Personal Productivity
How Looking Forward to Everything Makes You More Productive
AUTHOR: Kayla Matthews
Beep! Beep! Beep!
What is that? What’s happening? Oh, wait. It’s just the alarm. Is it already time to get up? I’ll just hit snooze. What day is it? Monday …
Deep sigh.
Do your workdays begin with an overwhelming feeling of dread? Does your anxiety skyrocket when you think about going to work on Monday morning? Do you not look forward to work, school or certain social events?
This is normal. However, you should start looking forward to everything.
When you look forward to things, your productivity increases and your overall happiness goes through the roof. Here’s the thing – you can do it. This is a skill you can develop as long as you work at it.
Here are a few ways you can look forward to everything.
1. Morning Routine
Before you start to look forward to everything in your life, you have to give yourself something to look forward to. A morning routine is perfect.
Most people don’t like to wake up early. However, what if waking up early meant you could sit down for 30 minutes and watch an episode from your favorite television show while sipping a tall cup of coffee? Sounds pretty good, right?
Give yourself a window of time early in the morning that’s just for you. You get to do anything you’d like as long as it makes you happy. You can read the newspaper, get in a quick workout or write about whatever comes to mind. A morning routine can significantly boost productivity and will make you excited about the start your day.
2. Stay Optimistic
Want to know how you can prevent depression, boost your job performance and increase your likelihood of success? The key is to stay optimistic.
Things might not look the best right now, but they will surely turn around if you stay positive. Think about the long-term opportunities your job offers. Your hard work will pay off – you just have to make yourself aware of it. Think toward the future instead of being trapped in the present.
Remember when you first got your job? You were excited, right? Write down the reasons why you were excited and reflect on them. Try to bring that positivity back into your work life.
3. Hack Your Commute
Your commute can be the most stressful part of your day. The time spent sitting in traffic can be dreadful. Luckily, you can make everything about your morning more enjoyable – even driving to work.
Don’t listen to the same radio channel every day when there’s a huge library of audio entertainment available to you. You can use your commute to listen to your favorite podcast or audiobook.
Not only will you be entertained, but you can also educate yourself about your field of work. There are podcasts and audiobooks for just about every genre, so you should have no problem learning more about your industry. You can also listen to a comedy or serial drama podcast and be entertained so you can look forward to your commute.
4. Keep a Grateful Journal
Sometimes you don’t look forward to everything because you forget to see what you’re grateful for. Keep a journal where you can write down everything you’re grateful for.
It’s important to reflect on your day before you go to bed. Otherwise, all the positive things that happened will vanish and become forgotten. Have a journal handy so you can write down the positive aspects of your day that you’re grateful for. This will make you realize there are great things in your life that you should be looking forward to every day.
5. Take Control
It’s time to take control.
You might be stressed because your life is controlling you. Switch your approach so you control your life. Manage your schedule so you aren’t overwhelmed. Plan your tasks so you can be productive and get them done. Make changes in your life that will make you happier. You’ll become more productive and actually look forward to your alarm going off early in the morning.
Change Starts Today
Don’t wait until tomorrow. Make these changes in your life today so you can be happier and more productive.
2 comments
Great article and one that is most certainly needed on days when nothing seems to be going right.
If there is one thing that life has taught me is that things are always changing. Today I'll have a great day at the office and tomorrow I might not. Doesn't matter in the short-run. What does matter is how I keep my footing through the days, weeks, months, and years. The moment I realized that I didn't have any control over anything but myself, things got a lot easier. What trips me up is my ego. No one likes to feel small or unimportant, and certainly none of us enjoy messing up. But if we keep in mind that everything is about the journey, then a little day of rain is nothing to be afraid of.
Great article and one that is most certainly needed on days when nothing seems to be going right.
If there is one thing that life has taught me is that things are always changing. Today I'll have a great day at the office and tomorrow I might not. Doesn't matter in the short-run. What does matter is how I keep my footing through the days, weeks, months, and years. The moment I realized that I didn't have any control over anything but myself, things got a lot easier. What trips me up is my ego. No one likes to feel small or unimportant, and certainly none of us enjoy messing up. But if we keep in mind that everything is about the journey, then a little day of rain is nothing to be afraid of.
Wow! Thank you for that article. Great tips, but I'd add "hack your meals". Eat healthy and you'll quickly see your productivity increasing.
Wow! Thank you for that article. Great tips, but I'd add "hack your meals". Eat healthy and you'll quickly see your productivity increasing.