Tips To Be Your Most Productive Self In 2021

‘Productivity’ is a buzzword you’re probably sick of hearing by now. For the past few years and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, every blogger, Instagrammer, and Youtuber is promoting various tools, apps, and life hacks that are meant to encourage harder, better, faster work. It can all feel like a bit much, and the pressure often leads to even more time wasted with habit trackers and trying to plan every moment of your life. Real productivity is rooted in a focused mind and intentional living.

Here are a few real tips (not hacks) to reach your ultimate state of productivity this year.

It’s hard to be productive when you’re doing something you don’t care about, and a lack of focus and motivation is often caused by the simple fact that you don’t love what you’re doing. If this sounds like the case for you, it might be time to reassess where you’re dedicating all your time. Being stuck in a job or a qualification that doesn’t bring you any joy is not a life anyone wants to live, so you might want to take some time to consider what would make you happy and if there are any options available that might be a better fit for you. If you feel stuck or unsure, you could look into aptitude or personality tests to find the best fit occupations for you and see if any of the options presented sound like a better idea than what you’re currently doing. 

We’re most efficient when we’re well-rested, fuelled, and feeling mentally on top of things – there’s no way around it. You might feel like pulling those all-nighters or getting up before the sun is giving you more time to get work done, but being tired at work or school is no way to be efficient. You may also think that it’s okay to skip breakfast or lunch because you didn’t have time to move from your desk all day, but your brain needs fuel (in the form of food) to function optimally. Neglecting to care for yourself is neglecting to care about the quality and efficiency of your work time. Ensuring that you get a full 7-8hrs sleep each night, eating regular wholesome meals, and including some downtime in your schedule is going to allow for the best quality work you have to offer.

Whether it’s Instagram, your co-workers, or those nagging thoughts of what to make for dinner, we all have something that can pull our attention from our work in three seconds flat. Knowing and understanding what distracts you is an important first step towards dealing with it. Once you’ve determined your biggest distractions, you need to make an active effort to avoid those things. Leave your phone on silent in a drawer, set boundaries with friends at work, and write out a weekly meal plan so you know exactly what you’re going to make on each night of the week – simple but effective, and a sure-fire way to truly boost your productivity in 2021. 

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