Productive Things You Can Do Right Now

We are all busy. We could all benefit from a few quick tips on how to instantly better our lives and selves. Let’s break down a few great ways to instantly improve your life:

• Get Your Finances In Order – Do you keep tight track of all of your expenditures? Checking your bank statement online is just the beginning. Establishing an account at mint.com is a great way to see your income, expenditures, savings and more in one place.
• ifttt – Some of you may be asking, what is ifttt? Well, it stands for “if this, then that.” As the name implies, it’s a set of functionality tools that makes life a whole lot easier. Backup all of your Instagram photos to Dropbox, get a text message when the weather starts to change, or fill your Google calendar with upcoming movie releases. The possibilities are virtually endless!
• Exercise – We’ve said it before and we’ll say it another ten thousand times, but you can’t be happy or healthy unless you stay in good shape! If at all feasible, put on your workout clothes and get to it! Literally no one has ever regretted working out. If you’re at work or have another (semi-) reasonable excuse, then go for a walk on your lunch break or do some office exercises.
• Hydrate – For me, drinking lots of water keeps my complexion clear. For others, it wards off headaches and improves mental clarity. Whatever its effects, your body will undoubtedly benefit from a glass of water. Don’t buy bottled water, use a reusable bottle!
• Get your email in order – There’s no reason to have 3,000+ messages in your inbox nor is there any reason to check it every five minutes. Declutter your email now and take advantage of all the great Gmail plugins you can utilize to be more productive!
• Make a list – Write down everything you need to accomplish down. Then go back and break down each of those tasks into the pieces that comprise the task. Now separate that list in to high priorities (to do immediately), medium targets (this week-month) and long-term (one-six months). Now get to it. You will feel great crossing things off and achieving your goals.
• Phone a Friend – Have you read something or had a conversation that spurred memories of a long lost friend? Get on the phone with them. Let them know they still mean the world to you. Chances are things will pick up where they left off and both your spirits will be lifted. Bonus – this works great with family members, too!
• Clean your surroundings – Nothing clouds your mind like a cluttered setting. Clean all the surfaces (also reducese allergens and germs), discard all unused and unneeded goods and prioritize things you use and need often. You will be amazed how much clearer things are when you’re not surrounded by clutter.
• Focus on one thing at a time – We all like to pride ourselves on being amazing multitaskers. It turns out, we agree much more productive focusing on one thing at a time. Here’s how NOT to multitask.

The internet is a playground of sites packed with advice like this. One need to only Google “how to ______” and the answer emerge – but please, ignore the auto suggestions. A special thank you is necessary to several of the sites I find the most inspiring and motivating:

–        Zen Habits

–        Life-Long Learner

–        Lifehacker

–        Blog of Impossible Things

Any other tips or websites? Let us know.