What makes a person productive? What do they do, what habits do they follow?

To be productive is the ability to get work done in a short length of time. True productivity is the ability to produce high impact results, not busy work that creates no impact in the long term. It's for you to decide it’s better to send out one email that may double your sales or reply to 100 emails that make no difference to your business.

We have identified 7 habits of highly productive people. These habits can get you the best out of the day and by following these set of rules you will see your productivity skyrocket.

Habit #1: Focus on the important

Before you start your work every day, identify the most important task to be done. Write down what you are going to do. Push the less important things later for the day. Most of us usually wrongly classify our regular tasks as high-value tasks.

Habit #2: Work on the 80/20

It’s about being effective first, before being efficient. Focus your energy on the few tasks that create a major impact. 80/20 Principle means 20% of efforts create 80% of results in a goal, vice versa other 80% of tasks create only 20% of the results. Being effective is about focusing on the 20% key tasks to create maximum results.

Takeaway: The difference between Habits #1 and #2 is that with Habit #1, you focus on tasks that lead you to your important goals and Habit #2 helps you to further strategize to niche up.

Habit #3: Taking breaks are effective

We all need rest and respite. We’re not machines that don’t get boredom. Be sure to take breaks. Take regular short breaks throughout the day, gaze through the window for 5 minutes every hour, or meditate for 5 minutes. Take vacations every once in a while, out from your usual routine. Doing so helps you maintain focus, take stock, and sharpen the saw.

Habit #4: Get Rid Of distractions

Today’s world is deeply networked, distractions are everywhere. When we enter the pages of social media we are sucked into the world of endless notifications and updates. Do a productivity audit. Start your day, and track how much time do you spend on each distraction? Overall, how much time is wasted? What is distracting you? Social Media or your slow computer?

Sometimes using old or slow tools can be disturbing as you combat technical difficulties. We recommend upgrading your tools if they are slowing you down.

Habit #5: Set a timeline

Design a timeline for yourself, a timeline helps you stay focused and prioritize. It also helps you keep the end in sight – especially big goals, as you can end up working for ages.

Set your targets. Break down your goals into chunks for the month into weekly tasks, then daily tasks. Follow the task list to guide daily activity. This will help you make the best out of you.

Habit #6: Tune-up the environment

Try revamping your workplace or workstation and it will greatly improve productivity. Even if your workroom is small (maybe 4-6 square meters), having all the essentials kept organized will make feel good. For example, “I have a laptop stand which improves my posture. I have a wonderful view outside my window that inspires me. And I have painted the room recently”

Environment plays a big role in your productive output. Now, after the shuffle, does your work environment inspire you? Let us know!

Habit #7: Automate

Use the blessings of technology, it’s possible to automate a lot of things, we can still automate part of it as well!

Email filters: I have email filters to file my emails into specific folders. A very useful tool.

Social media: Whenever there is a new blog post, it is automatically posted on my social media profiles.

Product sales: My product sales are automated. After purchase, my payment vendor will automatically generate an invoice, generate a download link, and send a confirmation email to the buyer. The payment is automatically sent to my account.

Basically, when you automate recurring tasks, you have time for the most important things.

In the wake of Covid 19, tools like Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, Facebook Workplace, and Trello has kept us connected to friends and colleagues at work. 

WFH can be tricky for many people. How you want to face that challenge won’t just determine your productivity — it will determine your mental health and even your happiness. SO keep the best practices in mind and stay ahead of the race.