Learn how to increase productivity to reach your goals

1. LEARN HOW
TO INCREASE
PRODUCTIVIT
Y TO REACH
YOUR GOALS
BY
FADZLY [REN 37206]

2. WHAT IS IT TO BE PRODUCTIVE?
• When you look up the dictionary definition of the word “productive”, you’ll find a few different
meanings of the word. In general, it means to have the ability to produce or create something.
Note, how efficiency is not actually part of the definition here.
• In daily life, whenever we call someone productive, we definitely think of them being efficient.
We think of someone who gets a lot of ish done. And because we all have goals and dreams,
that’s what we want to be. Efficiently productive, checking things off our list left and right.
• While productivity is a huge topic for businesses and employee monitoring, here I want to talk
about personal productivity. Because this is about us and our lives.

3. WHAT IS PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY?
• Personal productivity is like the word suggests “personal”. As an employee, your
productivity is measured by how much output you produce. Specifically, the output the
business is paying you for. No one is going to check or care about your household chores.
Business only!
• When it comes to personal productivity, it’s all about your own goals and priorities. What do
you want to get done? What is important to you? And what do you need to live a healthy
and balanced life?

4. PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY IS
SUBJECTIVE
• This means, that the definition of personal productivity can be highly subjective. You need to personally
take the time to write down your goals, objectives, and tasks and prioritize them. No one else can do this
for you. But it can help to have a sparring partner who knows you a little bit.
• They can tell you what they see you spending your time on. Oftentimes we set priorities unconsciously. You
know, like the stereotypical dad who always works and never has time for his family? Those dads probably
didn’t consciously decide that their family is not a priority. They just feel more pressure from work and
simply give in.
• Taking the time to think about your priorities and the bigger picture will also automatically help to increase
your productivity. When you make sure your actions are in line with your goals and values, you will get
things done much easier because you are more motivated.

5. WHY IS PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY
IMPORTANT?
• Critics of productivity methods argue that the constant struggle to fit more things into our
day is bad for us. And that productivity is nothing we should worry about.
• In my opinion, these critics are missing a crucial point. Personal productivity is not about
cramming your day full of tasks and timing every breath you take. On the contrary, personal
productivity is about making sure that what you do in a day brings you closer to what you
want.

6. • If that happens to be a life of big achievements and
business success, then yes, this might mean working on
your efficiency and speed as well. But if your goal is to live
healthier and become a more relaxed and happy person,
this could also mean to schedule relaxation and playtime
into your day regularly.
• Again, personal productivity is not about “producing
output” you can sell to anyone but yourself. It is about
doing things that are in line with what you want and
making time for them.

7. DECIDE WHAT YOUR LIFE SHOULD LOOK
LIKE
• Without personal productivity, your life might be governed by to-do-lists and chores. No
time to actually shape your lifestyle. That sounds a little sad, doesn’t it?
• This is why I think personal productivity is important. I think everyone has the possibility to
work on their dream lifestyle and to make time for what’s important to them. Sometimes all
it takes are some small adjustments to how you plan out your day.

8. HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY
• Alright, now that we are on the same page about the meaning and importance of this, let’s
figure out how to improve productivity.

9. HOW CAN I MAKE MYSELF MORE
PRODUCTIVE?
• Your first and most important task to increase your personal productivity is to figure out how
you can be a more productive person. For this, you need to know your own tendencies.
Specifically the unproductive ones. Watch yourself, especially on those days when you
seem to get nothing done!
• How do you feel on those days? What do you do instead of the tasks? Do you browse
Facebook? Do you procrastinate even starting? Do your ideas for unrelated things start
flowing as soon as you want to focus?

10. WORK WITH YOUR TENDENCIES
• It can be really helpful to write these things down. Have a
notebook on your desk and whenever you notice a certain
behavior that keeps you from being productive, simply write it
down. Don’t dwell on it, just write it down and go back to work. (I
love plain Moleskine notebooks* for things like that. They are of
good quality and also look chic. Kinda important for something
you want to keep close to you, isn’t it?)
• Once you have a good list, screen it for patterns. Things that pop
up again and again. Those are your unproductive habits. And like
we all know, habits can be changed. Pick one habit at a time and
train replacing it with a new and more productive behavior.

11. AN EXAMPLE FOR THIS
• An example for this: I notice that I open Facebook every 30 minutes. Probably because this is
my current attention span. So my hypothesis is that after 30 minutes I need a short break. But I
don’t want to take a break that takes me down the social media rabbit hole and ends up eating 2
hours of my time.
• So I decide to find a new “break habit”. Whenever my focus fades, I want to stand up, stretch for
a second, and go drink a glass of water.
• I want to work on this new habit for 30 to 60 days until it happens automatically and I no longer
need to think about it. Then I will start working on the next unproductive behavior.

12. HOW CAN I BE MORE PRODUCTIVE IN
LIFE?
• Personal productivity is not only about your own behavioral tendencies though. What you
surround yourself with and what your general lifestyle looks like is also extremely important.
• Make sure to have a good environment. Have some plants or flowers in your workspace.
And clean it up a little!

13. • Clutter, noise, and other distracting factors can decrease
your productivity. Why? Because they all compete for
your attention, making it harder for your brain to focus.
• Surround yourself with people and things relating to your
goals. Being able to exchange thoughts and ideas
regarding your topics will fuel your productivity
immensely. Seeing stuff relating to your goals will keep
you focused on your why and bring your thoughts back to
your task if you get distracted momentarily.

14. HOW CAN I BE MORE PRODUCTIVE
AGAIN?
• Sometimes we lose our productive mojo for longer than just a moment. First, everything is fine, we are
killing it at checking off tasks and feel on top of the world. But then life happens. Routine sets in. Our old
procrastination habit rears its ugly head. And it gets harder and harder to stay focused on the task at hand.
• When this happens, it usually means, something is missing. Or something is too much. Do you make sure
you get enough sleep? Eating well and working out? Do you have new sources of stress in your life? Or –
gasp – are you bored with things?
• If you know how to be productive, but it seems super hard to apply this knowledge, take some time to really
think about the reason for this. Maybe you simply need a day off. Or maybe it is time to adjust your goals
again. Whatever the reason, once you take care of it, being productive will be much easier again. You got
this!