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Healthy Habits Proven to Keep You Productive - Part 2 🌼

Updated: Jul 24, 2020

Hello everyone! 🌼


Thank you to those of you who read part 1 of this post, all of the support is so appreciated. Part 2 will cover the last two things that will help you keep that productivity up to the highest level.


These last two things for me are the hardest things to enforce within myself and my space, so I hope these few little tips will help you to be stricter on yourself and keep you productive!


So without further ado - Let's get to what I'll be covering:


🌼 Locking Away Bad Habits

🌼 Evaluate Your Space



🌼 Locking Away Bad Habits 🌼


It may surprise you to know that almost 70% of workers feel they are distracted at work and I guarantee you face some of the same distractions at home. Luckily for you those little things can be removed from work giving you the best rate of productivity you may ever have.


Noise – This is one of the worst distractions for some when working and it’s actually very easy to combat. Of course, if you’re working at home and currently are looking after your children noise may be one of the harder things to combat, but I hope these few tips will help!


Shut the door. It seems so simple, when you’re working if you can simply shut the door. If you’re working in a home office and can’t help but keep that door open, you are opening yourself up to distraction so make sure that door is firmly shut! If possible, you may also want to change location to get away from the noise, whether it be a different room, garden or hopefully very soon a café.


For me family members and co-workers aren’t my main noise distraction. You’ll know it well. Notifications. When that phone dings it is so hard to not check it, same when your laptop dings for a personal email, but no more. Put all devices on silent when you’re working, especially if it is going to be popping up with personal distractions that may hinder your productivity. Personally, I like to leave my phone in another room, in a drawer because as they say ‘Out of sight. Out of mind.’ and for me this works very well.


Of course, there are also visual distractions. If your desk is full of notes, notepads, wrappers, ornaments and cold coffee in mugs you are going to instantly feel overwhelmed. It is easy to fall into this bad habit, but by clearing your desk regularly and keeping a bin beside it, you can ensure you won’t get overrun by rubbish.


If you’re someone who works from home and has very friendly neighbours that will distract you, it may sound harsh, but lock your doors. It is so easy for a neighbour to pop in and distract you with cake or a conversation that you lose your train of thought. This is also the same for the post man. Of course, if your doorbell rings, answer it, but don’t stop and open that mail giving yourself a new distraction.


Another one for me is music. I know this falls under noise, but it is so easy to think, whilst I’m at home I’ll put my favourite songs on or some background TV to block out all the nothing noise. As great as this can sometimes be, it is a big black hole style distraction that will suck you right in. Whilst you are using your senses to listen to music or slightly watch TV you are not putting all your best effort into your work.


Now there is some research to suggest that listening to music whilst working is a good thing but reciting your favourite lyrics to a song is not the best way to stay productive. Instrumental music is one of the best for achieving a higher rate of productivity and there are so many styles that you can specifically choose for work. This kind of routine will train your brain to know when you hear a certain style it is time to concentrate.

Bad habits are all around us and it is so easy to fall into them, so when you feel yourself getting a little overwhelmed, visit your bad habits, close that tab to your favourite website of distractions. You must be vigilant if you want to progress.



🌼 Evaluate Your Space 🌼


Now this last point links somewhat to the one above as your space around you is a crucial distraction and hindrance on productivity.


A great idea is looking at your workspace and thinking “What is crucial to this environment?” Because I guarantee you will find a lot of things in your office, or wherever you are working that aren’t going to help you be productive whilst working.


Especially when you are working from home, it is easy to drown yourself in home décor, rather than say a pen pot, ruler, sticky notes and a planner which may be crucial to your day. Anything that will distract you, such as phone, iPad, Alexa, plush blankets, slippers, these are all things that really you shouldn’t keep in your office.


Being wrapped up in a blanket with your pyjamas on is not going to wake your brain up in the way it needs to start working properly.


Another thing I really love to have in my workspace is something inspirational, whether it’s a quote, a piece of work you love that you have hung up. Pictures on the walls of something nice. It is crucial to make this a space you will love to work in and that inspires your creativity.


If you’re working at home and you don’t have an office, finding yourself working on the sofa can be one of the worst things to do. The sofa is a place for relaxing and eventually you’ll find, not only are you distracted when doing work, but when work is over and you’re trying to wind down, your brain will struggle to relax due to it realising this as a now work space.


In 2018 studies showed that 39 percent of office workers felt that having a pet in the workplace would improve their productivity, so if you have a pet, by all means, get fussing them, whether they just sit in your office or you spend lunch playing with them. A pet is something you can have in your workspace that won’t be a huge distraction, but it will improve your productivity and keep you feeling positive throughout the day.


Lastly, if you’re working in a room that is dark, doesn’t have much light or positivity, how are you expected to keep yourself positive? Consider changing rooms, colours, layouts, adding plants to your space. Wherever you are there are always things you can do. It may take time. It may be trial and error for a small step of time but trying these tips to keep yourself productive will only help you in the long run.


Work life is not a sprint. Pushing yourself to the limit is not going to help. Working smarter will help you get greater results and improve your quality of life outside of work.

And that is it! I hope you all find this helpful and find yourself making some healthy habits toward your own creativity and productivity. Thank you so much for reading!


Next week I will be posting a more creative style post talking about projects I am currently working on, which I'm so excited to be sharing with you!


I hope you all have a lovely day,

Feel free to leave a comment, like or reach me on social media!

🌼 Stay smiling

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