Successful Strategies to Reframing Your Day for Better Productivity

Whether it be in a designated workplace, from home, or even extracurricular hobbies or side-hustles, maintaining productivity is a struggle for people everywhere. While there are a number of strategies for creating better productivity on a day-to-day basis, sometimes the most beneficial thing you can do is to reframe your day. Whether this is in organization, mindset, or personal practices, reframing your day can increase productivity immensely, and even improve your work/life satisfaction.

Here are five successful strategies to reframe your day for better productivity.

1. Use Your Circadian Rhythms

“A well-planned schedule is one of the best ways to be productive throughout your day. Scheduling work times surrounding social needs, activity needs, and time for rest can help boost your productivity hours and keep you from being burned out.” – Karim Hachem, VP of eCommerce, Maxine of Hollywood

This strategy is crucial to your productivity throughout the day, but is also merely scratching the surface of how you can take advantage of your day through scheduling awareness.

Your circadian rhythms are, at their core, your sleep/wake cycle. While you might be wondering how you can be productive by going to sleep, there is more to this cycle than just when you get out of bed and when you lay down to rest. 

There are some staples of circadian rhythms that are different for males and females, but also a number of aspects that are unique to the individual.

These aspects refer to when you are most awake, when you are most productive, when you should rest, and when you should get exercise.

Understanding the times of the day when your body is most prepared for these activities can help you pick the times when you are most productive to be productive, rather than attempt to force productivity at times when your body and brain are not functioning at their best capacity.

If you are attempting to reframe your day for productivity, reframe it around your circadian rhythms.

2. Intentionality

Dedicate each chunk of time throughout your day to something specific. Rather than deciding to just work throughout the day, pick specific times to work, schedule breaks, have each period of your time be something that contains an intentional focus.

“Intentionality is a skill. It allows us to communicate to our brain our own will, that we are going to sit down and do something by our own choice, or that we are going to run that extra mile. The more intentional we are, the more productive we are. We don’t allow ourselves to simply go through the motions of our day.” – Breanne Millette, CEO, Bisoulovely

“When we reframe our day around intentional time and decisions, we provide ourselves the opportunity to celebrate accomplishment, to rest well, and to reduce stress. This, of course, comes with understanding how long certain tasks may take us. For instance, an intentional time for lunch that lasts only five-minutes may cause stress, but a 30-minute to one-hour lunch can allow a space of rest and retreat during the day.” – Oliver Zak, CEO and Co-Founder, Mad Rabbit Tattoo

Furthermore, intentional time to not be productive can be just as important as intentional time to be productive. Whether small breaks scheduled throughout the day, a morning ritual that belongs to you, or a strict boundary when you go home to turn off workplace communication can help you better perform while in a productive space.

3. Mindset

Conquering, and refraining your mindset is one of the most important factors to having a successful, and productive day. How we view our work, or extra-office activities can vastly change how productive we are within them. 

It’s difficult to be productive at something that you hate. Whether literally, or metaphorically, you will be dragging your feet, wishing you were doing something else.

If this is very genuinely the case, you may want to consider searching for a new job that excites you in your day-to-day activities as you strive for productivity.

If you are merely disenchanted with work, however, you may want to try reframing your mindset. 

“Focus on the things within your workplace that you are grateful for. Celebrate the final products, be the person who excites yourself about the process, and look for opportunities to challenge yourself.” – Liza Kirsh, CMO, Dymapak

As you focus your thoughts on the positives within your work, you will be able to better motivate yourself, and in turn, improve your workplace productivity levels.

4. Workspace

We know that reframing your work day can require reframing your schedule, being intentional with your time, and even adjusting your mindset. But in many cases what we need to improve our day-to-day productivity is to reframe our workspace. 

The workspace, or workplace can be one of the biggest contributors to productivity lows and highs throughout the day. In everything from inspiration, to focus, and even rest times, the way that a workspace is created, set up, and maintained can have an enormous effect on how productive a person is in these regions. 

“Where we work determines how we work. A messy workspace can lead to a messy mind, or a diversion of focus. Poor social environments can reduce a person’s desire to be in the workspace, which may reduce their productivity. A claustrophobic workspace can literally crush inspiration. Teams need to come together, and collaborate on what type of space helps them boost their productivity and their desire to work.” – Datha Santomieri, Co-Founder and Vice-President, Steadily

“If in a collaborative workplace, work with your team to create a space that supports everyone’s productivity. If you work from home, or work alone, experiment with your space to find the setup and organization method that boosts your productivity, allows you to focus, and even inspires you.” – Trey Ferro, CEO, Spot Pet Insurance

5. When You’re Not Working

What do you do when you’re not working throughout the day? Chances are, it’s having an effect on how productive you are when you are working—whether it’s personal or corporate.

It’s important to find a proper balance between your work, and what you do outside of work. This may mean rest, a hobby, or a workout, but all of them have an effect on your productivity success.

“Daily physical activity is among the biggest keys to success in the world of productivity. Being active stimulates our brains, helps us balance our hormones, and even keeps us from getting cabin fever throughout the day. It can be a swim, a run, a walk, weight training, whatever works for you. Getting physical activity can be the secret to a successful work day.” – John Diep, CEO, LA Startups

Physical activity prepares our bodies for the day, rests our minds from focusing on work, and places us in a positive chemical environment. When you combine this with active rest during the day—such as reading, a hobby, or a social outing—you are able to frame your mind for productivity during intentional times. 

How do I Reframe my Workday Right?

With all of these tips, you may be wondering how you reframe your workday in the right ways to take advantage of them. First, observe yourself. Take notes, understand what hurts and helps you throughout the day and discover what methods might be best for you to try. Keep a notebook of what new methods help, and what methods just don’t work for you.

Lastly, do your research! Learn about your circadian rhythms, learn about what type of workplaces stimulate certain careers, examine successful scheduling practices that others have used throughout the day to become more productive. There are always new strategies, and the best one for you is the one that works.