Becoming more productive is one of the biggest goals of many people. On days that we get things done, the feeling is awesome. On days that the day goes by without us achieving anything significant, we feel frustrated.

We all want to make good use of our time so that we can get more out of our day. Here are 5 productivity hacks guaranteed to help you get more out of your day.

1. Focus on the most important things first

If you want to end your day feeling accomplished, it is important that you focus on the most important things first.  No matter the number of tasks you need to do within a day, there are some which are more important than others.

Focus on those ones first. Usually, the most important tasks are also the most difficult to do so it’s easy to be tempted to focus on less difficult and trivial tasks – sometimes just so we can cross out a few tasks on our to-do list.

When that happens, you are not being productive. You are merely being busy. There’s a difference between being busy and being productive. Being productive means you get the most important things done. Being busy means that you spend all the time doing tasks which are not exactly the most important tasks.

When you do the most important things first, you feel a true sense of accomplishment and it gives you the energy to continue.

Action Plan: Before you begin each day, make a list of the top 2 or 3 goals you want to accomplish that day and don’t work on anything else until you have accomplished those goals.

2. Do Not Multitask

Many people feel they can achieve more by doing many things at the same time. It has been proven time and again that multitasking is a hoax! Our brains are simply not designed to multitask. It very important that you focus your attention on one thing at a time, finish it before moving on to something else.

Action Plan: From today, commit to doing only one thing at a time.

3. Practice the 2-minute rule.

The 2-minute rule says that if a task will take you two minutes or less to do, do not write it down or postpone it. Just do it now! Doing that will make you feel less overwhelmed, especially if you are used to writing everything down on a to-do list. A 2-minute task could be washing a dirty dish after lunch or arranging your desk after work.

Action Plan: Identify any task around you that will take less than 2 minutes to do and DO IT NOW!

4. Clear The Disorder Around You

It has been proven that a disorganized work environment increases both stress and inefficiency. When your desk is cluttered or things around you are messy, it reflects the state of your mind. Sometimes, we tell ourselves “Oh I know where everything is” and we continue working but it is important to invest some time into keeping your environment clean if you truly want to be productive.

Action Plan: Take a few minutes to clean all the clutter around you before you begin an activity.

5. Eliminate Distractions

Let’s face it, distractions are one of the biggest threats to being productive. Living in the internet age means it’s even easier to get distracted. Social media notifications, emails and calls are among the biggest distractions we face each day. To ensure that we are productive, we have to be able to avoid these distractions.

When I need to focus on something important, I use an app called Greenify to hibernate my email and social media apps. I also put my phone in silent mode and do not answer calls until I am done with that task. Doing this allows me to eliminate distractions and concentrate on the task at hand and finish it quickly.

Action Plan: Before you start working on anything which requires undivided attention, mute your phone or if possible, turn it off.

Final Thoughts

We all have 24 hours within a day but if you follow these simple hacks above, you are definitely going to be achieving more within the day.

Are there other things you do to keep you productive? Please share in the comments section below.