Six Motivators for Productivity

The following is a guest post by Denise Gabbard from Write and Get Paid. Write and Get Paid was created to help other writers get started in the world of online writing, find paying work, get hired, build a client base, and make a good living. It offers advice on all stages of a writer’s journey, but is especially helpful to those who are new to the internet.

Six Motivators for Productivity

Whether you work for a large corporation, a mom and pop company or even at home in your pajamas, your success depends on your production. Getting the job done is vital, if you are the world’s greatest author (with all unfinished books) who knows?  Regularly slacking off and not completing assigned tasks from your boss will quickly earn you a trip to the unemployment line. Of course, staying motivated and on task is often a difficult thing, especially in an era where the distractions seem to multiple almost daily. I am admittedly a procrastinator, but even I have found some little tools and techniques to trick me into buckling down and breezing through my workload.  Here are some of my ideas.

Schedule your Time

Working for someone else, your supervisor will set your working hours, and likely tell you what to do. However, if you work from home, the work/home lines blur, whether you are telecommuting or a freelancer. Balance is vital, so you must set “working hours” just as if you were going to an office, and respect them. Set yourself up a quiet space to work, and let family and friends know you are working. Try not to tend to home matters during your scheduled time, and even more importantly, STOP when your allotted production hours are up! This may seem counter-intuitive, but you must make time for yourself and your family to be at your best. Keep in mind Parkinson’s Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Do you really want to waste days on a project you could finish and submit in just hours?

Little Bites

Staring at a mountain of work can be daunting, and it can be difficult to realize where to start. In this situation, I always remember something an old supervisor used to say: You cannot eat an elephant in a day. You can take small regular bites out of that beast, though.

Having lots of work is an awesome thing, and completing it timely is what ensures continued work orders. I now make a master list of all of the projects I am currently working on, and their deadlines. Once I have that, I figure how much of each project needs done per day, and I make a loose schedule. If I have extra time when my daily goal is completed, I continue until my allotted time is up --and often surprise myself by getting two or three day’s work finished.  (Now I know I can also pick up some additional work.)

Set a Productive Mood

Much like candlelight and flowers sets a mood for romance, setting the mood for productivity encourages it. My desk is near the window so that I can see outside-which is vital to my well-being. Music is another thing I need to be at my best. I cannot be cold, or I am totally undone. You get the idea, right?  Set your environment up in whatever way is most comfortable and least distracting for you and you will get the most done.

Regular Breaks

Get up and walk away from your work regularly. Short, five-minute breaks to do a few stretches, grab a cup of coffee, or walk on your treadmill can do wonders for your productivity. Instead of banging your head on your desk, get up and clear it on a regular basis and you will find that your focus is much better. Just keep your breaks short and get back at it quickly. I usually will work steady for two hours, with just five minute breaks, and then take a half hour to walk the dogs, make a sandwich, or check out Facebook before getting back to it.

Time Yourself and Kill Distractions

The internet is a wonderful platform, but it is also a major time sucker. Games, celebrity gossip, news, Twitter, Facebook, and all the shopping sites are great for down time—but horrible when you are trying to work. Do yourself a favor and stay away from them altogether during the time you should be working. In fact, if you can work without getting online, so much the better.

One great way to be productive is to set a timer for 20 or 25 minutes and work feverishly through that time. When the alarm goes off, you take a break. Do this for just one full day, and I guarantee you will get more done than you have in ages.

A great little, free tool I have found is Strict Pomodoro, which is a Google Chrome extension.  Not only does it time your work and break sessions, you also set up sites to disable while you are working. Is Facebook a problem? Not anymore!

Check it off and Reward Yourself

Checking off my daily tasks gives me a sense of accomplishment, so I love using a task list to track things. I have even downloaded a task list app for my Smartphone that synchronizes with Google, so I have my list even on the go. I prioritize my list, with the top three to five most important things on top, and I mark those that are in drop dead time--- in other words, get ‘em done, now! When I complete all of the important tasks, plus any urgent ones, I reward myself with something… it can be as simple as watching a favorite comedy show on TV, grabbing a Klondike bar out of the freezer, or taking a nice long bubble bath. Even better, when I have a full week of good days, the husband and I go out for a nice romantic meal.

Those are my little tips, now how about you? How do you motivate yourself to be productive? What tools do you use to encourage you to get down to the nitty gritty?

Denise Gabbard is a writer and blogger. She writes about a wide range of topics—writing, social media, travel, even personal finance and topics like import car insurance.