8 Things To Do To Make Every Day Count

There’s so much going on in our lives — career, relationships, daily chores and other responsibilities. Amidst all of this, life becomes too hectic and things often get out of hand.

You have to tick off important tasks, break a sweat, engage in happier activities to make every day count. If you’d like to have more productive days, down here are some tips that might help.

I have categorized them in three different sections:

• Professional
• Well-being
• Personal

Let’s see what these tips are:

Professional

1. Figure out 5 Most-Important-Tasks (MIT)

Most of us spend most of our time doing inconsequential stuff — thinking, worrying, social media, and what not.

As soon as you wake up, brainstorm to figure out five things you would like to accomplish today. The best way would be to decide on three professional tasks and two personal.

Either note down these tasks on a piece of paper or use planning tools and mobile applications. That’s an easy way to remind yourself of what needs to be done and be accountable for it.

2. Make prioritization a priority

Don’t just do whatever that comes your way, do things that matter. Get into the act of prioritization and sort out what needs to be done in a systematic manner.

The best part of prioritization is that it gives you clarity on what to focus on than mindlessly doing things all day long and not achieving much.

The best way to prioritize is to:

• Write all the important stuff
• Quickly identify what’s important and urgent
• Assess the value of each task
• Order them by estimated time and effort
• Rank them from 1 to 10
• Break tasks, if required
• Get going with each task

Use a work management software to manage and prioritize work. Try ProofHub now!

3. Stop phoning it in

I was shocked when I came across a fact that said that most of us are spending more than five hours per week goofing off on our mobile phones.

It made me realize that maybe, I could be one of them too. Put your phone in the drawer, disable the internet, or put it on the Silent profile to stop getting distracted by the constant beeps or social media notifications.

An easy way is to work for an hour and take a break for 10 minutes. Use this time to check your phone or freshen up.

Health and Wellbeing

1. Practice mindful eating

Food is like a fuel that gives our body energy and power to do things efficiently. Be mindful of what is going inside your body as there is a mysterious relationship between the two.

Don’t ever skip breakfast. Make it a good mix of essential fibers, carbs, and nutrients. There’s no harm in pampering your taste-buds with junk food, provided the intake is controlled and conscious.

Incorporate more greens and fruits. More juices and smoothies than beer and alcohol. More roasted nuts and almonds than fried and greasy junk.

2. Do a physically strenuous activity

Any physical activity is good for your brain and body. You need to be active throughout the day, and exercise helps to achieve just that.

Whether you like it or not, any form of physical activity is necessary for the human body to operate at its optimal levels.

If breaking sweat in the gym is not your thing, find some time from your schedule to roll out a mat and do some yoga or basic body-weight exercises. Instead, you can go for a run or swim as well. The point is to have a fit body that makes way for an awesome life.

Personal

1. Make out time to do something you love

No matter how busy you get, find some time to do things that bring a smile to your face.

Life is much more than your career and responsibilities. You have to carve a few minutes to do things you like to do for your own self.

Whether it is reading a book, riding a bike, organizing your closet, playing the guitar, writing a poem, dancing, watching romcoms, or cooking a meal. It doesn’t matter how bizarre or outlandish it is, all it needs to do is to make you happy.

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2. Attempt something scary or uncomfortable

To do something uncomfortable is as important as doing things that are enjoyable. Put yourself in a tight spot for at least a few minutes per day to grow as an individual.

Think about all those things that make you anxious. Be aware and embrace them. For example, if you dread speaking up, say something impromptu in front of your friends and colleagues.

It won’t just boost your confidence but you’re also equipping yourself for bigger problems in life. Day one or one day, I’d leave that to you.

3. Help someone

Lately, I’ve realized that helping other people is an important part of living a good life. You don’t have to donate a part of your fortune to help someone, holding the door open or helping a kid solving a maths problem will also do the needful.

An old Chinese Proverb sums it up perfectly, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

Get started

You have to change your habits to change your life. Try implementing a few of these habits and you’ll experience a massive boost in your productivity levels almost immediately. Don’t hesitate to add, subtract, or multiply the above list. See what works best for you and tell us in the comments below.

Author Bio:

Vartika Kashyap is the Marketing Manager at ProofHub and has been one of the LinkedIn Top Voices in 2017. Her articles are inspired by office situations and work-related events. She likes to write about productivity, team building, work culture, leadership, entrepreneurship among others and contributing to a better workplace is what makes her click.