Nowadays we’re hearing more and more about procrastination, increasing productivity and overcoming bad habits. They’ve become hot topics, especially since everyone strives to work less but have better results. If you’re looking for tips and tricks to boost your work flow, check out these 10 steps to increase your productivity. The main goal of these is to make you an addict to productivity. It sounds difficult to accomplish and that’s because it really is. A good place to start is to eliminate lack of sleep, improve your organizational skills, and finding out when your most productive hours are. After you take some time and tackle these, you can move on to the following points.

1. Set out a five year plan.

And more importantly, go ahead and write down your objectives so you never lose sight of what you’re working hard to accomplish. It will also serve as a reminder that with each fulfilled task you are one step closer to your bigger objective.

2. Focus on one or two important tasks to be accomplished.

To-do lists can be overwhelming and even depressing at the end of the day. Instead of jotting down a dozen tasks, choose the two or three most important ones. Then channel all your energy into making them happen.

3. Learn how to prioritize.

Once you know what are the most important matters, make sure you work on them during you most productive hours. This way you can rest assured the essential things are getting the best of you, while the minor stuff still gets done, but comes on second place.

4. Embrace proactivity.

Keep your mind on shaping the future instead of reacting to crisis. By planning ahead and having proactive habits, you’ll manage to keep the crises development to a minimum and focus on other things.

5. Relinquish perfectionism.

I’m not encouraging handing in sloppy work, but condoning perfectionism. Some things require more attention than others and you should be able to make the difference between the two and act accordingly.

6. Discipline above all.

It’s no secret that undisciplined people usually don’t accomplish what they want. If you fall under this category, you can train yourself to be disciplined by rewarding yourself once you fulfill your task. Stick to small rewards like a snack or a new tie.

7. You can’t do everything.

If you’re not used or happy with delegating, you better start working on it. You’re not going to be able to do everything you want, just the way you want it. So brush up your people skills and start using other’s help to you advantage.

8. You don’t have to say yes to everything.

If you feel something is not worth your time, go ahead and turn it down. You’re not forced to sit through boring meetings that won’t help you and won’t get you closer to your goals. Instead, use your time for things that really matter. By learning how to say no you keep boring events at bay and you keep working on your projects.

9. Forget about multi tasking.

If you want to succeed at what you’re working on, doing that will require your full and undivided attention. So say good bye to multi tasking and hello to focusing on single tasking. You’ll be surprised how clear your mind will stay, no matter how hard you’ll work on something.

10. Peer pressure can actually help.

Although it’s usually frowned upon, peer pressure can work as an incentive. By telling your partners, colleagues and friends what your goals are, you’ll feel accountable to accomplish them. And make sure to work hard until you complete the tasks you set for yourself. You’re not helping anyone if you quit before hand and you’ll only manage to sabotage yourself.

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