Simple Ways to Increase Productivity at Home

It is important that you understand this section extends beyond Internet to all addicting activities. Eliminate distractions and focus on the work at hand. You earn one gold star if you can accomplish this feat; this is probably the most important bullet in being efficient and productive.

Cut up your food before you eat it

Be honest with me, will you really get started on a large assignment if it is several weeks off? If you are anything like me, probably not. Large assignments or even average assignments can be intimidating to start especially since the temptation to put them off is always there. However, finishing 2 flash cards a day seems less intimidating then 100 flash cards even if it is due far off. Another problem I see is that people have the mindset that they can simply do it later. You are only putting off the inevitable. Eventually that “later” will arrive and you will hate yourself for not doing the “later” earlier. Besides, the assignment is far more enjoyable and easy if you make the one large assignment into various small assignments.

Count out your days and be realistic with yourself. Keep your eye on the goal and start early so that you can finish early. It’s always better to work leisurely and take your time emphasizing quality then experiencing the dread of last minute panic. I don’t care if you work well under pressure, sooner or later it will get to you and you will kick yourself.

Want a cookie?

Everyone who has worked hard deserves to be rewarded. This is fundamental to increasing your productivity otherwise you will be burned out in a short period of time. Think for a second and come up with a small thing that you very much enjoy that you can indulge in.

That should be your reward for completing an assignment.

Finish a paper? indulge! Finish a project? Indulge some more! I believe the benefits of operant conditioning yourself is far and away the best way to motivate someone to accomplish a difficult task. Ideally, you would reward yourself only once all your assignments are accomplished, however I have trouble with this. I’ll find that I will neglect the work and go for the reward or over-indulge in my reward and lose sight of my work. Consider these things when working out a reward system for yourself

Let me give you a personal example of what I do. I absolutely love chocolate covered raisins. I love this delectable treat so much that it is my main motivation to accomplish any task. Here is what I do: since I don’t have the patients to wait until every single assignment is complete I will reward myself as I finish a single task. When I have finished an assignment I will go to my cupboard and take a single handful of raisins and place them in a small bowl. I then take the small bowl back upstairs where I proceed to eat the  raisins while doing a fun activity that doesn’t require the Internet or my computer (two of my biggest distractions). I keep my “reward bowl” by my side to motivate me to finish the next assignment. I also sometimes stockpile my raisin collection for an extended break.

An important things to note from my example is that I eliminate my chance to over-indulge in my break activity by not bringing the actual container full of raisins to my desk and. Instead, I bring a small bowl with only a handful of raisins in this way I’m not tempted to have “just one more”. Also, eating raisins is a quickly accomplished task so I don’t need to worry that I will waste too much time. You should choose activities for your break that are not lengthy. The focus should always be on the work, your break is simply a reward for accomplishing that work. Over-indulging in a break is the same as allowing a distraction to suck away your time. Be careful with this one.

Conclusion

Following these tips will help you become a more productive person when accomplishing at home tasks. I hope you found my guide to be useful and informative! Work hard and play hard!

Sincerely,

    Green Sunshine

*Milgram’s experiment is not only fascinating but is far more complex than the parenthesis I used to describe it. I wanted to add this so that others will not cry foul for mis-representing Milgram’s fascinating work. I only used what was relevant to my article, however I encourage others to read up on Milgram and his accomplishments!