Psychologists Say these 4 Habits will Help You Stay Productive All Day!

Are you having a hard time maintaining productivity and focus at  work, especially in these high-stress COVID days? We have talked to expert psychologists who taught us some simple techniques that can actually help to turn an unproductive day around. Give these techniques a try to see your productivity reach new heights.

Practice Self-Care

If you want to maintain focus and productivity throughout the day, the most important advice is to take good care of yourself. And when we talk about self-care, getting regular exercise tops our list due to its many physical and cognitive benefits. Even if a hard-core workout doesn’t cut the bill for you, a few minutes a day of meditation or yoga will also enhance your ability to stay focused, just like Bill Gates.

In addition, make sure you are getting ample nutrition throughout the day, replete with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and vitamins to keep your body and brain energized and invigorated. Count your macros and micros to make sure you are eating a balanced diet at every meal.

Also, make sure you are getting at least 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. After all, when you are tired and groggy, it makes it hard to focus on anything else but getting back into bed. Even though you may be finding it hard to spare a few minutes from your hectic schedule for yourself, remember that self-care is the biggest investment in your future.

Plan for Your “Escape Behaviors”

If you are unfamiliar with escape behaviors, they are all those things or activities you inadvertently resort to, in order to ward off the boredom or anxiety that crops up whenever you have to work on a dreary or challenging assignment. While everyone has their own escape behaviors, for me it’s mindless snacking, checking my Facebook newsfeed, and sometimes just falling asleep right on my workstation!

The only way to deal with these unproductive habits is to acknowledge their existence and anticipate them in advance. For instance, if you know working on a particular task will make you feel sleepy, why not switch to a standing desk for a while or have a cup of coffee or a cold beverage at hand for when that happens.

If you are liable to mindless snacking like me while drawing up monotonous drafts, keep a reasonable portion of a healthy snack nearby for the day. If you know you will be tempted to check your phone while working for a lengthy client pitch, why not keep your phone on silent mode while you are working or even switching off your phone for a while. Knowing when you will fall prey to your inherent escape behaviors will help you prepare to deal with them in advance.

Take Regular Breaks

Nobody can stay fully focused and productive for lengthy periods of time and forcing yourself to do so will only lead to negative repercussions. The only way to deal with this is to pepper frequent short breaks in between your work day. I often use the Pomodoro Technique, which propagates 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break, in addition to 15-minute breaks every two hours.

According to psychologists, taking a 17 minute break after every 52 minutes of deep work focus, will work to enhance you productivity and keep you active. It doesn’t matter if you use any of these approaches, or have devised one of your own; the important thing is to take a short break once you have worked for some allotted time period. And while you are on a break, why not indulge in one of your escape behaviors that you have been longing for! Better to satisfy your craving now than when you are working.

Don’t Beat Yourself up for losing Focus

We are the midst of a raging pandemic and these are difficult times for each one of us. Most of us were unceremoniously chucked into remote working with kids to homeschool and take care of, household responsibilities to juggle along with office work. So, it’s downright unfair to expect yourself to maintain the same level of focus and productivity that you used to. Don’t be angry with yourself for feeling scattered, downtrodden, and fatigued.

Getting frustrated when you are having an unproductive day will only make things worse. Just be realistic in setting productivity goals for yourself. Also, be sure to praise yourself for your efforts in maintaining whatever productivity you can muster.