Managing Your Bad Habits

I’ve had a bit of a realization over the last few days, one that has helped me to increase my productivity big time!

I’ve become used to listening to music while working and about a week ago I read an article (I forget exactly where) on productivity that suggested listening to music can effect some peoples ability to focus while they’re working.

This was news to me and something I’d never considered before, so I thought I’d check it out myself by switching off the music for a few days…

It turns out that for me they are right, I’ve been more focused and got more work done since I switched off the music than I usually would!

It just goes to show how we can pick up potentially bad habits without even realizing it, hence this blog post, to remind us all we should stand back and check what we’re doing in our working environment, just in case a bad habit has somehow snuck in.

Now I’m not suggesting the music thing is going to be true for everyone, I suspect there are many people who actually find the right music helps them focus, but perhaps there’s something else you’re doing that’s not helping, take a few minutes to think about it and see if there’s anything you can test out.

My Top 10 Productivity Tips

~ 1. Have a Daily “To Do” List

I actually keep this on a paper “Post It” pad right by my keyboard, so I can’t ignore it. I found that using a spreadsheet or file on my PC for this was just too easy for me to ignore…

I always try to write up the next days “To Do” list at the end of the day, so it’s ready for the next day, this also helps me “review” what I’ve got done in the day.

I’ve also found that if I can put one task that I’ve been “putting off” at the top of the list and get that done first, the rest of the tasks on the list tend to seem easier to get done and I get more of them done.

~ 2. Only Check Your Email at Certain Times

I’ve got to admit I’m far from perfect on this one, but I have found when I keep my email program closed and only check it 2 or 3 times during the day I DO get a lot more work done.

~ 3. Set your Instant Messenger Status to Busy, or even offline