7 New Year’s Resolutions To Boost Your Productivity In 2018

marketing planBoost your small business productivity in 2018 with simple, but effective, professional hacks that will revamp the way you work

As 2017 turned to 2018, you may have felt a sense of renewal. Perhaps you are looking to make some changes in your personal life or finally stick with that workout routine. No matter your resolutions, this new year is a great chance to revamp your professional outlook as well. And this starts with productivity.

“If you don’t like the way your usual work day goes, change it,” Susan Ward writes in The Balance. “Most of us aren’t as productive as we would like for two reasons. We have bad habits that interfere with our workplace productivity; We’re reactive rather than proactive and spend much of our work day responding to and trying to put out fires.”

Sound familiar?

Now is the time to make some key changes to the way you work, allowing you to be the most productive professional that you can be. The following are some simple, but effective, professional hacks to revamp the way you work in 2018.

Schedule your time in blocks.

While you may have mastered the art of multitasking, chances are you’re taking it too far. Productivity is all about owning your time, and you can do this by sectioning out your day. For example, block off an hour in the morning to answer emails and plan your day. Stick to this block of time and move on to the next task when it ends.

Improve your mornings.

Mornings set the tone for the rest of your day, and the world’s most successful people have a morning routine. By starting your mornings early and making time for things like reading, journaling, exercise, and meditation, you can center yourself before you even start working.

Make a career change.

Are you feeling unproductive or simply unmotivated? Perhaps it is time to take your business in a different direction or change careers altogether. The average person changes their job 10 to 15 times in their lifetime, but professional changes can take many forms.

Upgrade your to-do list.

The handy to-do list is a productivity staple, but it can get out of hand. Try dividing your tasks into a “to-do” and a “must do” list. This way, you can prioritize the most urgent tasks first and use your free time for the other tasks.

Take care of yourself.

By working without pausing, you are only setting yourself up for burnout. Self-care is essential to your professional life, as it can make you feel and function better. A massage is a great example of this. About 89% of consumers see massage as an effective pain management technique, so it can work out stress-related tension in your body. Massage and similar techniques can do wonders for your productivity as a result.

Know when to say “No.”

The most productive people know where to draw the line. You are only one person, so you cannot take on everything people ask you to do and everything you need to do for your own business. Be realistic when taking on new projects and know when to decline.

Upgrade your coffee habit.

This sludgy elixir may already be part of your work routine, but do you know how to drink it effectively? The FDA found that caffeine is absorbed and circulated within 30 minutes to an hour, lasting up to six hours. Coffee then boosts energy levels in your brain, improves concentration and memory, and leads to better cognitive performance. So, sip quality coffee in the morning but know when to stop so you get these benefits without the jitters.

To stick to these productivity goals, be sure to practice visualization and goal setting along the way.

“Start to picture yourself as the most productive person in your field,” Matt Mayberry writes in Entrepreneur. “How does it feel? What tasks are you spending the majority of your time on? What is your philosophy on personal performance? Be in competition with yourself to see how much you can get done. Have fun with it. Make it a game. Always try to beat the person you were the day before. Keep track of your results and work every single day to be a highly productive individual and watch the small daily victories begin to transform your life.”

Write this vision down and get ready to be a better you.

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Valerie M.

Contributor at Small Business Marketing Tools
Valerie M. is a writer from Upstate New York. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The State University of New York at Fredonia in 2016 and is currently working at a digital marketing agency where she writes blog posts for a variety of small businesses all over the country. Valerie enjoys writing about music, animals, nature, and traveling.