Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. – Paul J. Meyer

I have been backpacking around the world for 1 year now, and one question I often get from fellow writers is, “how are you so productive? How do you get so much writing done on the road?”

It wasn’t always this way. At the beginning of my travels, I was incredibly Unproductive – writing 1 or 2 measly articles each month.
It took the time to discover and develop the habits that almost all productive people abide by – and the difference are enormous. Not only am I publishing daily these days, but I’ve found 100s of new readers and made a ton of new friends because I’m finally a consistently high performer.

There are 8 essential productivity habits here that anyone can develop. Even by focusing on one or two at a time, you’ll find your personal productivity takes a great leap forward.

8 Productivity Habits of Successful People That You Need to Know

1. Productive People Can differentiate between “busy” and “productive”

Often, we end up putting off real work for tasks that make us feel like we’re accomplishing something. Organising, list making, answering email, chatting with co-workers, updating social media. We feel busy, but later we end up wondering “Why didn’t I get anything done?”

Productive people know how to get the important things done.

2. Productive People Know When to Throw Out the Unimportant Distractions

Does sorting, prioritising, and replying to email take up an hour of your day?

Does this document really need to be checked again for every comma and period?

Sometimes we get so caught up in the minutia that we forget that, for a lot of tasks, these little items have no measurable impact on our results.

3. Productive People Do Not Multitask

Our minds function best with long periods of uninterrupted time. Multitasking is the complete antithesis of this – constant, avoidable, self-interruption.

4. Productive People Schedule Work in Large Blocks

More to that point, many productive people are early risers, which allows them to have a large period of uninterrupted working time without external distractions. Night owls get to enjoy a similar environment.
live with passion

5. Productive People Know When and How to Take Breaks

To balance these blocks of uninterrupted time, our minds do need breaks. Productive people know whether their peak performance starts to drop after 90 minutes, an hour or two hours and schedule breaks accordingly. They don’t self-interrupt, but they DO take some time off upon completing an important task.

6. Productive People Know When to COMPLETELY unplug

There are a ton of benefits to modern technology, but being hooked into the system 24/7 is bad for mental health – and productivity.
We, humans, recharge when we unplug. Take a walk in nature, watch the sunrise or sunset. Even just spending some quiet time with our phones, tablets, and computers turned off will help us come back refreshed and rejuvenated.

7. Productive People Have Consistent Sleeping Patterns

Many people, desperate to get more done, sacrifice sleep. Productive people know this is a cardinal sin that may produce a small, short-term increase in results but a long-term deep-dive. If we don’t take care of our minds and bodies, they will let us down when we need them most, and sleep is absolutely essential to that.

8. Productive People Move Their Bodies!

Richard Branson was asked in an interview with Joe Polish how he increases his personal productivity. His answer: “work out.”
Exercise is a way to relax, de-stress, stay in shape, respect our bodies, and enjoy them! By taking care of ourselves outside of work, we’re putting ourselves in a position to succeed AT work.

In Conclusion

Increased productivity is something we can all achieve, no matter where we are now. By focusing on these important habits and integrating them into our lives, we can eventually be as productive as any top-performer. Good luck, and here’s to higher productivity!