One is productive when one can deliver the required output; especially if it’s accomplished using only readily available resources within a given time limit.

However, with today’s highly complex nature of activities that needs to be done, keeping pace and remembering to do one’s tasks has become a challenge.

To be better at productivity, one cannot simply go through the day doing things. For that is simply being busy, and does not equally translate to being productive.

It’s now important to identify tasks and set up a framework on how to perform them. One needs a system to consistently produce desired output, both in quantity and quality.

At the most basic, creating a daily, weekly, and monthly to-do list is the simplest system you can set up to increase your productivity. And then going through your day checking off those items, one by one.

Time is neither elastic nor able to slow down. And it’s been found that multiple tasks can be done more effectively by systematically accomplishing each one stepwise one after another, rather than several at the same time (otherwise known as multitasking).

Moreover, it is advised that you keep track and learn the duration needed to accomplish your tasks. And then properly allot time in your schedule to avoid idle times or unfinished items at the end of the day.

Of course, there’s no accurate way to predict the time that will be utilized for each activity. And you can only become better at it by regular monitoring of your productivity.

Assess your performance every day and identify speed bumps that slowed down your pace or affected the quality of your output. Note the distractions and interruptions and find solutions on how to avoid or minimize them.

Productivity is a measure of output versus time. And the first step towards improving it is benchmarking your performance, and then finding ways to increase either your output or decreasing your time.