When it comes to productivity, we can learn a lot from the gurus who’ve reached incredible levels of discipline and diligence. Gurus such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and similar entrepreneurs can teach us a few important lessons. Find value in the trials and tribulations of these gurus, ensuring we’re not blindly approaching our work, lives, and dreams.
Oh, did I forget to mention the more efficient we are, the more time we have to enjoy a stress-free vacation? Okay, let’s jump into it! Here’s how to be productive.
Embrace Simplicity
When it comes to simplicity, many entrepreneurs have succeeded in making their career in productivity that much easier. Sometimes the best way is the simplest way. For example, while Bill Gates might have been building computers, he did not try to overwork on his idea and make the first several computers overly advanced. Starting out simple, he made a device that was both widely usable and simplistic in nature. From there, he slowly began advancing forward, adding complexities one step at a time.
Microsoft member, Ray Ozzie, had this to say, “Complexity kills. It sucks the life out of developers, it makes products difficult to plan, build and test, it introduces security challenges and it causes end-user and administrator frustration.”
The reality is we’re not sitting in the same seat as Bill Gates; however, we’re part of a picture that makes bigger dreams come true. Think of a car and all the parts involved. What would happen if we didn’t make the wheel vintiques? We wouldn’t get very far. As a co-worker likes to say, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Use Apps to Take With You
The power of smartphones and tablets is becoming one of unstoppable force. Taking the place of many modern laptops and computers, you will be able to take your work with you on the go. Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company, own your own business or just a student, you can benefit from utilizing apps. Many business-savvy people utilize it, and Steve Jobs swore by it. Utilize tools that are literally at our fingertips.
By taking advantage of productivity apps such as Evernote, Checklist, Mindnode and Pocket, we’ll boost our productivity levels in seconds.
Set Realistic Goals and Write Them Down
Every day when you come into the office or classroom, you need to make sure that you write down a list of what goals you expect to achieve for that day. Whether you have a large presentation or paper due, you need to log it somewhere (phone, post-it, or email reminder).
Writing tasks down always persuades us to complete them. It’s like an itch we just have to scratch. Everyone has their own goals for the day, so just be thorough and do not make unrealistic expectations. Overloading our task lists will just lead to an onset of stress and headaches, something that will be more of a roadblock than a catalyst.
Write Down Inspirational Quotes
This one might seem a bit odd, but we often forget inspiration is one of the most potent fuels keeping our motor running.
Finding motivation to keep productive can come in many forms and, for some, inspirational quotes will make an amazing asset. Reviewing these inspirational quotes whenever you are feeling defeated or down will help remove all distraction and doubt from your mind and push us to move forward. Sometimes life can just be daunting and these simplistic quotes can be exactly the confidence boost or glimmer of hope we need to push forward.
Keep Social Media to a Minimum
Unless you are visiting Facebook, Instagram or other social media outlets for business-related purposes, keeping off of them is highly suggested. As many efficiency gurus might suggest, you need to take yourself away from personal habits that will inhibit productivity, social media being one of those outlets. You need to learn that you have a job to do and that it will not get itself done so it is up to you to do it. Suggested by Ekatrina Walter, an Intel Innovator
Suggested by Ekatrina Walter, an Intel Innovator
There are so companies where social media isn’t even an option, such as working for a hydraulic equipment supplier. In fact, we could probably learn a great deal about efficiency from companies like this who can actually boast highest turnaround times. That means they’re entirely committed to getting jobs done efficiently, without any distractions.
Learn to Multitask
Multitasking isn’t for everyone, but for those who can juggle various duties simultaneously, your free time will skyrocket. Monster has a great article on multitasking, suggesting we optimize it rather than maximize. The main takeaway is to make tiny adjustments don’t completely shift gears. Stay in your comfort zone, but don’t be afraid to bump the workload a bit.
Thanks for reading and good luck! Do you have any other lessons we can learn from to become more efficient? Please share below!
Author: Jesse Aaron is a professional blogger with a passion for homebrewing. He writes on a variety of topics on his blog, Mashbout. Follow Jesse on Google Plus.
