How to Increase Productivity on Your Side Project
Productivity is not just about how much time you spend on projects. It's about being efficient when you are working.
Besides, it's also crucial to find ways to increase your energy levels, so you have the energy to tackle everything you want to work on. That's why:
1. Prioritize
If you are serious about your side project — prioritize it on a daily basis by setting aside designated time for it every day or throughout the week.
2. Do preparation before work
When you sit at your desk to start working on your side project, you should already know exactly what you are going to do.
❗️1 hour of preparation could save you 10 hours of rework.
- Write your to-do list early in the morning or before going to bed. Don't wait to do that when you should be working on it.
- Organize the information that you need when working on your side project so you can easily access it.
- Use bucket lists. If you have one idea, don't fall into the trap that you will remember it later.
- Organize your environment to help you produce your best work. Turn off your phone when you enter this environment.
3. Cut down what you can survive without
That's probably the hardest part. If you want to focus on your side project, you will have to accept the idea that some things will have to change.
It's time to focus. Less is more. And if you are serious about your side project, it should be at the top of your list.
4. Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is very important when working on any task.
The trick is to start working almost immediately once you have your plan and timeline in place. It builds your confidence and motivates you to continue to push towards the finish line.
5. Always remember what drives you
Even if you put into practice all that I have mentioned above, there will still be days that you will feel tired and without the energy to work on your project.
The only thing that can help you in these days is your "why".
— Why are you working on this side project?
— What drives you to make it happen?
6. Do not sacrifice your night of sleep
If you need 7-8 hours of sleep to feel rested, then don't sleep less or more than that.
And avoid bright lights late at night. Its exposure suppresses the production of melatonin, which is a hormone your body produces to make you feel sleepy.
Watching TV, checking your emails, playing games on your mobile, and all those things you love doing late at night are ruining your sleep. Avoid them at all costs too.
💬 Conclusion
Just remember that sometimes we all fail and cannot keep up with plans, deadlines, etc. that we set. That doesn't mean that we fail; it only means that we are humans. We can always get back on course and push ahead, tell ourselves that we can do anything that we make up our minds to.
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Good post! I edited it to add headings (###) to make it a bit easier to read.
Thank you very much!
A related tip: if you don’t feel like working, make your goal to work for two minutes.
Usually it’s just hard to get started. Less amitious goals have less friction.
Once you’ve started, it’s easy to keep going.
I am most productive after 11:00 PM. I sometimes end up working until about 4-5 AM and I am very productive during that time. Because of this I wake up at 12PM the next day, but in my case it's working. I don't have any fixed schedule, sometimes at work during the day, sometimes at night, but I realized this works better for me. I would rather work when I feel productive and I actually want to work than force myself into working when I don't feel like it, knowing that I will indeed work later. I know everyone is different, but in my case a hectic schedule works better than a fixed one.