SearchExclusive.com

6 easy steps to being more productive

There are 24 hours in a day, and making the most of these hours is essential to boost productivity. Often, better time management skills and prioritization of tasks are two basic things that help in leveling up productivity levels. There are two ways to increase output: put in more time or work in a smarter way. Here are a few effective ways to boost your productivity levels.

Sleep well
For most people, getting between seven to 10 hours of good sleep is essential. This helps the body to get complete rest. In addition, enough REM sleep allows the mind to repair itself. Lack of sleep has a direct effect on our productivity. It lowers efficiency and decision-making. If you are rested well, you will find that your creativity levels have improved. Good sleep also helps in stabilizing your mood. What’s more, getting an early start in the morning will set you up for a better productive day.

Plan the day in advance
To-do lists are quite essential when it comes to increasing productivity. The best time to create a to-do list for the next day is the previous evening or night. Jot down the major tasks you need to complete the following day. This will give you a head start every morning since you have already planned everything that needs to be done. Make sure not to fit too many things in the list, as this can cause anxiety and an overwhelming feeling. This will have a reverse effect and bring down your productivity levels.

Track time spent on tasks
Keep track of how much time is being spent on each task in a day. Use tools that help you set a limit and monitor the time for each task. When in the midst of completing a task, people rarely can estimate the passage of time. Using trackers and apps can be useful in knowing how much time to assign for different tasks. This will further assist in planning a well-organized day and give a boost to productivity.

Plan for breaks
While planning for the day, don’t cram the entire schedule with only work. Keep some time aside for some regular breaks. Scheduling sufficient short breaks will help to improve focus and concentration. Moreover, taking well-timed breaks in the middle of a long-drawn task will help you to have a stable performance level. No breaks can mean a steady decline in performance and quick burnout. There are a lot of time management techniques available online that help in scheduling breaks along with productive work hours: Pomodoro, GTD, important-Urgent Matrix, Rapid Planning Method, and so on.

Try the “two-minute” rule
This rule basically states that if there are tasks that can be done in two minutes or less, do them right away; answering an email, doing the dishes, or making the bed. If you put them off for later, these tasks will consume more time than necessary. More effort will have to be taken to review and do these tasks later. The two-minute rule also helps take advantage of small windows of time available in your everyday schedule. This helps to do away with procrastination and increase productivity.

Follow the “eat the frog” technique
Although this technique sounds weird, it will add a lot to your productive day. The frog here is the most critical task on your list. You are likely going to put off these tasks for later. With the “eat the frog” method, you will need to do the major tasks first when you start your day. This should be developed into a habit so that you can reach higher levels of productivity and performance. Unless this critical task is dependent on information or outcomes of other tasks that you may get later, do the critical task first.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.