Routine, routine, routine. Might sound boring but if you’ve ever watched the Vanity Fair video series ‘in a day’, you’ll find the most productive people build themselves a daily routine. We are naturally creatures of habit and so we’ve put together some of the best to incorporate into your lifestyle to help you become more productive.

Wake up early – it might be an obvious one, but it often gets overlooked by the mind-set of ‘needing more sleep’. This can be resolved by going to bed earlier. The most productive people go to sleep at a reasonable hour to get their valuable Zzz’s in so they are able to get up and going earlier. The majority of people get more ‘stuff’ done earlier in the day so if you can bag an extra couple of hours in the morning by waking up earlier, you’ll probably find that you have much more productive time.

Exercise – one of the most important things to keep ourselves healthy and fit, but it is also just as beneficial to our productivity. It doesn’t matter what the exercise is or when you do it but it is key to giving us a positive and productive mind; it could be run in the morning, a spin class at the gym or a walk at lunch. Exercise engages our brains to release Endorphins which make us feel happy – this feeling will be much more likely to give you that ‘Get Going’ attitude!

Make an achievable ‘To Do’ list – the most productive people often follow some form of ‘To Do’ list as it is a visual way to see what you’ve got done, and what you’ve got left to do. The key here is to make it achievable. When you ‘tick’ something off your list, you get that instant feeling of achievement which gives you the motivation to continue with the uncompleted tasks. If you have tasks which you realistically think you won’t get done, don’t include them as that’ll squash your good vibes and productivity!  

Allow yourself regular breaks – there is no point working solidly if you’re not actually doing any ‘work’. You’re only convincing yourself that you’ve been working hard without being effective. Efficient working is the key to success and productivity. The most successful people in business won’t work the whole day non-stop. They will take regular breaks to relax their brains and nurture their mental well-being.

Get some fresh air – whether that’s five minutes or fifty minutes, any fresh air helps you feel more relaxed and ready to tackle the day. It also gives you the opportunity to escape from devices and screens which will give your brain and eyes a break.

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner – skipping meals means you’re depriving yourself of much needed vitamins and nutrients that your brain/body needs to function. If you skip any meal, you’re also more likely to be unproductive throughout the day because you’re lacking the energy required to do things. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day – there is no point making the effort to wake up early to ‘get stuff done’ if you don’t have the energy to do anything because you didn’t eat breakfast. If you’re short of time, prep meals are great to keep your food healthy and nutritious. Peak Blends x Black and Blum

Drink plenty of fluids – and I don’t mean coffee! Although many people say coffee helps them be more productive, it actually is likely to have the opposite effect as the caffeine gives you a spoke in energy followed by a longer lull. You’re not going to be working hard during a lull! Water is the best and also cheapest fluid you can drink to keep you hydrated. Your brain is made up largely of water so it needs regular top ups!

Wherever you work, keep it tidy and free of distractions – we all know that working in front of the TV is not the best way to ‘get stuff done’. We’ve all done it and we’ve probably all realised that you slowly stop looking at the work you need to do and become totally engrossed in a programme you always claimed was terrible. Top Tip: Don’t work in front of the TV! If you are home working, working in the office or somewhere else, make sure that you aren’t surrounded by things that’ll draw you away from your work. You’ll be much more productive without the distractions. It is down to personal preferences, but usually, most people work better if their working space is tidy. A messy desk often leads to procrastination by tidying when you’re supposed to be working. If you keep it tidy, you won’t need to waste valuable time cleaning – makes sense!

We probably all don’t do all of these but if you can take away a few or even just one and add it into your daily routine, you’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes.

January 05, 2022 — Samuel Lawton