Is your New Year’s Eve resolution to maximize your daily productivity?

Whether you’re going to school or working in an office, there are some days you just struggle to be productive. Most of the time we have too many distractions surrounding us, especially if you’re working from home or at a coffee shop. 

In a Medium article, by Luke Posey, Posey gives us a few strategies on how to maximize your daily productivity.

Align Your Day

Posey suggests starting your day by figuring out your priorities and goals for the day. 

“Set your calendar for the day and stick to it. From a coding perspective, I like to set aside a few hours/project/day as code sprints to focus on writing code for each individual project for a big fraction of the day. This applies to any sort of work. Align yourself with what you want to get done, and then make sure you stick to it and get it done!”

Minimize Meetings

“This is a point that way too many people in corporate America seem to not understand. Minimize the amount of people at a meeting and ensure you’re not wasting your own time or the time of anyone else by attending or holding meetings that are not necessary. If you’re on the invite list for a meeting that isn’t relevant to your work, don’t attend. Sounds simple. But many people fail at this and spend the majority of their day in meetings that waste their time.

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In this case, you need to be especially tactical about which meetings you choose to accept. Make sure you only attend the meetings in which you will receive significant value or you can bring significant value to someone else.”

Allocate Blocks of Time

“The way I really get work done is by blocking out a chunk of time for completing a task, spending a few minutes getting my mind right, and executing on this task without breaks or distraction.

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For me, switching up my environment helps me maximize my productivity. To perform a code sprint I first block out the sprint on my calendar ahead of time. Next, I take my laptop to a remote area of the office I haven’t visited yet, maybe a coffee shop, or maybe even a library or park bench. Finally, I put my headphones in and lock in to completing my task for the allocated time. Once the task is over or time is up I stand up, stretch, grab a drink, and realign for the next part of my day.”

Eliminate Distractions

“It’s important that you find a way to eliminate all distractions during those periods of heightened work. Maybe having headphones in is enough to get you locked in. Maybe you’re like me and need to relocate away from people to maximize your productivity. Or maybe you thrive in a noisy environment. Whatever your preference, find it and use it.”

Optimize Your Space

“This one is different for everyone. Some people work best in a spotless environment, others work better in a cluttered environment. Either way, align your space to your preference. For me, I like only those materials relevant to my current task to be in my immediate vicinity.”

Don’t Take Shortcuts

“Taking this extra time ahead will remove the need to manually perform these repetitive tasks every time you do a new analysis. DON’T TAKE SHORTCUTS!!! They aren’t shortcuts in the long run.”

Find Mentors & Resources

“Find mentors that are truly relevant to your interests and connect with them regularly. Set a time weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly to meet with them. Maximize the time you spend with these mentors. Don’t come to these meetings unprepared. Your mentors are sacrificing significant amounts of their time because for whatever reason they believe in you. Always be grateful for their time and come ready with the topics, questions, and concerns that will maximize their time and yours.

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Also, find resources that will aid you in your job. No single person can know everything. Even experts in their field will tell you they have so much left to learn. An expert seeks to understand what areas they need to improve and employs keen self-awareness to identify when they need to reach out to others for assistance. Find people that can aid you in your tasks with their expertise and return the favor whenever they need your expertise in their daily tasks.”