What better way to celebrate turning another year older than with 26 crucial life lessons that I’ve picked up after 26 birthdays? I’ve organised the list into my niche (click here to find out why a niche is super duper important), so you’ll find the post in three parts, with each containing lessons that relate to either education, productivity or personal development.
How helpful is that? Time for part two: 7 lessons in productivity

Set a timer
Remember why you’re being productive
You should never do something just for the sake of it. Come up with a reason. Why do you want to be more productive? Is it to get more done? Or is it to spend more time with your family. Or maybe to do more of what you love? Figure out why you’re doing something, and keep that at the forefront.
Work smarter, not harder
Parkinson’s Law states that our work expands to fill the time allotted to it. So don’t say that you’ll spend 2 hours researching and reading; figure out how to get your tasks done in half the time by working a little smarter. Seriously, why bother working for 60 hours if you can get something done in 30?
Get a good productivity system
Whether you’re tracking your tasks in a Bullet Journal, OneNote or Notion, or something else completely, figure out a good system that works for you. At the end of the day, your productivity system is for you, and you alone. Who cares what others think of it?
Maybe make productivity tweaks
Just because you think your Bullet Journal is good enough, doesn’t mean that it is. Don’t be afraid to try something new – I know that I have – to see if there are some systems more suited to the way you work.
Focus on the goal, not the process.
99% of you are not being productive because you actively enjoy working. You’re being productive so that you can accomplish something. Don’t lose sight of that!
Work where you work best
Some of us work best at home. Others prefer an office, while others still might fancy working in a library until the crack of dawn. It doesn’t matter where you work, and it doesn’t matter if where you’d rather work is different to where I’d rather work. The point I’m making here is pretty simple: figure out what works best for you, and stick to it. That’s where you’ll have the best chance of getting things done – and doing it quickly, too.
Disclaimer: do I know everything yet? No. Am I trying to? Absolutely, so hit me up in the comments with any Life Pro Tips you’ve picked up during your time on Earth.
While you’re here, you might also like…
Give productive procrastination a go!
Here’s how to get out of a rut
The ultimate guide to wellbeing
Why not follow my socials?
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