How to stay productive at work : Disconnect and focus

The past few days have been really turbulent for us. The people here at Inspire2rise have been struggling with lots of exams, as well as other work. It seemed as if there was no end in sight. Phew, now it seems that at least we got some time to breathe, but still the exams are not over. The funny thing is that instead of just relaxing, I am back here to share something I learned in the past week. So, this is it. Whenever I sat down to learn something new or to read, study or just revise something that I knew already, I started getting anxious. I thought it was just exam anxiety and tried to shake it off. But the more I tried to focus the more I realized I had become inattentive. I checked my phone thrice every fifteen minutes, got up once every half an hour. In short, I did everything beautifully except what I was supposed to do i.e. studying. Then I even posted something online asking for help from my friends. Many came up with unique solutions. But almost all of the solutions had one thing in common : “DISCONNECT”. Being an internet person can be very tiring, especially when you have to actually not see your computer for days and work offline. Internet is like instant self gratification, you need to get off it to realize what you are loosing. [ Strange statement for a guy who is posting this on the internet! 😛 ] How to stay productive at work? Tough question isn’t it. Let me try and help you find some answers.

Reading - How to stay productive at work.

How to stay productive at work : Tips to squeeze the most out of your day.

• Start early, start directly, whatever you do just start!
• Disconnect and focus.
• Don’t delegate, don’t take help when you need to learn something.
• Try to be consistent with a schedule.
• Exercise. Reach the pinnacle of your fitness.
• Have a hobby which enhances your overall skill set. This can also be something that pleases you at the same time. It must be something that requires you to focus.
• Keep track of what environment and conditions work for you and also keep track of those that don’t.
• Track your progress and also whether you are actually progressing or not!
• Indulge in social activities or games which involve decision making.
• If pushing yourself too hard then take a break and don’t feel guilty about it.
• Adjust work according to your body clock.
• Don’t compromise on sleep. Cut down on television or other forms of entertainment.
• Keep your workplace/studying table tidy.
• If something bothers you while working or studying then write it down on a piece of paper. If you are on the pc then save it in a notepad file so that you can focus on that task later.
• Get rid of social networking if you do not need it. Read my How to get rid of Facebook guide.
• Set all of the day’s goals/tasks in advance and keep the broad perspective in mind.

Reading - How to stay productive at work.

• When tired read books that are on a topic you love.

• 

  If you don’t need it, then switch that damn phone off.

• Make your family members aware of your working schedule so that they don’t bother you too much when you are busy.
• Try and question yourself for the reasons behind what you ar doing and why you are doing it.
• Feel good about yourself. You are unique and yes you can bring positive change to this world.
• Stay away from the bedroom and even the sight of your bed.
• Don’t check your email frantically. Update only if it really needs to be done. Use automation.
• Don’t panic over unfinished tasks. You are not Santa Claus and you can’t deliver all the gifts in one night.
• The early you get up, the more space you get for working throughout your day.
• Play some awesome music when everything else fails.
• If you are studying then beware of screens of any kind. ( Whether it’s Television, mobile or your computer. )

• 

  You must know what not to do.
  Don’t try and multi-task, specially when you are not a working mom. I have seen only them being able to successfully manage so many things.

• Change your environment if it starts getting dull. It can be a minor lighting change, change in table position or drastic change like going out to the park to read.

Reading - How to stay productive at work.

How to stay productive at work : Tips to follow if you work from home.

1.) Dress up, real good.

My productivity increased when I just wore the shoes I wear for college.

2.) Create greater hustle on your own than the one already present.

Drown out external sources by your own crazy blabber or noise. Play your favorite playlist, but don’t sing along. Play things you don’t like at times to push you to focus on your current task.

3.) Get high on passion. Be accountable to yourself.

If you start becoming responsible and answerable to yourself for everything you do, then you get a further push. If you stop blaming your parents, surroundings, God, or any other factor and realize that things are not happening because somewhere along the line you gave up or didn’t focus completely

4.) Get social.

No I don’t mean being social on the internet. Go out and meet real people. Beef up your presence in the real world.

5.) Learn from pioneers in your industry.

Try and understand how and what they did to reach there.

6. ) Trick your mind,

into believing that you are going to work in a unique place, and not just another day at your house.

7.) Break the constant build up of stagnation.

Break things up once in a while. Do crazy things. Like sleeping for 6 hours at stretch from afternoon to night, and then pushing it hard till morning.

8.) Wrap up non-work related stuff

like bathing, brushing as early in the day as possible. Just because you work from home does not mean that you have the privilege of brushing at 11 am and having breakfast at 1 pm!

9.) When you disconnect keep a notepad

in front of you so as to note down all those ideas which need internet or a PC to accomplish. Trust me, if you do so you will find ideas that you never thought existed in your mind. All you need is to switch away from the PC and online world for a break to get the artist inside you out.

Reading - How to stay productive at work.

10.) Get up from the chair every once in a while and do exercise.

Sitting for extended periods in the same positions kills the flow of blood in your body. Every twenty minutes or so get up and walk around the place and take a look all around you, it also de-stresses your eyes which get strained from looking constantly at the monitor or any other thing that you may have been reading.

11.) Talk to yourself.

By this I don’t mean that you go crazy and talk to yourself the whole day. By this I mean that you have to talk to yourself every once in a while and ask yourself that how badly do you want what you are working for. By talking to yourself you can get a clear idea of how long will it take to achieve things the way you are working. As no one else knows you better and your capabilities better than yourself. By indulging in positive self-talk you boost your own mental strength.

12.) Be normal.

In our quest to achieve, most of us start to think of ourselves as individuals who can do anything. Well this is good in moderate doses. But when it goes beyond moderation then we come across as hyper-aggravated, ultra motivated individuals who could even kill for a cause. Remember to be and stay normal. What’s the purpose of being awesome if you can’t go out and talk properly to people. Remember to not loose your human part in the quest to become more than what you are.

Stay inspired to rise.
This is Aditya Nath Jha, and if you are reading this How to stay productive at work post then you are an Inspiron.

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Aditya Nath Jha

Aditya Nath Jha is an Engineer from New Delhi, India. His areas of interest include Gadgets, WordPress, speed optimization & latest technology. When he is not busy blogging he loves to write poetry, compose his own songs and has a taste for music! Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, Instagram. And watch his videos on YouTube.