Do you ever feel as if you don’t get enough done in a day? Many of us tend to do what we absolutely must, tackling easy tasks instead of launching into bigger projects or the pursuit of longer-term goals. In other words, we cook, clean, answer emails and catch up with the day’s news – but do we ever start that novel or the side business we’ve been considering?
One of the causes of poor productivity may be lack of a plan. Ben Franklin planned out everything he would do each day at what time, tracked in half-hour time blocks.1 In fact, studies have shown that writing a plan is an effective way of improving productivity. Further, writing out a plan by hand – as opposed to typing it on a computer or smartphone calendar – is even more effective. Apparently, it makes us feel more connected to the material because we use the frontal lobe of the brain for both writing and planning, as well as problem solving.2
According to a recent article in Inc. magazine, a few simple habits can help make us more productive. They include setting basic building blocks toward a goal, creating benchmarks for incremental success and using only essential tools – don’t spend a lot of time and money unnecessarily.3
Some of these tips are also worthwhile practices for retirement saving and budgeting. After all, it’s a good idea to have a strategy for retirement income – a written one is best. Focusing on small, regular savings can help you meet incremental goals, and making commonsense decisions about what you do and don’t need to spend money on in retirement can help reduce the amount of income you’ll need. If you’d like some more ideas on ways to help make your retirement savings more productive through the use of insurance products, please give us a call.
Sometimes all we need to make ourselves more productive is to take a break from the action. However, it’s best not to take a long one – just enough to distract your brain so it returns to the task re-energized. In that break, you could stand and stretch, complete a quick chore – like paying a bill online – or respond to a text or email.4 Other productivity boosters include taking a 20-minute power nap and spending some time outdoors – preferably in the sunshine.5
Bear in mind that productivity isn’t about how many hours there are in a day, but how well you use them. A new study out of the United Kingdom said the average worker would be more productive if he or she were expected to work only three hours a day. That’s because the average office worker is generally engaged in actual work for only that long – the rest of the day is spent checking social media, visiting news websites, chatting with coworkers, etc. If we weren’t expected to be at our job for a full eight hours – if we could leave as soon as we got “X” amount of work done – it’s easy to imagine that people would become a lot more productive in less time.6
If you’re retired, consider translating this idea into your usual day. Imagine that long-term task you want to accomplish is your job, and you have to be “at work” for a full hour each day. The rest of the day is all yours for everything else. Would you be more productive in that one hour?
Content prepared by Kara Stefan Communications.
1 Amy Carleton. TheCut.com. Oct. 11, 2017. “The Centuries-Old Strategy That Turbocharged My Productivity.” https://www.thecut.com/2017/10/the-centuries-old-strategy-that-turbocharged-my-productivity.html?utm_campaign=sou&utm_source=tw&utm_medium=s1. Accessed Oct. 24, 2017.
2 Ibid.
3 Julian Hayes II. Inc.com. Oct. 25, 2017. “These 5 Overlooked Habits Will Instantly Make You More Creative and Productive.” https://www.inc.com/julian-hayes-ii/5-simple-habits-that-will-immediately-boost-your-productivity.html. Accessed Oct. 25, 2017.
4 Richard Moy. Inc.com. Oct. 20, 2017. “A 5-Minute Routine to Jolt Your Productivity.” https://www.inc.com/the-muse/how-to-boost-energy-at-work-5-minute-routine.html. Accessed Oct. 25, 2017.
5 Stephanie Vozza. Fast Company. Oct. 12, 2015. “15 Habits That Will Totally Transform Your Productivity.” https://www.fastcompany.com/3051540/15-habits-that-will-totally-transform-your-productivit. Accessed Oct. 24, 2017.
6 Arielle Tschinkel. Hellogiggles.com. Sept. 28, 2017. “A new study shows that a 3-hour work day may be better for productivity.” https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/money-career/3-hour-work-day-productivity/. Accessed Oct. 24, 2017.
We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed as financial advice.
The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions. If you are unable to access any of the news articles and sources through the links provided in this text, please contact us to request a copy of the desired reference.
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