How Sports Boost Productivity, Even If It's Not Your Cup of Tea

For many busy people, setting aside time for sports might be a luxury. At certain times in our lives we simply think we cannot afford sacrificing our packed schedule for things like fitness and relaxation.

However, there is more to sports than that. Scientific research has proved that sports habits could boost productivity and lessons from sports stars could majorly enhance your professional performance.

In this blog post, I would show you 4 ways a touch of sports could do wonders for your professional life, plus some simple and actionable tips for busy office folks like you to make sports your productivity secret.

1. Get Fitter and Healthier

It is clear that being fit and healthy allows you to be more productive at work. Exercising regularly will increase your alertness and boost your energy levels.

Studies have shown that workers noted up to a 72% improvement in their work completed and in their time management after working out. Increasing muscle strength and losing weight have also been linked to productivity gains, as they make you able to work harder and for longer without getting tired.

You should also need less time off work for health-related issues once you get more exercise, as working out regularly reduces the risk of developing conditions such as obesity, hypertension, and heart disease.

*Get Fitter to Drive Energy | Illustration by* *Mugoko on Dribble*

TIPS: You don’t need to become a fitness fanatic to become more productive, though. Low-intensity aerobic exercise and yoga are a couple of the simple methods of getting enough exercise to boost your work performance without it taking over your life. Just 15 minutes or so each day will make a positive difference to how you feel.

Even simpler to implement is the habit of spending less time sitting down and more time either standing up or walking around. Many workers increase productivity by moving to a standing desk, which is a switch that could also help you to lose weight.

Simply consider these tips for being productive and how you would like to increase your fitness. Then give it a try. You might find it easier and more enjoyable to do than you thought.

2. Gain a Competitive Edge

One of the sports habits that are shared by top-performing athletes is an intense will to win. As an example, we could look at Kobe Bryant’s Mambo Mentality. This was the NBA star’s philosophy that saw him dedicate his life to getting better each day, and turned him into one of basketball’s top players.

No sports star who wants to achieve greatness can do so without working hard and being extremely competitive. But how does this translate to increasing productivity in an office or other work setting?

You might not have any rivals to try and defeat at work, but what about getting into the habit of beating your own performance week on week?

This can be due to increased sales, a higher level of quality, or anything else that can be measured and improved upon. It will soon develop into a habit that makes you go the extra mile to try and keep on increasing your numbers every time.

Learn the mindset to beat your performance week after week | Image source

Don’t settle for second best by accepting a level of output that stays the same or slowly decreases. Challenge yourself to be as good as you can be and you are sure to rise to the challenge by using these and other tips for being productive.

3. Discover How to Focus

One of the factors that set elite-level athletes apart from the rest is their ability to focus. Think of Tiger Woods when he puts on a red t-shirt for the final day of a golf tournament, and the dogged determination that he shows to come out ahead of the rest.

Focusing at work is vital if you are going to become more productive, as it isn’t just the time spent doing something else that you waste. Every distraction can lead to you needing 23 minutes to get fully engaged again afterwards.

Interestingly, it has been shown that being physically active helps you to stay focused and more productive. This is a way of keeping your mental abilities sharper for longer, probably due to you having more energy than before.

However, this sports habit is about more than just exercising regularly. It is about finding ways to work without any distractions, putting away your cell phone, and setting achievable goals.

TIPS: Even if you don’t work out, you can still decide to take a leaf out of the book of those highly-focused athletes by focusing on what matters.

4. Get Colleagues to Join in

We have seen that copying some of the best sports habits and ideas from the sports world can help you to work more productively. This is great news and will give you a great deal of satisfaction. Yet, wouldn’t it be even better if you could help everyone in your team to boost their productivity at the same time?

Playing as a team or exercising together can improve everyone’s productivity
Part of the reason for this is the bond that you will build up
You will all feel more motivated to work together if you have shared some sporting experiences away from the office

*Bring sports productivity to the team level | Illustration by* *Alina Putsyk*

As more members of your workplace become more productive, it is easy to see how the overall levels of productivity increase. It can lead to a degree of healthy competition too.

TIPS: What if you don’t plan to start up a workplace basketball or football team, though? The good news is that you can still look to a team-based approach. Why not set a team challenge to see by how much your overall productivity can be boosted by?

This could take the shape of a fun competition between teams with a regularly updated leaderboard, with prizes or forfeits for those who end up at the top or bottom.

Summary – Different Approaches for Different People

If you are keen to become more physically active then you will find plenty of reasons for doing so. Among other things, this will make it easier for you to become more productive at work.

However, don’t be put off this subject if sports aren’t really your thing. You can still add some of these sports habits to your life and discover the benefits that they bring you day after day. If you are ready to build up good habits for productivity, check out Habitify to start today!

The source for your next boost in productivity may surprise you. You might think that hobbies are simply a distraction from your career or even a waste of time but actually picking up a well-thought-out hobby can give you so many unexpected benefits in your mental capacity. The important part is knowing what kind of hobby to take on and understand all the benefits that this strategy may bring.

The end of lockdown feels a little bit like new year, an opportunity for a fresh start. Figure out how to make the most out of this special time for professional development, personal finance management and establishment of healthy habits.