7 Ways You Can Increase Productivity, Without Adding Stress

Getting motivated can be rough. Sometimes your productivity just isn’t there, and life feels like a blob of gray in need of color. We have been in a work-from-home, pandemic world for near two years.  Balancing mental health, stress, and productivity is a VERY delicate balance. 

Productivity is important because it helps you achieve life goals and progress each day. Productivity definitions often cater to economics and supply chains, but in a not-so rigorous setting, productivity is simply managing your time and tasks without procrastination and without adding stress.

Retaining your productivity all day and every day is impossible; that’s just a cold hard fact, but you should always do your best to keep it going. Productivity is when you can fully complete your tasks with less time and effort.

The ups and downs in productivity may be human nature, but there is always a way to get your spark back. Today, we’ll be shining a light on a few of those methods, but before we discuss how to get back up, we have to address what’s getting you down.

Are You Burnt Out?

Perhaps your productivity is lacking because you’ve been overworked lately. Working too much and too hard can definitely take a toll on your productivity.

When you’re overworked, you can end up feeling both physically and mentally drained. Productivity can go right out the window, along with your ability to sleep and feel prepared.

You can overcome burnout by taking a break from all the heavy lifting you’ve been doing and taking the time to reset. Not only will your body feel better, but you can refresh your mind with some newfound productivity.

Burnout is real, but you can avoid losing your spark by not overworking yourself and finding new ways to increase your productivity.

7 Ways To Increase Productivity

#1 Stop Multitasking

You may think that multitasking is making you more productive. You feel that getting more done at once is a great way to complete several tasks when in reality, that’s not at all what you’re doing.

Multitasking can hold you back by spreading your attention across several assignments. Your lack of focus can keep you from fully completing any task. It’s great to have a foot in the door, but a door wide open is more helpful.

Try to put your focus on one thing at a time. Completing one task in full can help you feel motivated to move on and complete another. When you put all of your attention towards one thing, your mind has fewer chances of jumping around and keeping you from getting work done.

Multiple tasks mean multiple mindsets to juggle and less productivity. Give the “one thing at a time” method a go and see how your productivity increase throughout the day.

#2 Make a Game Plan

Starting your day with a game plan is an excellent way to increase productivity. When you know what you’re getting into, you can prepare accordingly.

When headed to any store, you should make a list of the things you need beforehand. A shopping list can keep you on a trajectory, getting you in and out of the store without wasting time.

At the end of each day, make a list of what needs to get done the next day. Your game plan should include a list of what you need to accomplish and what materials you’ll need in order of importance.

Apply a game plan to everything you do for increased productivity. There’s no room for dilly-dallying or distractions with a plan, only paths to accomplishing your goals.

#3 Organize Your Time

A proper game plan is most effective when you organize your time. Block out periods in your schedule for each task and stick to them. Dedicating a time of day to one activity can help you stay focused.

Rather than looking at each day as an open 24 hours for you to find productivity in, take in life one hour at a time. Set timers according to your schedule and give your all to each time frame.

Don’t forget to schedule in proper sleep, exercise, fun, friends and fueling your body with nutritious complete meals.

#4 Remove Distractions

Focusing on one thing, making a game plan, and organizing your time are great ways to remove distractions, but there are plenty of others:

• Adjust the settings on your phone and computer to only send you important notifications. It’s best to avoid picking up non-work-related phone calls, opening social media apps and checking emails.
• Set yourself up in a space that encourages your productivity (a library, cafe, office, or even the park)
• Keep compact meals with you while you work so that eating doesn’t have to be an extravaganza. Store a Soylent bottle or complete nutrition bar beside your laptop so that you don’t end up on the couch munching on dumplings and watching 90 Day Fiance… again.
• Handle the things outside of your important tasks that take up mental space. If you’re stressing over laundry, a messy room, or an overdue conversation with mom, it’s best to handle those things before starting something new.

Removing physical and mental distractions from your life can help increase your productivity.

#5 Work With Others

Depending on what’s making you less productive, working with others can help. If your tasks are overwhelming, always ask for help. Taking one thing off your plate may be the key to getting you back in a productive groove.

Feedback and clarification can also be of great help. Sometimes, we have a game plan, and we’ve done all the proper preparation to get our work done, but we sit down, and our brain feels foggy. Perhaps you need a better understanding or some more straightforward guidelines on what you’re supposed to deliver so that everything clicks in your head and gets the productivity gears going.

#6 Properly Fuel Yourself

A lack of nutrition can be the ultimate buzzkill to productive performance. If you don’t fuel your body with the vitamins, nutrients, and protein your body needs, then your productivity can be cut short. 

Your body needs sleep and proper nutrition to be energized enough for optimal productivity. When you fuel yourself, your brain is less foggy, and your body’s ready to go.

Soylent was designed to be that productivity promoter you’ve been craving. No time, no problem! Soylent is a complete drinkable meal packed with the nutrients your body needs to stay productive.

#7 Take Time To Reflect

Every day you can find new methods to increase your productivity. When you dedicate time to finding new ways to get more done, you can achieve more and more.

At the end of each day, you should analyze how you spent it and ways for you to improve. Maybe last week you spent 1 hour in the grocery store, but after making a game plan, you know how to get your shopping done in 35 minutes.

Value your time and spend it wisely by increasing your productivity.

New Mode Unlocked: Productive Fellow

Now that you have a basket of productivity tips to draw from, you can reap the benefits. With a new approach to completing your daily tasks, you can go about your days with a new outlook. 

Soylent is all for simplifying nutrition, health, and life. Our philosophy carries into making people more productive by creating Soylent products that fit the needs of everyone’s lifestyles.

Take the tips, tricks, and tools you need and get going with some newfound productivity.