Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

by - July 18, 2020
Everyone wants to be more productive. Who doesn't want a few extra minutes or even an hour of free time to do whatever they want? It would be great if we could just add a few extra minutes to our day, so we have time to do what we want, but that isn't realistic. These are the things you are doing that are ruining your productivity and this is how you can fix them!

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

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Updated for 2024 - This article was written during quarantine, but the tips in it are still relevant.

This is a list of things you are doing that you can stop doing to be more productive, but if you simply want to be more productive, then you can read Things You Can do to be More Productive Right Now.

You might also still be on home quarantine, as I am. If you aren't on home quarantine, you can skip to the next header. In that case, you might want to read How to be Insanely Productive During Quarantine because being productive during quarantine is hard.

Being bored during quarantine is also another problem and so here is a list of Fun + Productive Things You Can do While at Home.

Okay. Now that you are all set on how to be more productive during quarantine and fun things you can do at home, let's get into the things you can stop doing to be more productive.


Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them


1. Not Knowing When You Are the Most Productive

You have to know when you are the most productive. I am not a night owl, so if I go to bed late and wake up late the next morning, then I am naturally not going to be as productive.

But if you are a night owl, then you might be more productive at night. The key is to know when you are the most productive. I know that after lunch, I am less productive so I try to get as much of my to-do list done in the morning as I can.

The Fix

This might take you a few days to figure out, or it might take you only a few minutes to realize when you are the most productive.

If you don't know right away when you are the most productive, then notice over the next few days when you have the most energy or the time of the day you get the most done.

  • Are you most productive in the morning?
  • At night?
  • After you eat?
  • After you exercise?

When you know what times of day you are the most productive at, you can make sure to do your largest tasks then.

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

2. You Get Distracted Easily

Everyone gets distracted sometimes, me included. :) You have been pretty productive all morning, so you decide to take a quick break, which then turns into an hour or more scrolling on social media and then clicking video after video on YouTube.

Then when you finally realize how much time you have been wasting, you get back to what you have to do feeling rushed for time because you just wasted so much of it. It's a real problem!

The Fix

The fix is to eliminate distractions, which is way easier said than done, I know. The first way to do this is to turn off all unnecessary notifications on your phone. Stick all of your distracting apps away in one folder. If you have to, you can even sign yourself out of websites, so you can't just check real quick because it will only take a few seconds. We all know how that ends!

Taking quick breaks is a good way to be more productive, you just don't want to get sucked in. The next time you take a break, instead of pulling out your phone, go on a quick walk instead.

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

3. You Don't Have a Plan

Now this one is for those of you who don't have a plan of any sort. If you don't know what you need to do, then how are you going to do it?

It can be as simple as writing out a to-do list every morning. It doesn't have to be complicated. The level of organization an individual needs is going to vary from person to person.

You might not need a calendar; you might write down what you need to do on sticky notes (which is fine as long as you don't lose them!).

The Fix

Make a plan! It doesn't matter how simple it is, as long as you have some sort of plan. You will be more productive if you have a plan because you can go from task to task quicker.

I use a bullet journal to be more organized. If you want to know more about bullet journaling, or how to start your first one, then you can read Bullet Journaling: What Is It?

Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them


Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

Just a quick recap of what you can do to be more productive.

  1. Know When You are the Most Productive
  2. Eliminate Distractions
  3. Have a Plan

If you liked this post, you can also read these ones for more productivity tips.

I hope you liked this post and found it helpful! Have a productive week!
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Things That Are Ruining Your Productivity + How to Fix Them

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