Many things happened in recent years, whether politically or culturally. But one situation that touched practically everyone irrespective of region, lifestyle, or ethnicity is the recent pandemic.
Changes were rampant in every sector of life in different areas worldwide. Students turned to remote e-learning modes to complete their education while businesses took up a hybrid or remote work style, i.e., work-from-home. This affected people’s everyday lifestyle, and many struggled with physical and mental pressure.
Here, it is essential to focus on organizing the work-life balance well. Prioritizing the main goals and consistently following them is crucial to expect better consequences. Here are some ways to improve this quality for personal and professional improvement.
1. Set Doable Goals
Remember when Marlin, Nemo, Dori said, “Swim down!” to all the fish as the fisherman kept pulling the net towards the boat? With time, and perseverance, Nemo, Dori, and soon the rest of the school of fish started paddling in the opposite direction of the pull, ultimately overpowering the net and swimming to safety.
That scene in “Finding Nemo” made even grown adults beam with happiness and tears, showing how the willingness to survive and focus on one goal can lead to success.
Consider the same in your life. You, as Nemo (or the fish), are trying to swim towards freedom (i.e., your goal) while the fishermen and their net (i.e., life, other responsibilities, etc.) are trying to pull you back. When the pressure increases, it becomes harder to reach your goal.
Instead, you should set small goals. If the objective is challenging and you have other things to do, procrastination would become your invisible enemy. However, if the goal you set is doable, you would have an easier time completing them one by one. With time, you would have an even smoother time reaching your goals each time.
2. Prepare a Daily Schedule and Then Follow It Religiously
Setting small, doable goals is fine, but sticking to them can still get complicated. So, it is better to prepare a daily schedule for that. If you have some crucial tasks, jot them down in an easily accessible and visible area. Things like preparing a checklist for your tasks or a schedule of specific activities with a weekly or biweekly alarm can help.
For example, as a software engineer, you would have a lot of work with coding. Make a schedule about running tests after each phase or at time-sensitive periods. Follow that timetable, which would help you maintain a consistent flow to your work.
3. Set Good Reminders and a 5-Second-Rule For Them
Indeed, use the alarm technique to improve your level of consistency to the best of your ability. Set acoustic or visual reminders and use notification tools for specific habits. Do this daily, but at a time that it would work for you.
For example, when people are trying to lose weight, many set timers to drink water daily for proper hydration. Plus, they plan a specific time when they generally relax, such as after the workday ends, for a small run, workout, or a walk.
With the help of reminders, a habit forms as the body and brain pick it up subconsciously as an essential routine.
However, it would be best to do it immediately to get results while you set a reminder. In other words, no snooze button is allowed. Here, you can follow a five-second rule. You have to start the work that comes to your mind after counting backward from 5 to 1 and then doing it. If you wait for longer, you might not end up doing it, and that would break the habit.
4. Make the Tasks Interesting
Work can get monotonous with time, especially when you constantly do it at your home. This is one of the significant constraints many people suffered from during the lockdowns.
The lack of routine (i.e., getting up, getting ready, going to the office, finishing work fast to return home) messed with their sense of excitement with the work. The typical schedule now involves waking up and doing different home-related chores while focusing on meeting work-related deadlines. These contributed to a growing sense of apathy for people with their work.
To combat this, you should try to make the tasks enjoyable by adding fun elements. For example, if you have to update your daily work during your log-out period, detailing all points in the email, listen to your favorite album at the time.
In regular life, you can make your household work feel less tiring by watching an episode of your favorite show at the same time. Small acts like these would reignite your brain to focus, and you can improve your functions better.
5. Consider the Destination, Not the Short Intervals
Here, it is vital to mention that being happy with a small win is still good. Do celebrate them, but do not settle. Instead, focus on the final goal that you want to achieve. In other words, you should prepare for the long-term goal and achieve that results instead of the short-term gains.
Planning to lose 50 pounds? Significantly, you lost 5 pounds after some weeks, but focus on the final look you would want. For help, look at the tight jeans you want to fit in as your motivator.
Similarly, are you developing a startup company? You would be happy when you get some customers, and your business is growing. However, think bigger and focus on expanding your company into a chain/enterprise.
Indeed, whether your long-term goal is something huge or relatively achievable, your power of consistency increases when you remind yourself of your end goal. Use tactics like journaling, vision board, or reminders for this.
6. Reward the Milestones and Follow Accountability
Have you heard of the phrase “carrot and the stick”? Follow the same principle in your life to improve your level of work quality and reliability.
Decide on some rewards for specific milestones. Make sure to plan something genuinely exciting and valuable as the potential reward. This would work as a motivator for you to complete the task you have to finish consistently.
Similarly, make sure to hold yourself accountable when you do not finish the set goal. Plan something that would have consequences as a punishment, and follow it. The desire to avoid the consequences would also work as a motivator.
7. Do Something Instead of Nothing
The main thing that powers consistency is effort. As long as a person is focused on doing a task, it will become a habit.
It would still be enough even if you do the task in small parts, like accomplishing 10 minutes of running instead of your regular 40 minutes of workout.
Conclusion:
Overall, considering these tips and following them would help you improve your performance in work life. Also, focusing on consistency in various aspects of your life would help you balance your overall schedule and lifestyle more grounded. After that, you can expect more growth, a better routine, and profitable results!!
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