5 tips to be more productive

“It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleepin' like a log”. If this song from the Beatles summarises your day, then it’s time to give your life a makeover. When everyone lives in an always-on culture, it’s tough not to get swept up in it. However, you can achieve your goals by being productive and working smarter.

The key is to plan your day efficiently so that you can enjoy breaks without feeling guilty.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are small steps that you can take to achieve the much-needed work-life balance.

Sounds good?

Let’s get cracking with these productivity tips.

No matter how much you want to believe, it’s impossible to have two tasks of the same priority going at

the same time.

Listing them down is the first step when multiple chores weigh our minds. Once you have the master list, assign each task a priority. By the time you’re done with this step, you’ll realise that not everything on the list needs to be done today. The high priority item will float to the top, and you'll know where to start.

Sometimes taking care of low hanging fruit that is, tasks that are easiest to complete can feel rewarding and can motivate you to take on the big tickets on the list.

There's a reason why Batman has Robin; a good sidekick can help share your load. Outsourcing tasks that are important, but you don’t enjoy them or don’t have time for can stress you. Why not hire a cleaning company to tidy your house or outsource filing taxes to an accountant? Delegating your tasks will free your time which can be utilised to finish essential tasks or spend time with family.

Resetting makes us more productive than non-stop hustling. The way Optus Pause helps you take a break from the internet making it easier to schedule some time away from work. You could also do some guided meditation, walk your dog or go on a vacation.

Clearing your mind and giving your body a much-needed break will make space for new ideas.

Think apps. From setting a reminder for your daily water intake to scheduling a food delivery. You can automate almost everything nowadays. With the help of reliable mobile plan, you can plan your tasks before taking a long-awaited road trip in Australia or schedule a social media post while riding a hot air balloon in Cappadocia.

Some people can block the chatter and focus on work for an extended duration, while others prefer short bursts of work. Time management techniques like Pomodoro or the 80/20 rule, known as the Pareto principle can help you get maximum output with lesser effort than usual.  Other steps like turning off email and message notifications while working on a project help you maintain your focus. On the topic of rhythms, playing ambient music or binaural beats (below 40Hz) in the background can enhance your mood.

Now that you have many ways to get more productive, find the right app, grab a coffee, and plan your next project or vacation.

Learn more about being more productive with lessons in Masterclass available through Optus SubHub.

Take a breather with Optus Pause.  Simple to manage in My Optus app, you can control your screen time and eliminate distractions by pausing connectivity across your devices.