11 Unexpected Productivity Goals to Set for Yourself

Are you someone that wants to learn how to be more productive every day but just isn’t quite sure where to start? Learning what productive goals to set for yourself is the #1 step in boosting your productivity levels and uncovering your best, most successful self. 

Post Updated: Jan. 13, 2023

Goal setting can feel intimidating. Trust me, I know. I’ve been there.

You sit down with a pen and paper and suddenly your mind goes blank. Or even worse, you start to get down on yourself and think that you can’t reach the goals that you have in mind.

Well, I’m here to tell you that is 100% false. You CAN achieve your goals and, honestly, is a lot simpler than I bet you’re thinking it is.

The first step for crushing your goals is knowing how and what goals to set for success.

If you are hoping to set some productivity goals for yourself, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to walk through some of the very best success and productivity goals that you can set for yourself!

Buckle up and get ready to set (and CRUSH) some major goals! Let’s do this!

This post is all about the best productivity goals to set for yourself. 

Productivity Goals to Set for Major Success

1. Have Daily Productivity Check-Ins

Make it a goal to check in with yourself often. Self-reflection is oftentimes the key to skyrocketing your success.

When you have self-check-ins, you have the opportunity to evaluate what you are doing, recognize what’s working, what’s not working, and adjust accordingly.

For too long I made the mistake of plugging away, thinking I was being productive but never taking the time to check in with myself.

Once I would check in, I sometimes would realize that I should’ve made minor adjustments WEEKS ago. Having regular (even daily) self-check-ins can help you prevent this!

2. Master Planning

Oh my GOSH! I cannot stress this enough. Planning has SAVED MY LIFE by keeping me on track, successful, and productive in my everyday life.

I utilize my planner for EVERY aspect of my life too. Work, school, social life, appointments, you name it.

Learning how to master your planner and use it effectively is SO important. HAVING an incredible planner that is laid out for exactly what you need is essential as well.

3. Understand Time Blocking

Time blocking is something that I never understood the importance of until I started working from home. Wow, has it ever made a difference.

While a standard to-do list is great, I’ve found time blocking to be even more helpful for my productivity.

Unlike a regular to-do list that tells you roughly WHAT you need to get done, time blocking lays out WHEN you are going to do it. This is SO helpful for keeping you on track with your goals and keeping that daily productivity level high.

This is a post that really helped me understand the art of time blocking when I first started incorporating it into my daily schedule. I highly recommend checking it out to get started!

4. Get At Least 7 Hours of Sleep

Emphasis on AT LEAST. I know for my body personally, I thrive on closer to 8 hours (or more!) of sleep every night.

Each person’s body is different and the amount of sleep you need will be personal to you and your specific body.

However, getting enough sleep (and getting quality sleep) is ESSENTIAL for being productive.

This is actually the first productivity goal I set for myself.

Honestly, I think it’s one of the best ones too. I got so used to running on less sleep than I needed that I forgot how it felt to actually be refreshed when I woke up.

An overtired body will never perform as well as a well-rested body, no matter how hard you try. Get your sleep!

5. Take One Mental Health Day Per Week

Before you click out thinking that being productive means working every day, I highly suggest you read this tip. (You might need to hear this the most!)

Self-care is productive.

Let me repeat that…

SELF-CARE IS PRODUCTIVE. 

Much like not getting enough sleep, when your mental health isn’t at its best, there is no way you can perform at your best.

You can put in all your effort, all your time, and all your focus into being productive but, if your mind is not 100% healthy, you won’t be able to achieve those goals as easily.

Working all the time can have major effects on your mental health- and not good ones!

Assigning one day a week to really check in with my mental health and care for myself has been a game-changer for my success.

Not only do I find myself more productive, but my mind is clearer, my attitude is better, and I am happier! This is an all-around win.

{RELATED POST: 30-Day Self-Care Challenge}

6. Optimize Your Time

Optimizing your time, especially when you’re working, is a major productivity goal you can set for yourself.

If you don’t properly optimize your time, you can work for HOURS and get the same amount of things accomplished as if you worked for ONE hour. Seriously.

Since I’ve started working on this myself, wasting time is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. Like I just cannot stand feeling like I’m wasting time anymore. And I used to do it every day. Ah!

One of the best parts of learning how to optimize my time is seeing how much EXTRA time I have for FUN.

Having more down time=having more time for mental health=being more productive=being SUPER successful!!

Now THAT’S a good cycle to be stuck in.

7. Keep Your Work Space Organized

The only thing more annoying to me than wasting time is an unorganized workspace. There is nothing worse than not being able to find something you need or sitting around in chaos. Ugh! I can’t stand it!

Whether it be your office, your home, your desk, or even just the files on your computer, keeping your workspace organized will do wonders for boosting productivity.

Nobody can be successful or function at their optimum level when they are disorganized.

(Side note… am I the only one that finds organizing REALLY fun? I live for a good file folder, hahaha!)

8. Get Outside Once a Day

You may think getting outside and taking in some fresh air has nothing to do with being productive in your job or home.

But it actually is quite the opposite.

Getting outside has unbelievable benefits when it comes to success, mental clarity, productivity, and motivation.

Studies have literally been done to show how much some fresh air can improve your productivity. It’s fascinating to me!

My favorite way to get some fresh air is a nice walk (when the weather is nice).

But you can just sit outside for a minute or even just open a window when you’re working. The fresh air will make it to you and you will feel the benefits no matter how you go about it.

9. Have Clear SMART Goals

I know it might sound a little weird to set a goal about setting goals, but it’s super helpful!

I remember being in high school and teachers would teach about SMART goals.

TBH, at the time, I kinda tuned them out. But I wish I hadn’t! I just recently started turning my goals into “SMART” goals and it has made such a difference. (If you’re confused about what SMART goals are, there’s a whole article here!)

Shifting my goal-setting techniques has helped me boost my productivity in almost every area of my life.

Before I was just blindly making goals for myself and now I have specific and measurable goals which has made me so much more on top of them!

I recommend goal setting for different time frames.

For example, I usually have daily, weekly, monthly, and long-term (like a year or more) goals. And GET THIS… most of them are connected!!

My daily goals help me achieve my weekly goals which help me achieve my monthly goals and so on! Now that’s a recipe for success!

10. Eat Nutritious Foods

Similar to getting enough sleep, eating quality food (and ENOUGH food) plays a huge role in your productivity and energy levels throughout the day. This starts from the second you wake up.

Eat a breakfast that is sure to fuel your body and your brain for the work that you are aiming to get done.

Working on an empty or under-fueled stomach hinders your productivity in ways you wouldn’t even believe!

Brain fog, low energy, feeling sleepy, being distracted, poor memory… all of these are direct effects of not having enough fuel. And you know what gives you fuel? FOOD.

This includes taking breaks to get snacks, remembering to eat proper meals throughout the day and being in touch with when your body might be requiring some more energy.

Working and being productive burns up more energy than we are aware of! It’s super important to keep that energy supply high so you can perform as your best self!

11. Become More Decisive

Indecisiveness is not only a major time killer, but it’s also a total productivity squashed.

Trust me, I know this struggle. I am THE most indecisive person on the planet. (That’s why this is one of my own productivity goals right now, haha!)

Being decisive can help you out in areas that you didn’t even realize you needed help.

Being decisive isn’t just about picking what to have for dinner… it affects almost every aspect of your life!

For example, the simple act of DECIDING what task to start working on first can help make you more productive.

Not only does being decisive give you more time to work on your tasks, but it also helps you feel more confident in the work you are doing and helps to keep you focused.

When you can decide where to direct your focus, you are much more likely to get stuff done there. It’s really common sense when you think about it like that!

These 11 productivity goals can help you become so much more successful.

I know they have definitely helped me and I have no doubt they can help you too!!

More Posts I Think You’ll LOVE

100 Realistic Short-Term Goals for a Better Life

100 Simple Daily Habits to Improve Your Life

How to Make a Vision Board to Achieve Your Goals

Many of these goals were things that I didn’t even know I needed to work on and wished I had known about sooner. Hopefully, I helped you recognize areas where you can improve your own productivity and work habits too.

Go get ’em!

XOXO,

Del