Everyone strives to increase productivity and be more successful in their careers pursuits.
Along this journey, you may seek out helpful tools that range from time-managing strategies to expensive business and motivation seminars.
Ultimately, you will be able to find a few strategies that work and a few that do not.
However, finding simple, costless ways to increase your productivity are a much better investment of your time.
One effective and costless way to increase your productivity is through your vocabulary. Sometimes we neglect to realize that even something as simple as the words we use when accomplishing tasks can make a huge difference.
According to psychologist Leslie Sherlin, there is one word in particular, which can transform your productivity in miraculous ways; that word is “done.”
We associate accomplishment with the word done, and we associate accomplishment with feeling productive and successful. Simply saying the word after you have completed a task can allow your brain to release small amounts of serotonin that will keep you motivated and hyped for the tasks that lie ahead. Also known as the brain’s “feel-good chemical,” serotonin helps you relax in a way that will benefit the efficiency and quality of your next assignment.
For those who have demanding jobs that sometimes require hours upon hours to complete one task, this strategy may seem largely irrelevant. Fortunately, there are many strategies you can implement to help break those tasks into smaller mental segments. This will help you keep focused without becoming worn out and will give you many more opportunities to utter the magic word, “done.”
Several strategies can be taken to reach this breaking up of large tasks, but there are three that are particularly useful: taking micro-breaks, working in smaller segments and creating a visual breakdown of the overall task.
- With micro-breaks, you are allowing your brain the proper resting time it needs in order to work long hours. Try saying “done” before and after every micro-break to give your mind that small serotonin boost it craves.
- Working in smaller segments allows you to place more immediate focus on individual aspects of your tasks. This will make you more detail oriented and give you just the right amount of opportunities to say “done.”
- Finally, creating a visual breakdown of your overall tasks will alleviate the stress of forgetting about a crucial element. Check off each task as it is completed and give yourself a well-deserved “done.”
Add this strategy to your toolkit on how to increase productivity and give yourself that boost in productivity you’ve been craving while simultaneously saving your wallet any damage.