Being productive is beneficial for all aspects of our daily life: the dream of making the most in the shortest time is something we all wish to come true. Although there is no universal recipe for making people productive, there are several solid steps to try that will help you with this big wish of yours.

To achieve world-class productivity, you must develop strong self-discipline and time-management skills. In addition, you need to have a clear sense of purpose, or mission, which keeps you motivated and on track. Once you’ve identified your goals and are taking deliberate steps toward them, you’ll be on your way to becoming more effective and efficient. If you’re struggling to become more productive, read on and be sure to follow these tips:

Concentrate at one task at a time

Single-tasking requires you to remove all distractions from your workspace, whether at a desk or at home. Put away your cell phone or Apple Watch, close all tabs on your computer, and block distracting websites. You can also set your Slack or email to ‘do not disturb’ mode so that no one interrupts you while you’re working. This will focus your brain and allow you to focus on a single task.

You can set a timer to help yourself stay focused on a single task and take short breaks between changing tasks, or even add an element of gamification to help yourself concentrate. There are many ways to single-task, and you need to find what works best for you. Once you’ve found your perfect strategy, try to increase the time you spend single-tasking.

Prioritize your tasks

The first step in prioritizing tasks is to know what is essential and what you can’t complete. A master list is a great way to keep track of tasks that require attention and identify which ones should be put off until the end of the day. It is somehow similar to how college students tend to google “write my paper for me free” instead of wasting their time on tedious study tasks for a subject they will rarely use in the future: they make more time for more essential tasks and delegate the others to someone else.

If you struggle to make time for everything you need to do, prioritizing tasks can be the answer. It can reduce stress and increase productivity, which is key to finding a healthy balance between work and life. Productivity is driven by energy, and if tasks aren’t prioritized properly, you’ll only waste energy and stress yourself out.

Work on your time management

Time management is a critical skill for being more efficient. Managing your time effectively will ensure that you focus on the most critical tasks and avoid being distracted by non-work-related activities. Good time management will also help you accomplish more and reduce stress. This will improve your mental and physical health.

First, make a to-do list for the day. This list can be on paper or online and should include both short-term and long-term tasks that need to be accomplished. Making this list will also help you get started each day.

Try meditation

If you want to be more productive, you should consider meditating. It can help you focus and overcome procrastination. It can also help you solve problems and make better decisions. Meditating regularly can help you silence the inner chatter and make better decisions based on your values and goals.

Meditation is known to reduce negative emotions, like stress, and increase positive ones. It also helps you focus your mind, which is vital for productivity. If you don’t focus, you will find yourself losing time and energy. Distractions, like social media rabbit holes, can take your attention away from essential tasks.

Cut down the time you spend on TV and social media

TV and social media take more than 5 hours a day from us, so making this time shorter can help us get things done. It can also free several hours a day for work and personal activities. This time can be used to take up new hobbies, learn new skills or improve relationships.

Identifying what causes you to overcommit to the different media distractions is the first step toward reducing the amount of time you spend in front of it. If you cannot reduce the amount of time you dedicate to different media, talk to a healthcare professional or therapist about the problem. Therapists are skilled in treating people struggling with media addictions and can provide compassion and understanding.

Take a nap

Napping is an effective way to recharge your brain. It reduces stress and improves performance. People who take naps tend to be happier and have better concentration. Napping also improves your memory. A 20-minute power nap can significantly affect learning and problem-solving abilities.

Napping helps your working memory, a part of your brain that helps you concentrate on a task while retaining information from other tasks. This ability is essential for complex tasks. Taking a nap at work can help you get more done and leave more time for your personal life. Unfortunately, many western cultures do not allow employees to nap during the workday, and this lack of sleep costs their companies $63 billion in lost productivity yearly.