12 Tips to Boost Your Productivity: How Introverted Creatives Can Stay Focused

 Mar. 7, 2022 | 

It’s no secret that being productive isn’t always easy. Whether you’re a natural extrovert or an introvert trying to balance your work and personal lives, staying on top of your tasks can be difficult. But with a few strategic tweaks, you can work through the difficulties and get more done than ever before. While introverts may be low-key, they are just as productive as extroverts – they just need to work a bit harder to get there. Here are some helpful tips that introverts can use to boost their productivity and be more effective at work.   

1. Practice productive morning routines: Plan your day ahead of time and make sure that you have everything you need for a productive day before you even get out of bed. This could include having an alarm set, waking up early to take advantage of daylight, etc. It might sound silly, but setting aside time in the morning has been shown to improve focus throughout the rest of the day.

2. Start early: Another helpful tip is to begin early in the morning, when you have more time. The sooner you begin working on your projects, the more time you will have for breaks and lunch. It also allows you to plan ahead of time so that when things get busy later in the day, you aren't rushed or anxious about getting things done.

3. Set goals: Setting goals is another method to stay on track and focused. Taking a step back from your work can help you see what has to be done next and how long it will take. Use a goal board or list to help you stay motivated. It will remind you of all the things you want to do and give you hope they will be realized.

 
4. Keep track of your work hours: There are many facets of productivity, but self-accountability is particularly vital for introverted creatives. Keeping track of your work hours not only gives you something else to focus on during the day besides completing tasks (which can be difficult when you're working on projects or tasks all day), but it also allows you to see how much time you spend working versus sleeping, eating meals, and so on. 

Another benefit of keeping track of work hours is that it might assist you in determining whether a project or job is taking up too much of your time. Introverts are also keenly conscious of their own specific work and can easily become engrossed in the details. You need to stay accountable to your own work and be confident in the progress you’re making.

5. Break it down: Break down large projects into smaller, manageable chunks of time, so you don’t get overwhelmed with the amount of work at hand.

6. Recharge often: Introverted creatives frequently make the error of not taking breaks during the day. It's easy to get caught up in the creative flow, but if you don't take a break, this can become a problem. Breaks allow your brain to rest and regenerate, allowing you to return with new ideas and motivation.

Try to take frequent breaks during the day. This doesn’t mean you should take as much time off as possible and spend all your days just lounging. It simply means that every one or two hours, step away from what you are working on and immerse yourself in a different activity. Sometimes this can be anything from taking a short walk outside to reading an article online or watching a video.

7. Eliminate distractions: Remove any distractions from your workspace, such as phones, social networking apps, and other digital gadgets that may be keeping you from completing your tasks. If you're feeling distracted when working on a project, take a 10-minute break by doing something different, such as going for a stroll outside or drinking coffee/tea while listening to music or reading an inspirational book, to re-energize yourself for the rest of the day.

8. Go outside: Working around nature has been shown to increase productivity in both introverted and extroverted people, so getting outside for an hour or two each day is another wonderful way to keep focused without feeling overwhelmed, as some people do when they don't get out of the office frequently enough.

9. Create visualizations of success: Visualizations might help you focus and be more productive. They help you visualize where you want to go in life and what you want to accomplish. Imagine the end goal of your project or assignment, for example, to visualize achievement. When you're starting out on a project, seeing success can help you stay motivated to complete the task at hand.

10. Don’t multitask: One big challenge introverts face is a fear of losing their train of thought when they multitask. It’s easy to say, “I can just do this and that at the same time” but the truth is that you can’t. Multitasking will make you less productive in the end because you are dividing your attention between two or more things. You might get 1/3 as much done if you were to focus on a single task at a time.

11. Ask for help when you need it: This can be something as simple as asking someone to take notes for you in a meeting or getting an extra set of hands on deck to take care of some of your responsibilities. Having someone else do some of the tasks that are weighing you down can free up your time and give you more opportunities to be productive and focused on other tasks.

12. Have a plan for failure: It’s easy for introverts to be discouraged when things don’t go according to plan. Having a plan for failure will help you feel more secure and confident in your work, and will make it easier for you to work through the inevitable setbacks that may occur. Draw up a list of what you want to accomplish during the day, but also make sure you've got contingencies in place if something stops you from making progress. This means thinking about the worst-case scenario and how you'll handle it.

 
Introverts know how to stay focused and plan, but sometimes, even with all the best intentions, they can still get overwhelmed and need a little help. If you're an introvert, following one or more of the 10 tips above will help you focus better and be more productive.