Top 9 One-Minute Habits That Will Instantly Make You More Productive

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Have you ever experienced that terrible sensation when you’re lying on the bed, then you suddenly remember all the things you have to do tomorrow and all that you haven’t accomplished today (together with the best way to snap back during that discussion of 3 years ago)?! If no day goes by without you wondering: “How can I be more productive, once and for all?” – you’re on the right post!

Productivity is trending over all social media channels now more than ever.

Everybody (but you) seems to have it all figured out.

For some strange reason, some people can manage to balance their work, school, social, and personal lives – while you’re there struggling to have just enough energy to not eat instant noodles for the third time in a row this week (and it’s only Wednesday).

So, without further ado, let’s have a real talk about productivity and how you can become a “have-it-all-together” kinda gal.

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The Ultimate Secret to Productivity

Is there anyone who can actually manage to balance all aspects of life?

The short answer is: NO! (Although they pretend the opposite on social media…)

The truth is that you are only one, have a limited amount of energy and time, and can achieve only that much in a day.

Balancing all aspects of life would mean pouring the same amount of time and energy into all areas of your life at the same time. Spoiler: it’s impossible!

The people who seem to have it all put together are the ones who simply get clear on what their priorities are and don’t let distractions get in their way.

If you want to make your days more productive, you need to get clear on what “being productive” means to you because:

• productivity doesn’t look the same for everyone
• you might find out you’re focusing your energy and attention on the wrong things
• getting stuff done doesn’t automatically mean being productive

The sooner you have a real talk with yourself and set some clear expectations, the closer you’ll get to boosting your daily productivity!

Figure out what areas of your life are your top priorities and cut out the noise.

Being Busy vs. Being Productive

If you’ve ever experienced the feeling of getting lots of stuff done while also feeling that you haven’t actually achieved anything – let me reassure you: you’re not alone!

Many of us go on throughout our days making sure we tick all the boxes of our to-do list, on autopilot mode.

Have you ever asked yourself if what you’re doing is actually relevant?

How often have you paused to think about what you put on your to-do list, and if that’s helping you move closer to your goals?

Doing things for the mere purpose of checking them off a list is purposeless.

But, that can change once you start adding things that matter to your list.

So go ahead and take a look at your daily to-do list. Then, ask yourself:

• Are there any actions that support my goals, on this list?
• If not, what can I do today to get closer to my goals?
• Is it filled with things “I have to do” or is there space also for things that “I want to do”?
• Are there irrelevant tasks that I could easily cross off the list?
• How does this list make me feel? Excited about the day ahead or overwhelmed?

Remember that your to-do list is a tool that should work for you – not against you.

It should make your days feel easier to navigate, not stress you out.

Toxic productivity has only one destination: burnout.

It’s time to embrace productivity from a healthier, gentler perspective – and I’m on a mission to help you do just that!

Don’t forget to grab your Dream Life Planner – your #1 best friend in creating meaningful productivity in your life!

9 Small Habits to Be More Productive Every Day

Are you finally ready to jump into the 9 one-minute habits that will make your days more productive? Then, let’s get started!

1. SET AN INTENTION FOR THE DAY

The first step to achieving meaningful productivity is setting an intention for your day.

No two days are alike.

Not every day you have the same energy, headspace, and goals.

For this reason, not every day you should expect the same from yourself.

Starting your days by setting an intention is the best way to ensure you go to bed at night feeling accomplished, and not like you were “just busy”.

So, each morning, spend one minute of your time – before getting to work – to reflect on what’s your intention for that day.

Some helpful questions while setting your daily intention are:

• How do I want to feel throughout the day?
• Does today’s schedule align with my intention?
• If not, is there a way to change that? Or should I set a different intention?
• What kind of person do I want to be today?

Setting an intention for your day can be as simple as:

• Irradiating a positive energy wherever I go
• Maintaining my focus throughout the workday
• Setting aside extra time, during my night routine, to tune in extra deeply with myself

2. PRIORITIZE YOUR TASKS

While your daily intention focuses more on the “How do I want to feel and approach this day?”, the following point focuses more on your achievements.

The next step involves choosing your 3 most important tasks (MITs) for the day ahead.

As we tend to overstuff ourselves with long to-do lists that have little to no relevance, you must narrow your focus on what truly matters.

Either the night before or at the beginning of your day, you should spend one minute to identify the 3 most important tasks on your to-do list.

Ideally, one of these tasks should make you feel like you’re making progress toward a bigger goal of yours.

When choosing your 3 MITs, you’re telling yourself where you should put your focus, energy, and attention first.

Once you’ve got those 3 things done, you can consider your day productive – no matter how many tasks are still unchecked in your to-do list!

3. MAKE THE BED

Stop rolling your eyes. I know you’ve heard this one over a million times.

And I know you’re still wondering how making your bed can make you more productive – so here, let me explain it.

It’s not about the act itself of making your bed.

It’s more about building momentum.

If you start your day by making your bed first thing in the morning, you get that little boost of motivation from achieving something within the first 10 minutes of waking up.

You’re starting your day with success – which leads you to want to keep that momentum going by achieving more things throughout the rest of the day.

If making your bed can make such a difference in your productivity, why not give it a try? 😉

📌 SHORT ON TIME? PIN IT FOR LATER! 📌

4. GET OUTSIDE

Andrew Huberman’s morning routine quickly became a trend all over social media, and there’s a good reason why!

His morning routine consists of small but impactful habits that can spike your productivity levels.

One of his recommended habits? Getting exposure to (sun)light as soon as you start your day.

There are several benefits of getting outside and getting some fresh air first thing in the morning. For example, it:

• Regulates your circadian rhythm
• Inhibits your melatonin level -> the key to feeling happier
• Increase alertness
• Boost your energy
• Spike your focus

Even a 5-minute walk in your neighborhood will do the trick.

Wanna keep it even simpler? Open the window and get some fresh air as soon as you jump out of bed – that’s done in even less than a minute 😉

5. PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness is one of the best practices that can help you stay focused for longer periods on a task at hand.

As you meditate and add mindfulness to your days, you’re training your brain to stop multitasking and stay laser-focused on only one thing at a time (your breath, for example, when you’re meditating).

If you feel discouraged to add mindfulness to your routine because you don’t have the time to add another thing to your busy schedule, let me reassure you: even being mindful for one minute a day has positive effects on your productivity.

So, next time you have a spare minute in your day – instead of immediately reaching for your phone -, give mindfulness a try.

Just focus on your breath for one minute a day.

6. SET A 1-MINUTE TIMER

You know those times when you really have to do something, yet you’re procrastinating and finding excuses why you can’t act now?

Here’s a trick to quickly beat procrastination: set a 1-minute timer to do the thing, and then stop.

When approaching a new goal, project, or task, starting is always the hardest part.

With the 1-minute timer, you’re tricking your brain.

You’re telling yourself that you don’t have to work on that thing for more than a minute, so you’re giving your brain an apparent sense of freedom.

But, in most cases, once the time’s up, you’ll find yourself wanting to keep working.

Why? Because now you’ve already started.

You’ve managed to tackle the hardest part.

You reduced the friction between you and your goal.

Now it might seem easier to just keep going.

Worst case scenario? You’ll have worked 1 minute on something you needed to work on, making 0.1% progress.

That’s still progress!

Remember: a little is better than none!

Some examples of when you can use the 1-minute time rule are when you have to:

• Clean your house
• Workout
• Wash the dishes
• Do an assignment for the university
• Tackle a new project

So, next time you find yourself procrastinating over something, give this 1-minute timer trick a try – you might be surprised!

7. HIDE YOUR PHONE

There is one thing that’s killing your productivity more than your procrastination: your phone.

Working in a distraction-free environment is like trying to juggle it all in life: impossible!

But, while you might not be able to completely eliminate distractions from your environment, many tricks can help you reduce their negative effects.

One example is hiding your phone.

Literally, hide it from yourself.

Put it in a drawer and lock that drawer.

Place it in another room, lock the room, and give the key to someone else.

Turn on the ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode.

Tell people to not call, text, or send you trending reels between certain hours.

Do everything that’s in your power to make sure you are as productive as you can be – you owe it to yourself!

8. DESCRIBE THE CLEAR OUTCOME

Another way to have more productive days is to describe the clear outcome you want to achieve before starting to work on anything.

By setting a specific, desired outcome, there’s no doubt that you will feel more accomplished once you achieve your milestone!

It’s an easy way to keep track of the progress you make throughout the day.

For example: instead of writing “work on the blog” on your to-do list, why don’t you break down each activity you need to get done within a certain time frame? That could look like this:

• Create 30 new pins in an hour
• Write a 1500-word blog post in two hours
• Promote the latest blog post and engage on Facebook groups for 20 minutes

Or, in the case you have to study for an exam, avoid writing just “study sociology” and be specific on how many pages you have to study, for how long, and how you’re going to assess whether you’re ready for the test or not.

9. TIDY YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The final one-minute habit to boost your productivity is to always clean up your space once you’ve finished working on something.

A clear space is a clear mind.

Even when you’re too tired, always make sure that your space is good to go and ready for tomorrow.

Every day is a fresh start, and you want to start it in the best possible environment.

Your surroundings have a huge impact on how productive you are, so you might find it beneficial to create a sort of “daily cleaning checklist” to make sure everything is in order at the end of the day.

I’m sure it’s not just me – we all work better in a clean, organized environment!

If you let things pile up, you’ll have to deal with longer cleaning sessions now and then, but your productivity will suffer from it.

On the other hand, it only takes one minute to clean up the mess you’ve made in a given day. The trick is to not let it pile up 😉

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So, there you have it: 9 quick habits that are proven to make you more productive! 🙂

#Q: “Which one is your favorite?” Let me know it in a comment! 🙂

Until next time!

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