The beginning of a new workweek is usually not the best time of the day, maybe because we don’t get enough rest or have a much-unfinished business to accomplish. If I tell you that it doesn’t have to be like that and that you can have a quiet week completing each of your pending tasks without stress.
Productivity does not mean spending too much time doing something but intelligently focusing our efforts to finish each one of our pending tasks. Based on this vision, let me show you five tips to make a week more productive without ending up exhausted.
1. Act instead of planning
It is important to keep track of all the activities that we have to complete during the week; however, planning does not mean that we will fulfill each of the activities to the letter on time. My recommendation is that instead of stressing over creating a to-do list and finishing them in order, better start acting according to your to-do’s urgency, so instead of wasting time organizing the best way to accomplish the activities, work and start with the to-dos. Think of it this way, time is money, and you decide whether to waste time doing nothing or invest it in your activities.
2. Learn to say “No”
If you already have clear each of the activities you have to do during the week, don’t add more to the to-do list; this will only make it more complicated to finish them and add stress to your days. Learn to say no to last-minute plans and stay disciplined with the ones you already have. Remember that it is better to finish one thing well than many half-finished things.
3. Don’t expect to be a perfectionist
Perfection is subjective, so it is not good to be obsessed with the idea of doing things perfectly. By seeking perfection in each of the things we do, we are only taking more time in each activity that, in summary, is presented in more hours of work. Set a goal and accomplish it without looking for perfection; it is better to finish all your tasks than just completing a few of them perfectly. As I mentioned at the beginning, perfection is subjective.
4. Write everything down
While doing your day to day activities, you will find new ways to improve processes at work and new ideas. I suggest you always have a tablet, cell phone, or computer to write them down because later we will forget them and waste time trying to remember them. It is better to always have a notebook at hand to write down each new idea and improve our productivity,
5. The summary of the week
At the end of your long week and after you have finished your pending tasks. Review your checklist of pending tasks and balance all the activities you have completed and the ones you have to do next week. The idea of this summary of the week is that you can review your performance and working hours until you become an expert in time management.
I hope these five recommendations will make your weeks more and more productive. As the last recommendation, it is important not to stress yourself and remember that you are not a machine that only works, the purpose of a productive week is to learn and improve day by day. Put these recommendations into practice, and you will see how the weeks will stop being so difficult.