</br>Expecting someone to give his/her 100% each day at work, school, at the gym or when simply doing chores around the house is a little bit unreasonable. We all have our good days and our bad days, but it is possible to keep our productivity at a relatively high level throughout the week. It takes planning, and a few big changes, but it can be done.

As a number of successful, albeit slightly eccentric, entrepreneurs have demonstrated you don’t need 30 hour days to finish all your tasks and manage to work on self-improvement, all you need is grim determination and a good plan. The following five strategies have been proven to work for an overwhelming majority of people, and they will work for you too, as long as you stay consistent.

Improve your sleeping habits

Although it’s one of those common sense bits of advice, very few people actually follow the old get 8-9 hours of quality sleep rule. This is understandable, as merely telling someone to “get more sleep” isn’t all that helpful – you need a comprehensive and actionable strategy. It’s important to develop habits like having the same pre-bedtime routine to wind down, turning off all the lights and noise-making gadgets, and avoiding anything that engages and stimulates your mind right before bed. Setting an alarm clock to 7 or 8 am, or any other specific time that suits your lifestyle, consistently is another good way to get yourself to fall asleep a bit earlier at night.

The pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is a great strategy for maximizing productivity levels throughout the day, and the best thing about it is that it’s not set in stone – people find different ways of making it work. It essentially has you break up tasks into short 25 minute intervals of laser-focused problem-solving and about 5 minutes of rest. These are called pomodoros (it’s Italian for tomato, but don’t ask why), and for every 2-3 pomodoros you would take a longer 20-30 minute break before moving on. Some people find 40-50 minutes of active work and 5-10 minutes of rest to work best, so you should experiment. The main point is to focus on a single task until you start to feel tired, and then taking a short break.

The 80/20 rule

In terms of sheer practicality and fast results, nothing beats this rule. If we break it down to its core, it’s fairly straightforward and effective if applied correctly: spend 80% of your time focusing on the 20% of your obligations that will benefit you the most. It’s important to identify the tasks that truly make a big difference, e.g. learning a new work-related skill or paying of your debt, and make them a priority. Some things may take a lot of work, and still only get you mediocre results, so setting your priorities straight is incredibly important.

Use exercise and mindless repetitive tasks to help clear your mind



</br>Not everyone warms up to meditation as a way of soothing the mind, but the good news is that it’s not the only way to achieve blissful calmness. Regular exercise like running or weight lifting helps your mind forget all about the daily worries and obligations, as your blood rushes to the muscles and you focus on running the distance, keeping good form while hitting the heavy bag or finishing a heavy set at the gym. Even simple tasks like vacuuming, washing dishes, knitting, household DIY projects and anything else that keeps your hands busy are a great way to help the mind rest. Devote some 30-60 minutes to exercise or boring manual tasks – you’ll be much more focused afterwards.

</br>Feed your brain the nutrients it needs

You don’t have to become a dietician or world class chef to be able to cook up some tasty and healthy meals that will help you concentrate better. The internet is full of great recipes and all the information you’ll need on so-called “brain food”. Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B and other nutrients that promote brain function are a part of any well-balanced diet, so it’s as simple as eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, healthy fats and avoiding processed foods.

Using these seemingly simple strategies will help you drastically improve your focus, energy levels, and overall efficiency, which will lead to increased productivity. All it takes is a few weeks to get used to the new lifestyle changes.