While all successful people have a different story to tell about how they got to be where they are now, they do have more than quite a few things in common. They are all extremely productive, passionate about what they do, curious about the things they don’t know yet, and happy with their lives. While all of this is true, it all sounds pretty vague. How can you take this information and apply it to yourself and become a more productive, successful individual?

1. Avoid Multitasking

Even though you may feel like you’re killing it by doing several things at once, your productivity is taking a turn for the worse, according to a study at Stanford, and can even have a damaging effect on our brains. Our brains can only focus on one thing at a time, and when we are juggling our tasks, it dulls our focus, which inevitably leads to impaired productivity. Of course, these days, you cannot exactly avoid multitasking altogether, but you can tackle your tasks one by one, and break them up into smaller chunks and goals which are easier to reach.

2. Don’t Check Your Email All the Time

One McKinsey study shows that we spend 28% of our time reading and answering our emails. While It shouldn’t technically matter how often we check our email during the day, further research conducted by attention researcher Gloria Mark shows that it takes an average person about 64 seconds to fully regain their focus after checking an email. So, even though we aren’t going to get through our emails any faster by checking them only twice a day, you will save time by not having to refocus every five minutes or so.

3. Read More

According to Thomas Corley, who wrote Rich Habits – The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals, 86% of rich people read on a regular basis. They don’t just read for fun, either. They are focused on learning something new every day because it helps them learn new skills and improve their existing ones. As for what you should read, that depends on your preferences, but like we’ve pointed out, you should prioritize literature that can help you grow both personally and professionally. While it’s nice to read the classics, their books may not necessarily help you become more successful.

4. Stop Watching TV

This is one of those things that all successful people avoid like the plague. While binging on TV series is certainly entertaining, it is not necessarily the most productive way to spend your time. Of course, you shouldn’t spend all of your time working or trying to improve your skills, but there are other ways you can spend your time. Such as reading a book, exercising, or taking a walk, which can be just as fun, while at the same benefits to your physical and mental health.

5. Make Every Minute Count

During the day, you will come across moments where you won’t have enough time to do much. For example, waiting in line, driving on your way to and from work, waiting for your next flight, or your meeting to start. Instead of waiting for it to pass, you can salvage that time and use it in a more productive way. You can check your email, or start listening to a podcast or audiobook. Or you can use it to solve all those tasks which don’t take more than 2-3 minutes, but which you would have postponed in favor of something else.

6. Wake Up One Hour Earlier

Whatever you do, try and make sure that you get enough sleep to rest and recharge. Usually, most people take need between seven and eight hours of sleep. So, sleeping for seven instead of eight hours won’t make that much a difference on a daily basis, but when you add up all those hours during a single year, it amounts to 15 extra days! Just think of all the productive ways you could spend that additional time.

The Final Word

Being a more productive individual does take some getting used to, especially in the beginning, but once you get over the initial hump, you will never look back, because you will be able to do so much more in your life and, as a result, become a more successful person.

About the author

Finanz4u Team

Finanz4u Team is a group of dedicated to the financial topics writers, editors and guest writers.

Jack White

Jack White is an excellent writer who enjoys his job. You can see that by how much work he puts into his articles. He believes you should do what you love, and he loves writing. He worked more than 8 years in different positions in seo industry and now is focusing on helping people by sharing his experience in internet marketing. Contact him if you need help with content or marketing.