Staying on task, despite interruptions, is tough to do. Your productivity formula will allow you to handle those pesky interruptions as they arise, while staying on track with your target project. This will result in higher productivity and performance. Here are some self help tips to customize your productivity formula.

Have a definite plan. All your daily tasks are forms of short term goals. They should be the smaller pieces of the bigger project, or long term goal you are working toward. Take some time to review your daily routine. If it is not clearly affecting the big picture, start over. Make a new plan.

Prioritize. Once you have your short range and long range tasks lined up, prioritize what needs to be done during the day. We tend to think of everything as important, otherwise it wouldn’t be on the list, but some need to be done earlier and some can simply be deferred to the next day if necessary.

Take a break. It doesn’t matter whether you stretch at your desk or walk around in circles. Your body and mind need breaks and a variety of stimulation. Your creativity and productivity will be recharged, making up for the work time you fear losing when you step away.

Do not work through lunch. It does not make you look more dedicated than everyone and your mind and body will produce less without nutrition. That should be a no brainer, but continually people neglect their bodies for an extra 30 or 60 minutes of work. This is a hard one to break because people expect it of you. Or maybe your boss does not appreciate the importance of fueling and recharging your body. Do it anyway. Everyone will be impressed when they start seeing the resulting increase in productivity.

The sense of accomplishment you feel for a job well done will motivate you to move forward and tackle more so it is important to track you achievements and recognize them even if there is no one else around to appreciate them. If you don’t, you run the risk of burnout which will only cause your productivity to drop.

Do not procrastinate. Deal with as many unexpected tasks you can so that you don’t get bogged down later playing catch up. These tasks usually only take a few minutes to complete so deal with them immediately and keep moving forward.

Regardless of whom you are or what you are trying to accomplish, you have to do work to get there. That work is called productivity and with a positive attitude and your productivity formula, you will succeed.