Have you ever felt like there is just not enough time in your day? In your week? In your life in general? To be honest, we all know the feeling. The modern world is a busy one, and sometimes all we can do is try to keep up. If you are tired of just keeping up (we all are), then keep reading: the only solution to our lack of time problems is to increase productivity. To achieve this, you need to be a planner, an organizer.

You need to track your past and focus on what matters now to properly plan and achieve your future goals. It sounds a bit daunting, doesn't it? But it’s true – this is how you can be more productive. With the right methods and the right tools, improving your productivity can be achieved and it is surprisingly straightforward.

Be a planner

Real productivity depends on a good plan. To have a good plan you need to be a good planner, and for that you need to use a good planner. To be able to plan the right way, you need to see what you are doing, you need to visualize your plan. 

We can’t stay on top of things if we have to keep guessing all the time. We can’t keep all the info we need in our memories: our brains can only take so much information. For that reason we have planners, organizers, journals and notebooks.

All the information needed to do a proper plan must be stored outside your brain. Clearing some room up there already increases your productivity: you will have more brain power available. You will also feel better because of it.

So, first step: get your planner or organizer and start planning! Remember to be realistic about your short term goals. Keep it simple. Be honest with yourself and respect the deadlines. Don’t worry about “the perfect plan”, you need your plan to NOT be perfect for the next step:

Be a tracker

We have all sensed how quickly time can pass by.  Many know the importance of planning but few understand why plans fail or succeed, and where time was wasted. This information is key to improve your productivity.

Tracking is how you know what to change on your next plan: realizing what is good for you and what isn’t. If something is working, why change it? If something is not working, get rid of it. But you won’t know until you start tracking. We are all unique in this world, and our plans must be unique as well. Start tracking so you can make your future plans better suited for you. 

Consider keeping a journal – it can be something as simple as writing everyday about how you feel and what you did on a notebook. The next time you start a new plan, you will know exactly what to do and not to. And that leads us to the last step:

Be focused

Finally, the part where you get to actually see your productivity improve! It is only a third of the process for a reason: it needs preparation in order to work. You plan, so you know what you have to do; you track, so you know what works for you and what doesn't; then you focus on what is working and nothing else.

If you find you aren't reaching your goals as you had hoped you would, focus on changing the first two steps. It always works in the end, because you keep getting better as you go. After a while it will become second nature. Focusing is going to be easier, and your productivity will improve.