Jo Burgess, mama and creator of family calendar and organisation app, Life Sorted, has shortlisted the 5 superpowers of productive people, so you can live your most productive life.
By Jo Burgess
Have you ever met a “super human” who manages to do it all? And do it all so well. Like. Every. Freaking. Day.
I’m talking about those people who work full time, lead busy work teams, run children to sporting events, musical recitals and camps, exercise, have romantic getaways with their partner, cook healthy meals, water the garden annnnnd still have time to hand sew a costume for their child to wear during Book Week? How do they manage to be so productive?!
“If integrating a snooze into your schedule seems like a fantasy, try making time to include some more “me-time” activities into your schedule. This will allow you to rest and rejuvenate so you can be more productive everyday.”
Productive people don’t have time for procrastination. Or for comparing themselves to others. And they certainly don’t expect to become productive in life by chance.
So, how can you become the most productive and powerful version of yourself?
We’ve compiled a list of five superpowers of productive people to show you how you can live your most productive life. Like ASAP!
1. Be intentional
Being intentional is one thing. But writing a goal on paper is next level stuff. Having written goals will make you more productive and increase your success.
According to a study conducted at Dominican University, those who write down their goals are more likely to accomplish their goals than those who don’t.
A solid formula for goal-setting is SMART goals. A SMART goal is S-pecfic, M-easurable, A- chievealbe, R-ealistic and T-imely.
2. Eat healthy
While you may think “eating healthy” takes time and is difficult to maintain when you’re busy, this is when you need to focus on fuelling your body with healthy food the most!
There’s a direct correlation between the food we intake and our cognitive performance. So eating well could make you more productive.
The food we eat is converted into glucose in our body, which provides the energy our brains need to stay attentive. When our glucose levels are low, we struggle to focus. This explains why afternoons are often less productive than mornings.
Here are two things I do to make eating healthy “easier” than unhealthy eating.
- I make my eating decisions BEFORE I’m hungry. This includes making myself lunch the night before when I’m packing lunchboxes. If I’m going out for lunch, I like to choose where I’m going in the morning.
- I try to keep my glucose levels consistent by snacking regularly throughout the day. I do this by keeping brain foods like almonds, blueberries and bananas on hand.
3. Move your body
Being in your best physical health improves your overall work ability. Your work performance will also be more productive if you have improved mental health.
Exercising regularly can help improve your mental health, prevent illnesses and improve your alertness and energy, thus boosting your productivity.
When you exercise, blood flow to the brain increases and your brain releases serotonin (a neurotransmitter in the brain that sends messages to the body to stimulate mood and emotion), which means you are more alert, have more energy and are able to combat feelings of anxiety and stress more readily.
4. Rest well and often
While there are several benefits of being busy, it’s also important that you rest well and often. Napping is one way that you can recharge, reduce stress and boost your mood, making you more productive. When you nap, your alertness and motor performance is improved.
The benefits of napping are determined by the duration of the sleep. For example, a 20-minute snooze will enhance your motor skills and attention while a 60- to 90-minute nap will induce rapid eye movement sleep (REM), which makes new connections in the brain and improves your creativity.
If integrating a snooze into your schedule seems like a fantasy, try making time to include some more “me-time” activities into your schedule. This will allow you to rest and rejuvenate so you can be more productive everyday.
5. Use productivity tools
Productive people are often busy people who have a strategic approach to getting things done. We all know how the saying goes, “If you want something done, ask a busy person”.
Reliability and busyness go hand-in-hand as busy people think like project managers considering things like, “How long will the task take?”, “What steps do I need to complete?”, “What can I delegate?”, “When does each step need to be completed by?”, “What problems may arise that may prevent me from meeting this deadline?”. But they don’t keep all of this in their brain!
While the classic to-do list is sometimes efficient, it’s not so efficient when you end up with multiple to-do lists in a jumbled mess.
Using a productivity tool like the Life Sorted App is one way that you can streamline your personal, work and family commitments so that you don’t miss a beat. Having all your tasks and goals in one place means that you save time looking for to-do lists and flicking between modes and are able to stay focused on finishing what needs to be done on time, every time.
