The only real legitimate reason a company might need you to stay at the office is if you're needed to answer the switchboard.

Otherwise, it will just be a matter of convincing them to let you give it a try - and then you prove yourself by completing even more work than you would do in the office.

Flexi-time meanwhile could just mean asking if you can come into work an hour earlier and leave an hour later. This can make a huge difference if it helps you to avoid the rush hour and mean you actually save at least half an hour of your day...

The point is that you don't have to work in the exact same manner as everyone else and it may be that there are other more effective work styles that are better suited to your lifestyle. It just takes the confidence to push for the changes that suit you and to help your employer modernize a little!

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Streamlined-Mind---Work,-Work,-Work---Be-More-Productive&id=9358467

A Simple Way to Be More Productive

Ever wonder why most people seem to be flying right along in life and they seem to have it all together. Did you ever think, "What are those people doing that I'm not doing?" "I wonder what their schedule is like?" or "How do they find time to do blank ?" Do you wish you can be like them? Well here's the secret. You can be. It just takes a little bit of effort and a lot of patience and the right mindset. Yes, that's all. But you know life is rarely that simple right? What if I tell you there's an easier way to get busy and it's called getting into "the zone".

People talk about getting into the zone but what do they mean by this? For me, getting into the zone means I'm in complete focus and my mind and my actions are becoming fluid and the task I set out to accomplish becomes easier and effortless. This is the zone. When you can do no wrong and all your actions seem to be falling into place. When you're in this mental state, it seems like you are in complete command of your destiny and time is not a factor. Once I'm in this state, I actually lose myself in the moment whether it's writing a book or playing a good game of basketball.

Here lies the secret to productivity: You always want to be in the zone. Why you ask? Isn't it obvious? Time literally flies by when you're in the zone. Instead of asking yourself, 'Where did the time go by?' When you're in the zone you'll be asking instead,' what no more? That was easier than I thought!' As if you have the ability to stop time in its tracks instead of you stopping on your own tracks to success.

How do you get into this magical zone? Good question. My answer is, it really depends on you. I can't tell you how to get into your zone but I can share my experience that might just give you a hint. When I want to get into the zone all I have to do is eliminate all distractions, get into a good mood, and focus on the task at hand. That's it. No magic formula or secret or whatever you want to call it. Just get into the mental habit of working; this is the secret to producing fine works.

Live, learn and enjoy

http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Simple-Way-to-Be-More-Productive&id=9049054

Message From the Universe: Using Your Time More Efficiently!

"The best way to create more free time, is to take it.

You'll see.

Love, love - 

The Universe"

Time is a noun (or a verb, depending how you use it) and it is defined as: "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole". So how is time relevant to your own existence? You hear many say: "I don't have time for this or don't have time to relax" or this and that. Is someone THAT busy not to be able to just sit and relax? Is it a lack of time in their schedule that stops them from doing what they want OR they do not manage their time properly and can't really take advantage and live the life they want? We all have the same exact 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute. How can you make sure to utilize the time given to you and be more productive? How can you efficiently complete your tasks on a daily basis and still have time left to enjoy what you love doing? It can be difficult to master the organization part of your day and learn to be more effective with it. First, you need to sit down and analyze your daily responsibilities at work, hour by hour. Second, estimate the time that you spend talking to your coworkers about the game last night or what did you do the past weekend. Calculate the time spent on social media which in most cases, is not related to actual work and add up these wasted minutes or hours and determine how you can use that free time for something that you love doing.

It always feels like all through the day, you are doing something very important, for either work or home, which I do not doubt. For you to create time more efficiently, is to use the time that you already have and compress it into a zip file, just like you would do for large files that you send online and convert it into a .zip or .rar file. Use that extra space that YOU created in your schedule and use it the way you like. You did meet all your responsibilities at work and if you efficiently created more time for yourself, you still can move ahead at work and do more than is needed. If there is a will, there is a way. If you know what you want out of life, then go out there and be ready to tweak things a little to maximize your time and workload. There is no reason why you can't make it and succeed while still enjoy life. It is all about working smart, and avoid putting so many extra hours that aren't required to get the job done.

Learn to be more efficient and you will see how much more time you have in your hand. Don't feel guilty about that, on the contrary. Feel more accomplished, feel like you've done a great job compressing your time and having some available for your leisure. The main purpose is to free up some time for you to enjoy life and spend time with the people that matter the most. Work will ALWAYS be there, but to maintain a healthy relationship with your family and friends requires you to be THERE for them. Family and friends can't be compressed into a .zip file or anything. They are humans just like you that have feelings and requires quality time with the person they love and enjoy being with. Never ignore these requests or you will lose more than just time.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Message-From-the-Universe:-Using-Your-Time-More-Efficiently!&id=9486770

Want To Make Life Easier? Try These 5 Strange But Simple Productivity Tips

Most of us would like to make our lives a little easier. And one of the best ways to do this is improve our productivity and free up some time.

We know that if we could just find a few little habits to help us get on the right track, we’d be able to push through the day smoothly and efficiently. We’d get more done in less time, and have extra time at the end of the day to relax and wind down.

We know because we’ve all done it before.

And in my quest to find the productivity hacks that actually make a difference, I’ve come across a few straight forward tips that had a real noticeable impact on my performance.

Here are 5 strange but simple productivity tips that when put into place, will make a clear difference to my productivity:

1. Write down EVERYTHING you do for one week.

What gets tracked gets improved.

It’s very simple to just keep a journal on you at all times, taking note of each thing you do and the time you spent doing it.

In just a week you’d see exactly where you’ve been wasting time, and you’ll be far more aware of its time-sucking nature in the future. You might find out that you spend 4 hours a day on Facebook or 2 hours checking emails – and you’ll be better able to allocate your time.

If you keep the practice of journalling up, you’ll also be motivated week by week to improve your performance.

2. Put a plant in your workspace

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests the putting plants in your workplace is good for productivity and well-being.

Being locked in an office for hours on end has the unusual benefit of make you appreciate nature more than you otherwise would. By placing plants in your work environment, or even by hanging images of nature around the office, workers report more productivity and more satisfaction than if their view was dominated by buildings or sidewalks. If you don’t want to put too much effort into caring for the plant, make sure to ask for something that doesn’t need watered often.

3. Listen to the right type of music

I’m sure most of us enjoy music, so adding music to your work is a tip that I think is pretty easy to get on board with. What’s important is to make sure however that you are listening to the right type of music.

Study showed that classical is best if your work requires attention to detail or numbers, pop music if it you do any type of data entry, ambient sounds if you need to solve equations, and dance music for proof reading and problem solving.

4. Set a big, scary, completely unrealistic goal – and then fail

This actually acts like a warm up for our brain, we switch into creative mode in order to prepare for a new challenge, but without the pressure of having to complete the goal (knowing it’s completely unrealistic). When we fail, we can move on into other tasks that seem simple by comparison.

5. Don’t work so much

Founder of The Energy Project, Tony Schwartz, has said “manage your energy, not your time” – and in a culture that is overworked, these are really words to live by.

Most of us try to be more productive by cramming more hours into our day, while the reality is that we produce better results if we structure our work around the natural cycles of our body.

One of those cycles is called the ultradian rhythm. During this period we have 90 minutes where we progress from higher to lower alertness. What this means is that at the end of the 90 minutes you must take a break in order to get back to a higher level of alertness again.

Think about it this way, you don’t want to run a marathon at work, you want to do short sprints with intervals. Make sure the break is a complete break from work related thought, or you’ll start the next phase without the benefits of having rested your mind.

Simple changes in your productivity can help make your life a whole lot easier. Try experimenting with these 5 strategies today and see what a difference they can make to your work.

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/want-make-life-easier-try-5-strange-simple-productivity-tips/

The Advantage Of Hypnotherapy For Overall Wellness

When it comes to health and wellness, more and more people today are actually investing their time and money just to make sure that they stay fit and healthy. This is very important especially if you want to be more productive in your work. The business world is getting more and more competitive. And so, you must be ready to face all the challenges thrown at you.

However, you cannot actually work well if you do not feel well. You need to make sure that your body is fit and healthy to take all the challenges at work. Stress is the enemy; the pressure to perform and be the best is strong for a lot of folks. You often work long hours and you don't get enough sleep because of the responsibilities you need to stay on top of, and as you continue to climb up the corporate ladder, your overall quality of life suffers.

Many recognise this, and so they turn to wellness facilities to help them restore life balance and effectively manage stress. And one way to help you gain overall wellness is through hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy may sound new to most people but this is actually practiced for so many decades already. The demand for wellness services is inspiring a lot of young people to get into the industry, not only because jobs here pay rather well, but also because there is a desire to help such a weary generation. Universities still offer the usual courses that probe into people's mental health. These courses are not just about creating an understanding of the different variables of mental health; they are also designed to really help people live their lives with greater happiness and freedom, which stress, quite effectively, diminishes.

Hypnotherapy is a fast rising choice of treatment for destructive habits, anxiety attacks, and other often debilitating inclinations/conditions some people have. Hypnotherapy has proven effective in helping people deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, painful childhood, odd habits (like toenail biting, hair eating, et cetera), and many others. The accredited courses on hypnotherapy are particularly ideal for treatment or rehabilitation facilities that wish to expand their service menu.

It is really very advantageous to opt for natural wellness solutions such as hypnotherapy. And taking courses that will help you provide wellness services is a smart move. Indeed, these educational programs are helping the wellness industry expand. They offer a fresh take on psychological issues and provide people more options to become happier with life.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Advantage-Of-Hypnotherapy-For-Overall-Wellness&id=9212993