Have you ever struggled with unproductive moments and days?
Well, it is quite common if you are not doing productive habits. Best productivity habits can be learned when you try different actions that actually help you to stay productive.
The best productivity habits are usually the ones that are being performed nearly every day but we are just not noticing it.
In this article I share 20 best productivity habits to increase your productivity and reach any results faster and more productively.
You don’t have to be adding all these 20 best productivity habits to your life, but trying all of them and finding out the best ones for you is something I would do.
20 Best Productivity Habits
These habits are meant to increase your productivity throughout the day as well as help you to build a productive lifestyle by doing actions that are not wasting your time.
Morning
1. Wake up early
Simply, when we talk about the best productivity habits, it is not a surprise that waking up early is essential if your goal is to build a productive habit.
Waking up early is wonderful way of starting your day as well as establish a natural routine for waking up in the early morning.
The benefits of waking up early:
- Increased concentration and productivity
- More time to work on important tasks
- Motivating early morning energy
- Ability to work without distractions
In my experience, waking up early has definitely been one of the best productivity habits because it makes me so excited about the new day. Skyrocket your productivity.
2. Morning walk or activity
Doing an activity in the morning is a great productivity habit that will ensure you reach your productivity peak during the morning.
It helps in staying motivated to work on the important tasks and gives you courage to reach your goals.
Morning walk and activities are definitely the best productivity habits to do after waking up. You can either do this after eating the breakfast or before – it is up to you.
Morning walk & activity ideas:
- 10-minute walk
- 5-10 minute dynamic stretch
- Jogging
3. Reading a book
Reading a book whether it is about self-improvement or something interesting is easily on the list of the best productivity habits.
You don’t have to read for extremely long time. Simply, reading 10-20 pages a day is more than enough – it equals 70-140 pages a week.
When you read everyday, you are much more likely to establish a healthy and productive habit that provides you new knowledge and ideas daily.
It is also a fantastic way to develop a strong mindset as well as stay active and creative with your ideas.
When to read:
- In the morning as a last activity of your morning routine
- In the evening just before bedtime
4. No phone
When we talk the best productivity habits, especially in the morning, it is important to stay away from your phone if you want to have a productive day.
It is so easy to grab your phone as a first thing in the morning and as a result, you won’t even notice how it distracts your focus.
Being able to stay away from your phone in the morning is brilliant way to ensure you get a productive start for your day.
A great way to do this is by creating a strong morning routine you enjoy where you can focus on yourself and starting a new day.
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Noon & Afternoon
5. Focus on one thing at a time
If you want to establish the best productivity habits as a part of your daily life, it is important to understand that you can’t be focusing on plenty of tasks at once.
If you want productive results, give your tasks singular focus. That way you will be able to get the result you want and are more likely to remain focused and productive throughout the day.
If you start doing many things at once, washing dishes, answering emails and listening to a podcast, you won’t get anywhere because you are in the middle of distraction cycle.
How to focus on thing at a time:
- Plan your day
- Prioritize the most important tasks
- Remove unnecessary distractions
6. Take a break when you feel unproductive
It is natural that we have moments during the day when we feel less productive and less motivated.
That’s the point when you should take a break to ensure you refresh your mind and get some fresh energy to be productive again.
Taking a break is on the list of the best productivity habits because the importance it has is crucial. Sounds like a pointless thing, but can turn the rest of the day to productive one.
Break ideas for better productivity:
- 20 minute walk in the nature
- Play an instrument
- Call someone (this boosts mood)
7. Pomodoro Technique
I have talked about this technique in some of my blog posts but the truth is that it simply is super effective and increases productivity instantly.
This is one the best productivity habits you can do daily to ensure you stay productive for at least some part of your day.
The goal is to set a timer and work for 25 minutes with a full focus without distractions. Then take a 5 minute break and repeat the process.
After repeating this cycle 3 times, take 30 minute break.
I use this technique daily and it significantly helps in staying more productive and motivated.
8. Use the 80/20 rule
Using the 80/20 rule is an effective method that helps you realize what to do in order reach the results more effectively.
This means that you have to understand which 20% of your actions cause the 80% of your results.
Once you understand this, you can focus and prioritize things that actually matter, and by understanding this rule, you can also save a lot of time.
When you use this rule, you are much more likely to focus on actions that matter. There is no need to do actions that won’t take you anywhere.
9. Working out
If you want to have the best productivity habits and stay healthy, those both can be achieved by working out 4-5 times a week.
Working out helps you to challenge yourself as well as improves mood and blood circulation.
It is hard to focus on businesses and work all day long. Working out works as break from work, but is still a “business” of its own.
Working out consistently will help you in establishing a healthy lifestyle and build a productive habit.
Workout ideas:
- Running/sprinting
- Gym
- Walking/hiking
- Cycling
10. Work on a skill
Working on a skill you want to learn is extremely important and very productive. When you force yourself to learn a new thing or a skill, it teaches you self-discipline and is a productive habit.
Working on a skill is one of the best productivity habits because it teaches you a new thing and you are spending your time productively.
You spend your time on something beneficial that can later on make you money, or create relationships with new people or in general bring new values to your life.
Skills I am working on:
- Online Business
- Affiliate Marketing
- Video Editing
11. Play an instrument
Playing an instrument is fantastic way to spend time doing something you are passionate about or like, and it is a good way to stay productive as well.
Even though you may not play instrument to turn it into a business, it is still a great way to spend time productively and establish a new habit besides other best productivity habits.
Playing an instrument can also work as a break from your actual work. It is an productive and creative activity that is fun to do but also challenges you to learn something new.
Instrument I play:
- Guitar (creating fingerstyle covers)
12. Walk & podcast
An instant way to bump up your productivity is by going for a walk and listening to a podcast that is interesting, motivating and exciting.
It is can very therapeutic for your mindset and mental health to sometimes focus on calm walking and listening to a podcast that encourages and motivates you to take action.
This is actually quite a healthy and effective habit you can do a couple times a week and that’s why I included it on the best productivity habits list.
This can be also done if you are walking to work, school, grocery store etc.
13. Focus on the most important tasks first
This a powerful thing I talk about a lot. To be honest, if you want to add one of the best productivity habits in your life, this is the one you should focus on.
When you focus on the important tasks first, you are much more likely to work on them productively and make progress that matters in terms of reaching your goals.
The thing is that if you complete the most important tasks first, you will ensure you make daily progress even if the rest of the day turned into unproductive one.
Generally speaking, after completing the most important tasks of each day motivates to complete the rest of the daily tasks.
Benefits of focusing on the most important tasks first:
- Make essential progress
- Work productively
- Developing strong self-discipline
14. Stick to your plan
Small habits matter in the long-term. Meaning, if you stick to your daily plan everyday for many years, you will definitely achieve your ultimate goals.
Sticking to the plan is easily one of the most effective and best productivity habits you should do daily.
Why would you create a plan if you are not able to stick to it?
Having a plan means you know what you have to compete in order to get to the direction you are aiming towards.
Planning your day is smart and creative, which eventually helps you in staying productive all day long. The plan works as source of motivation because your goal is to complete the daily plan.
Evening
15. Relaxing moment
When it comes to being productive throughout the day, there are also some tricks you can use in the evening to stay productive.
Taking a moment for yourself to relax is a good way to calm down and recharge yourself quickly before completing the last actions needed.
Learning how to relax for a moment is a good habit for productivity.
Examples:
- Breath slowly
- Lay down
- Get fresh air
16. Plan the next day
Now let’s jump into the progressive part of the best productivity habits. Planning the next day is very powerful – especially when done the night before.
That’s why I included it in the evening section.
When you plan your next day the night before, you already know what tasks you have to complete and prioritize.
In addition, you don’t have to spend your morning thinking about what should you do next because you have planned your actions already.
Use the power of planning the day the night before for productive results.
17. Summarize the present day
Summarizing the current day is an incredible way to see and understand what went well and what you could have improved.
Doing this daily helps to learn where you should focus more in order to get even better and productive results.
This is for sure on of those best productivity habits you can do every evening to find out where you should improve.
Summarizing your work and day as a whole is great for being honest with yourself and finding your own weaknesses.
Few things to check:
- Did you complete daily plan?
- Did you complete 2 most important tasks of the day?
- What was the hardest thing to do?
18. Prepare for the next day
Preparing for the next day is a great thing to do in the evening because you don’t have to deal with possible adversity and problems in the morning.
This means you prepare your outfit, bag, and maybe even meals for the next day.
This is a productive action that will surely help in staying more organized but also more productive.
19. Take care of yourself
Taking care of yourself is foundation for productivity. You can’t be productive the next day if you are not making yourself ready for it.
In the evening, take a shower, clean your face, brush teeth and do actions that make you feel good and ready for the next day in terms of physical self-care.
Taking care of yourself is a thing you have to do daily in order to do those best productivity habits that support your ability to remain productive.
20. Relaxing evening routine
Building a habit of having a relaxing evening routine is a great way to ensure you can go to sleep with great motivation and excitement towards the upcoming day.
Having a solid evening routine that you do constantly ensures you train your ability to stay productive and little things matter to you, which is also important when working.
Creating an evening routine will help in being excited about next day and increase your desire to work on important tasks that help you reach your goals.
Evening routine idea:
- Healthy snack
- Passive stretching / body mobility
- Shower
- Read
What to remember about best productivity habits
When it comes to the best productivity habits, it is critical to remember that doing all of these is not the goal.
The goal is to find habits for yourself that help you in staying productive as well as support your ability to take action on important tasks.
Ultimately, performing these little habits day by day you will notice a huge increase in your productivity.
