If life were perfect, you could get everything done quickly and easily and still have plenty of time for fun activities. Are you having trouble maintaining focus? Have you ever gotten home straight from work and felt like you could have accomplished more? Regrettably, many of us feel disappointed in the day’s work because we wish we had accomplished more. Do not waste another second beating yourself up about not getting enough done in a day; instead, learn these life hacks for getting more out of each day.

Plan Your Day in Advance

The first step toward increased productivity is making a schedule for the day. To make the most of each day, you need to plan what you’ll do, when you’ll do it, and for how long. You are more likely to forget about duties if you don’t write them down in a schedule. Make sure to plan your day in great detail, first thing in the morning or the night before. Put everything on paper that needs doing so you can keep track of it and know where to direct your attention.

Wake Up Early

If you get up an hour earlier than usual, you may use that time to get some more work done in peace and quiet. If you get up early, you’ll have more time to adjust to the day before you start working or studying, which should help you focus better. As a bonus, having more time in the morning to work on key activities without interruptions increases productivity. Generally, those who get up early have better sleep habits and get more restful sleep each night. Enjoy the tranquility when everyone else is sound asleep. You won’t have to worry about a rushed commute if you leave for work earlier in the day.

Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique divides tasks into 25-minute blocks to maximize productivity rather than fight it. The workday is divided into 25-minute halves with 5-minute breaks in between. “Pomodoros” is the name for these timed breaks. Brief breaks follow focused work periods in the Pomodoro Technique. It is believed that working without interruptions for brief periods might increase productivity while decreasing mental tiredness. 

Lessen Your Phone Usage

These days, most individuals go about their day to the constant ringing and buzzing of their smartphones. Whether at work, at a client meeting, or out on a date, our phones are always within easy reach—and often sit squarely in front of us, clearly indicating their importance. However, cell phones may be a significant disruption to workflow. If you’re continually checking your phone instead of working, the 30-minute task may take you five times as long. When possible, go to airplane mode and mute your phone. If you really can’t help yourself, there are smartphone applications that lock your phone for a set amount of time. Even if you don’t check your phone every five minutes, you can still stay informed by setting specified periods, such as 8 a.m., noon, and 4:30 p.m., to do so.

Avoid Multitasking

It’s important to accomplish one task before moving on to another. Our focus is split when we try to do many things at once or multitask. Despite popular belief, switching back and forth between tasks only seldom results in increased productivity. To multitask is to shift your focus back and forth between several activities that require your total concentration. Switching tasks frequently waste time because it forces the brain to reacquaint itself with the activity. If you are easily distracted by multitasking, it is better to finish your tasks one at a time.

Get Enough Sleep

Productivity is greatly affected by sleep. Poor sleeping patterns are associated with increased workplace accidents, absenteeism, unproductive behaviors, and a decline in performance, productivity, career advancement, and job satisfaction. In contrast, improved sleep quality is associated with higher recall, retention, and development of new information. A growing body of studies indicates that getting enough sleep significantly increases efficiency. A study of 4,188 American employees revealed that those who slept less had “substantially lower productivity, performance, and safety outcomes,” with an estimated $1,967 loss in output per person owing to poor sleep. Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll wake up the next day ready to conquer the world.

Meditate

Productivity is not all about work, work, and work. Sometimes, stopping to meditate can dramatically affect efficiency in some situations. Brain parts involved in thinking and feeling can undergo physical changes due to regular meditation practice. By clearing your mind of distractions and improving your ability to focus, meditation can help you work more effectively and for more extended periods. The method of meditation has been shown to improve not just one’s outlook on life but also one’s pleasure with one’s job. Because of its many advantages, it may help workers maximize their productivity at work on both an individual and a group basis.

Listen to Relaxing Music

Listening to music while working increases productivity. Still, listening to music that doesn’t distract you is also essential. It’s possible that listening to modern pop won’t help you focus since you’ll be singing along. Lo-Fi beats and classical music are good examples of music to listen to while working, learning, and increasing productivity in mind. You may choose from a wide variety of songs that are ideal for working. These songs are available on various streaming music and video services, such as Spotify and YouTube.

Pamper Yourself

You deserve a reward for all your hard work, whether you’ve finally reached a long-term goal or just had the most productive day ever. If you pamper yourself at the end of a successful day, you may feel more motivated to repeat that success the next time. There are many ways to treat oneself, such as getting a massage or treating yourself to an ice cream sundae at your neighborhood ice cream shop. The time has come to order some pizza, crack open a bottle of your best red wine, and settle for an evening of mindless television.

We’ve all grown up in a society where taking on additional responsibilities makes you automatically look more capable and increases your odds of success. The culture we’ve grown up in has taught us that working harder is the norm, yet self-care is a key to success as well. Long days off might help your job in the long run. And obviously, taking a vacation does not equate to quitting your work. Recharging your batteries implies you’ve been working hard and need a break.

While we’re becoming better at the fundamentals daily, it’s tough to keep up with everything at once. That’s why it’s crucial to learn about stress-busting life hacks to get more out of each day and become productive.