One month of commitment for a lifetime of productivity? Let’s do it! This is the ultimate productivity challenge that can help you truly become productive. I have spent the last 4 years learning about productivity and implementing the productivity knowledge into my life and now I am collecting what I have learned into this free productivity challenge. So hopefully you can also use this information to become productive and work towards your dreams!
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The Ultimate Productivity Challenge:
31 Days To Become Productive!
Day 1: Do a time log.
The first thing you should do if you are struggling to have productive days is to start a time log.
A time log is just a list of what you do every hour or half hour. In order to be more productive you need to have a good idea of what you do with your time in the day.
That will give you a better starting place for creating more productive days.
Day 2: Make a productive morning routine.
Next up is a super helpful day for making every single day productive- create an efficient and productive morning routine.
There is a lot behind this tip so if you don’t feel like your morning routine is efficient and productive then head over to this post here where I share 12 productive morning habits.
Day 3: Organize your workspace.
Having an organized workspace is so important for being productive and having productive days.
So take this day early in the ultimate productivity challenge to get your work area organized. So that you can continue to build on this challenge with an organized workspace.
Day 4: Start making prioritized to do lists.
If you have been around here for a bit then you would know I absolutely swear by the importance of daily to do lists. Definitely one of my most important tips for how to be more productive.
But in order to truly be productive you need to take it to the next level and make sure you are prioritizing your daily to do list. This isn’t hard though! Just go through after you make your to do list and number it. Start with 1 and work your way down in order of importance.
Day 5: Set your monthly goals.
I have quite a few posts talking about the importance of monthly goals but in a nutshell they are so helpful for having better months.
If you need some ideas for your monthly goals then check out this post here!
Day 6: Find a time interval that works for you.
Take this day to experiment with on and off working time intervals. Try things like working for 30 and taking a break for 5 or working for 60 and taking a break for 15. Figure out which system works the best for you so that you can use that in the future for more productive days.
Day 7: Set yourself up for success the night before.
Another helpful productivity daily task is to set yourself up for success before you even go to sleep.
Can you prep your breakfast? Update your planner? Pick out clothes?
Anything you can do before bed that will help you be more productive the next day is great.
Day 8: Learn to be more efficient with emails.
Emails are something that can weigh all of us down. We can get stuck constantly checking them and getting pulled in a million different directions.
So on day 8 take the time to learn to be efficient with your emails. Ideally try to only check them 3-4 times a day and schedule the time in between them to complete necessary tasks from the emails before you open any more. But depending on your job that may need to be more or less times throughout the day!
Day 9: Use breaks to boost productivity.
Did you know that taking strategic breaks can actually make you more productive? It seems strange that a tip for how to be more productive would be to stop working but it actually does help improve productivity to rest your brain.
If you didn’t already know that then head over to this post here where I talk about how to take breaks to boost productivity.
Day 10: Get more important tasks done first.
This daily task is one I absolutely swear by and I want to add one more thing…
It’s not just about doing the most important tasks. It is also about getting done tasks you don’t want to do!
If you have a task that you tend to procrastinate before which ultimately leads to loosing productivity then get that task done right away.
Day 11: Write down your daily priorities.
Learning to prioritize is a huge part of being more productive overall. And making and writing down daily prioritizes is the best way to practice and build up your skills to prioritize.
I recommend making this a part of your morning routine!
Day 12: Start automating tasks.
Technology is your friend!
In any situation where you can use technology to help make tasks quicker, easier, and automated that is better.
For example, if you can create email response templates do that. If you can automate certain emails going to certain folders then do that! Automating tasks and using technology can really help you be more productive. This tip for how to be more productive can also help you waste less time in your day so it’s a win-win.
Day 13: Be careful about phone notifications.
The next way to be more productive is to make sure you are being aware and cautious with your phone notifications.
If you really need to focus for an hour or so I recommend putting your phone on DND to really stop all notifications.
But in general I recommend going through your notifications settings in your phone and turning off any notifications that you don’t actually want.
Chances are you get lots of notifications. And chances are you don’t actually want to see most of them. But every time they ding on your phone they are distracting you. Which makes you less productive!
Day 14: Work on saying no.
This is another tip that is so essential to living a productive life and making each day more productive.
But there is a lot of information behind it! So if you find yourself struggling to say no to more tasks then check out this guide here.
Day 15: Use a planner.
Planners are one of if not the most helpful tool for getting and being more productive.
The planner I currently use and totally swear by is the Erin Condren life planner (get it here!).
It truly helps me stay organized which makes me way more productive. So if you want to learn to have productive days then you definitely need to be using a planner!
Day 16: Do background tasks.
Background tasks are different than multitasking because they are tasks that complete themselves after you start them.
Things such as running the laundry machine, dishwasher, exporting a file that takes a long time, etc.
By getting good at background tasks it will help you use the time in your day better!
Day 17: Figure out how to avoid your time holes.
The next day of the ultimate productivity challenge is to figure out the places where you are wasting time. AKA your time holes.
Time holes are times in your day that you are being unproductive. For a lot of us the time holes in our days tend to be getting sucked into social media for an hour (or more!).
Once you know what time holes you are guilty of you get a better idea of how to stop them so that you can have more productive days.
Day 18: Start waking up earlier.
Waking up earlier in the morning is one of the things that has totally transformed my days. I get so much more done each day and I feel more energized!
I have a whole post on how to start waking up earlier that you can read here.
For your morning caffeine to help you wake up earlier try combining your breakfast and caffeine in one swoop with Verb energy bars!
Day 19: Start setting more goals.
Make sure to include daily, monthly, annual, and 5 year goals. Goal setting is a fantastic habit that doesn’t take long but can really have a positive impact on your life, especially on your mindset.
And on this day go ahead and set lots of future goals to start working on it!
Day 20: Start planning your days in the morning.
Using a daily planner and planning out your days is so important for bettering your life.
I use the Erin Condren Life Planner and love it so much for staying organized and productive.
Day 21: Make your bed every morning.
No groaning about this one!
Making your bed helps you start your day off right. And it discourages you from climbing back into bed before the day is over. So on this day of the ultimate productivity challenge start building the habit to make your bed each morning.
Day 22: Start writing in a journal.
Journaling is a fantastic but still simple habit to start implementing into your life.
Get a journal (like this one from Target) and start following some prompts that are relevant to your life. Here are a few journal prompt lists that I have:
- 53 Journal Prompts For Improved Productivity
- 31 Inspiring Journal Prompts To Better Yourself
- 52 Journal Prompts For College Students
- 40 Journal Prompts For When You Are Stressed
- 75 Self Improvement Journal Prompts: how journaling leads to self improvement
Day 23: Listen to more podcasts.
Podcasts are a wonderful tool for learning and growing as a person. So make it a habit to turn on podcasts more often than other forms of entertainment that don’t provide as much value to your life.
Day 24: Keep your phone organized.
This seems like a random small habit but seriously once you start to experience an organized and decluttered phone you will understand the benefits!
I have a guide that you can read here for how to organize your phone.
Day 25: Spend a bit of time outside daily.
Making an effort to spend time outside every day is another tiny habit with mental, physical, and even more benefits.
Anything, even just drinking your morning coffee outside every day can be beneficial. And this is definitely one of the lighter days of the ultimate productivity challenge so take it in and embrace it!
Day 26: Dress for success.
When you are lacking productivity and really need to get motivated making sure you feel your best is so important. And for so many of us dressing for success can really help you feel your best.
So if you are in casual clothes, pjs, or just not dressed for success then go make that change. It can really help you make your day more productive by almost tricking your mindset because it makes you feel your best. I love throwing on my favorite jeans and a nice top to make me get into the productivity mood.
Day 27: Complete one simple task to start your productivity streak.
Completing a simple task to cross it off your to do list and get you moving and thinking can be so helpful.
Sometimes all you really need is to rip the bandaid off and get your day going. So completing a generally simple and easy task can accomplish that.
Day 28: Learn to plan for in between and down times
This step is one you will want to slowly work on as you work on planning your days for improved productivity.
It’s easy to plan your day by including essential tasks and scheduled meetings and events.
But in order to really improve your daily productivity through planning you will need to eventually learn to also plan for your buffer times and down times.
If your day involves a lot of driving to and from places you will need to plan for those times to be realistic about what your day looks like. (P.S if you want a more productive commute time then read this).
You will also need to learn to plan for down times. No one can or should be constantly productive for 16+ hours a day. Down time is essential so you can avoid burning out!
Day 29: Figure out your plan to work smarter not harder
Putting in hard work will always help you in life BUT there are times and places where it is so important to work smarter not harder.
For me I sat down and thought about what sucks up my time and a lot of it was meals. I would spend a lot of time every day looking through the fridge and pantry trying to come up with dinner ideas and often would end up running to the grocery store multiple times a week.
Day 30: Find your source of motivation
The next day of boosting your productivity is to think deep about your motivation. Think about why you’re taking these steps to improve your life.
Why do you want to better yourself? What are you trying to accomplish and why are you trying to accomplish it?
Day 31: Make a plan to always keep moving
This final day of your ultimate productivity challenge can be tiring but it is so helpful for becoming a more productive person. Figure out what slows you down during the day and then make a plan to account for that.
If cooking dinner slows you down and wears you out then finding quicker and easier dinner meal ideas could be the way to overcome that and keep your productivity up. It can be so tempting to sit down on the couch after dinner and watch Netflix for the rest of the night but you have to fight that urge.
And the best way to fight that urge is to have a plan.
Plan out what you are going to do after work (hey I came up with 10 productive things to do after work). Use your daily goals from above to map out a plan for the evening in order to keep yourself moving. Use Netflix or whatever it is you like to do to relax as a reward.
Tell yourself if you do all 4 of your goals for the day then you can watch an hour of TV before bed.
But you need to have a plan for achieving your daily goals and a plan to keep moving. It is so easy to watch your day fly away from you. Keep control of your time and make your actions intentional and seriously the difference on your daily productivity will be incredible.
Korra-Shay
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If you liked this post with the ultimate productivity challenge then you probably (hopefully!) will like these posts too:
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