When it comes to your time, there are always more things that you can do to increase productivity. Whether that’s trying to get through a task faster, or working on a strategy to be more effective, productivity is something that you can learn to harness and master.
Trust me.
Productivity was not something that I woke up one day and knew how to do. It wasn’t something that I just grew into.
No.
It took deliberate effort. It took research and learning and trial and error. But now when I reflect back on my younger self, I can see just how far I’ve come.
And you being here, reading this post right now, means that you’re on the right path too.
You may not be happy with where you’re at today. You may feel stuck; like you never get done what you need to. But you can change! You can learn and grow and actually make the progress you seek.
It’s possible. In fact, I’m the perfect example…
Me and my ideas
Productivity isn’t something you are born with. Just like playing a sport, productivity is a skill that can be taught and learned.
As a kid, I HATED doing homework and studying for tests. My priorities weren’t aligned with schoolwork. I was more concerned with making friends and having fun – being social.
But then in college, years later, I created an app. It was my first time tackling a big project like that on my own. No professors were dictating it, no older adults were telling me when my deadline was. It was just me and my ideas.
All on my shoulders.
If I wasted a day playing Super Smash Bros instead of working on the app, guess what? Nothing would get done. A lesson I learned the hard way, but learned nonetheless.
A single step
One day I woke up early. Much earlier than I normally would. And I started designing the app. I took literal pencil to paper and created what became the first mockups of it.
I used my time wisely that morning.
From there my productivity problems weren’t solved though. I would still run into challenges with procrastination, with lacking motivation, with general frustration and annoyance.
Classic productivity killers.
But I kept putting one foot in front of the other. Inevitably, I learned how to get more done in less time, how to delegate, and how to make the progress that I needed to see.
And while the app no longer exists today (a longer story for another time), what does remain is my insatiable appetite for doing more in an hour than most people do all day. In going to bed each night knowing that my 16 hours of awakeness were 100% optimized.
That’s what I want for you too.
You have to take that first step though. You have to try. And that’s why I’m so excited that you’re here! Because here you are, putting in effort. The starting point of a long, but rewarding journey towards powerful productivity.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu
Increase Productivity: 9 Brilliant Ways To Become Ultra Productive
As you can see, productivity is important for several reasons. And increasing your productivity is certainly something to aspire to.
The reason productivity is so important is because of how it impacts your time.
The more productive you are, the faster and more effectively you can move about your day. The faster you do that, the faster you can make progress towards your ideal life. One where you control your time.
One where you wake up each morning and can decide what you want to do.
Because in a world where you can create your ideal life by fully utilizing your 24 hours each day, productivity is one of the key building blocks towards achieving that aim.
Just like with the app I built all those years ago, how I spent my time directly impacted what got done.
And sure, while the app is no longer in circulation, being productive with my time granted me the ability to pivot on things years earlier than I would have had I procrastinated the day away.
So as you go through this list of factors that increase productivity, keep that in mind. Remember just how important productivity is in your ability to live a bigger and better life. Use your time wisely and make the progress each day that you need to make.
Oh and one last thing – these kinds of lists are very easy to quickly scroll through and then completely forget about five minutes later. I highly urge you to not do that!
Instead, find the one or two strategies below that interest you and actually work on them. Recognize what you need to improve on, learn about it, and then start applying it to your life.
1. Set goals to increase productivity
You may be thinking: I came here to learn about ways to increase productivity. What do goals have to do with that?
A great question.
See, the reason productivity, time management, motivation, and other related terms are so important is because of how they impact your time. If you do them right, you will move faster and more powerfully than ever before.
But, where are you moving faster to? What are you actually working so hard towards?
That’s where goals come into play.
Goal setting requires you to look at who you are today, who you want to become tomorrow, and then how to get there.
In other words, it gives you a plan for your time so that as you become even more productive, you’ll know that you are heading in the right direction.
That’s why goal setting is one of my favorite tips when dealing with how to increase productivity in life – because it acts as your north star guiding you towards a better future. Then, once you know what you’re working towards, you can start moving even faster in that direction.
To get started with goal setting, I recommend these posts:
Or if you want something more in-depth, check out my goal success course.
2. Utilize productivity apps
Another favorite when it comes to how to increase personal productivity is productivity apps. Productivity apps are applications, software, downloads, etc., that you can use to enhance your productivity efforts.
My favorite ones are usually free but that doesn’t mean they are any less valuable than paid ones.
See apps as an extension of yourself.
Have a hard time remembering things? Get a reminder app. Struggling to keep track of your files? Use an organization app. There are apps for all occasions and circumstances. Start using them to help you become even more productive.
You can check out my favorite productivity apps here.
3. Harness time management
Similar to goal setting, time management is another one of those key building blocks that you can use to harness your time.
Time management and productivity go hand in hand.
If productivity is how effective you are, time management is the amount of time you give yourself to get the task done in.
For example, time management is blocking out an hour each morning to read a book. Productivity, then, is how you actually spend your time within that hour.
Therefore, when learning how to increase productivity in the workplace, or your home, or personal life, time management is something that you need to actively work on.
To get started with time management, I recommend the following posts:
4. Learn, learn, learn
One of the best ways that you can increase productivity is by constantly learning. That could be by listening to relevant podcasts, or watching videos, or by reading books.
That’s personally how I developed my productivity skills. Through a combination of personal experience AND the lessons gained from those resources I just listed above. Particularly books.
Whatever option you go with, know that consistent, relevant learning is one way to take your productivity to the next level.
Now as far as learning resources go, I recommend the following…
Books
If you are looking to pick up a new book or two, check out these posts on:
Courses
When it comes to courses, I again highly recommend enrolling in my:
If you find this post valuable and you like my style, chances are high that you will find even more value within my course. So give it a try!
5. Boost focus to increase productivity
One great way that you can increase productivity is by improving your focus. Focus is a highly underrated skill that, when used properly, can add tremendous value to your work.
However, it is often hard to implement into your life.
Why?
Because of the constant distractions that surround you – calls coming in, notifications popping up, appointments moving around. There are a lot of things that will creep up and try to ruin your concentration.
So when being bombarded with distractions, do your best to block them out and focus on the important task right in front of you. Then once that task is complete, take a break and reign in the outside noise.
For more help boosting your focus, check out this how-to on the popular focus strategy – the Pomodoro technique.
6. Use productivity tools
Similar to productivity apps, there are a wide range of tools that you can use to increase your productivity. Ranging from tools to help you:
- Get organized
- Learn more effectively
- Enhance your health
- Plus more
There are tools that you can use for nearly every scenario in your life. And, just like productivity apps, productivity tools can be used as an extension of yourself to help you in areas where you need it.
So if you aren’t already, be sure to use tools to help you increase your productivity. Here’s my full post on the matter.
7. Don’t waste your boredom
I hate being bored. Especially when I have big goals that I want to achieve.
Why do I hate boredom?
Because being bored means that I’m wasting time. It means that in a world where I could be doing a million different things to help me improve, I’m not working towards any of them.
So, when I’m bored I do my best to:
- Recognize the boredom
- And then use that time more productively
That means having the awareness to recognize when you’re bored. And then when you do catch yourself being bored, get up and do something else that will help you learn, grow, improve, or move towards your goals in some way.
Don’t waste your boredom by letting it continue. Change your activity or environment and use your time more effectively.
For ideas of what to do when bored, check out this post.
8. Listen to music to increase productivity
Music geared towards productivity is one simple way that you can reduce outside distractions, increase your focus, and improve your energy levels.
Whether you’re in a coffee shop, a crowded workplace, or sitting next to a screaming baby on a plane, listening to music can drastically help you increase productivity and focus.
There are a lot of great streaming services that offer curated playlists geared towards just that. My favorite is Spotify but really any service should be able to do the trick.
To learn more about the best kinds of focus music, check out my full post here.
9. Make use of productivity hacks
Closing out the list of ways to increase productivity is one of my favorites – productivity hacks.
Productivity hacks are clever ways of doing things a little bit differently and a little bit better. They are easy to implement strategies and tactics that you can use to enhance your productivity efforts and get even more done.
Some of my favorites include:
- Keep a notepad close by to jot down any distracting thoughts
- Automate out repetitive tasks
- Turn off your notifications
- And keep your desk clean so that you can better focus
That’s just 4 examples though. There are a ton of productivity hacks that you can utilize to increase productivity, effectiveness, and how you spend your time.
You can check out my full post on productivity hacks < there.
Increase productivity: where to start?
When it comes to increasing your productivity, there are multiple things that you can do. We’ve covered a lot in this post so to recap, the various things that you can do to increase productivity include:
- Set goals
- Use productivity apps
- Harness time management
- Learn as much as you can
- Enhance focus
- Utilize productivity tools
- Use boredom to your advantage
- Listen to music
- Employ productivity hacks
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the list of options, don’t panic! Sure, there are a lot of possibilities to choose from but they are all relatively easy to implement.
When deciding where to start, I recommend going with goal setting first so that you know where you want to work towards. If you find yourself getting easily distracted while setting goals, you can employ something like the Pomodoro technique or use focus music to help you concentrate.
From there, I suggest taking advantage of some productivity tools and productivity apps to help you streamline your efforts and become even more effective.
And at that point, you can determine what you need to work on and add in next.
Or if you want some help in a detailed, step-by-step, guided fashion, check out my goal success course. No longer will you need to jump from post to post or site to site. I have everything planned out and ready for you. Lessons, worksheets, the whole deal ready just for you.
You can learn more about my goal success course here.
Increase productivity: moving forward
When it comes to increasing your productivity, there are a lot of things that you can do. So pick a few from above and start applying them to your life.
Don’t let the time you spent on this post go to waste! Apply some of the tactics and see how your productivity begins to improve.
Take little steps each day, one foot in front of the other, and you will eventually have a mountain of progress to show for it. You’ll need to be patient, but the hard work that you put in today can and will pay off tomorrow.
So when it comes to increasing productivity, be aware of the things that will help you be more effective and the things that won’t.
Be deliberate with your time, keep learning, and continue to push towards your ideal life.
