Productivity Tips You Learned in Kindergarten

You don’t really realize it when your a kid, but kindergarten was probably the most important year in your school career in terms of development. Of course, that school is essential, but we don’t really pay much attention to grades like Pre-K and Kindergarten, but they are important just like any other grade in school. It is where we begin to make our friendships and interact with other kids. A friend of mine learned this when her children started Pre-K and Kindergarten at a school similar to Ravens Croft (RAVENSCROFT.ORG). She reminded me that we learned so much during that time, and not just how to read and write, but believe it or not we also learned plenty of productivity skills!

Here’s a look back at some stuff you learned in kindergarten that you can still use today:

Do One Thing at a Time – When you where younger there was a strong temptation to do as much as you possibly could all in one shot. Even now, as adults, the temptation is still there. Remember when your teacher was insisting you could only play with one toy at a time? She wasn’t just trying to ruin your fun, she was actually trying to help you.

At work there are still many distractions, just now it’s the constant pinging of our email or the buzzing of our smartphones. But every time we get distracted it can take us up to 20 minutes to regain our focus. So do as your teacher told you and do not multitask.

Sharing is Caring – One of the most difficult life lessons in Kindergarten was learning how to share. In fact it’s a life lesson some of us are still learning. When you want something done properly, at work or at home, most people will try and do it themselves. But when we have this mentality, we can sometimes end up taking on more then we can handle. So if you feel like your plate is full, why not do yourself a favor and share the burden with a co-worker or significant other.

Clear Up After Yourself – Most kids hate the clean up song, because it means that playtime is over. Even now very few adults are excited by the prospect of a clean up. But, learning to clean up a mess is a valuable lesson. A UCLA study found that when women were near clutter their stress hormones skyrocketed! This proves that clutter makes you more anxious and less focused. The act of organizing can actually help us feel more in control, decreasing stress even in the most out-of-control situations.

Try Something Different – In kindergarten you where taught there’s lots of different methods for learning how to spell or do simple addition. If one method isn’t working for you your teacher would encourage you to try another. What you can takeaway from this is if your struggling with something at work or at home, try a different approach. Be as creative as possible when coming up with new ways to tackle the issues you’re facing.

Make Time For Cookies & Milk – When you woke up from your afternoon nap in Kindergarten feeling tired and groggy you where treated to milk and cookies to perk you up. Sadly most of us can’t take an afternoon nap at work, but taking a break for a snack (although you might want to try something more healthy) can help lift your spirits and help you focus.

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