Mallika Dureja
Consider implementing some of these strategies for productivity if you wish to become more productive.
1. Streamline your space.
Take a few moments to organise and declutter your workstation at the beginning of each day. According to Kristoph Matthews, director of engineering at NewtonX and founder of on-demand storage company Boxbee, a clutter-free environment facilitates clearer thinking and greater productivity. By decluttering and organising your space, you can boost your productivity and reduce the time spent seeking for items.
2. Add pops of color or live plants.
According to Jenny Gauld, interior designer for office furniture and accessory retailer Turnstone, colour has a substantial impact on your mood and productivity throughout the day. Blue can induce a sense of calm and aid concentration, whereas red may be ideal for tasks requiring precision and focus. Plants can also improve concentration: According to a study conducted by the American Society for Horticultural Science, employees who were exposed to plants in the workplace reported feeling less stressed and more productive.
3. Decorate your workspace.
In addition to adding colour and plants to your workstation, decorating your desk or cubicle with a few personal trinkets can help you feel more at ease, thereby increasing your productivity. Gauld suggested incorporating career-related memorabilia, such as diplomas, honours, and other decorative items that make you feel valued and inspire you, into your office.
4. Get your most dreaded task out of the way.
Everyone has at least one task on the to-do list that keeps getting pushed back because the thought of doing it seems awful. That task is actually the one you should complete first, according to Matthews. Instead of waiting until the last minute to finish it, get it off your plate as soon as possible. Your other tasks will seem less daunting by comparison, and you’ll stop stressing about that one task all day, making you more productive overall.
5. Prioritize and delegate your other tasks.
Your attention should be directed towards the most important duties first, so consider the significance of each activity. Kathleen Kobel, productivity business consultant and founder of Smart Business Mom, advised that if possible, you should set aside low-priority tasks and devise a plan to delegate or outsource them so that you can spend more time on tasks that add more value to your position and company.
6. Turn off your email notifications.
Instead of reading every email as it lands in your inbox, try turning off your notifications and check messages only at set intervals. Why? Constant email alerts popping up on your phone or desktop can break your focus. It takes 64 seconds for a person to recover from being interrupted by an email notification, according to Alex Moore, CEO of email productivity solution Boomerang.
7. Identify your most productive work time.
People vary in terms of when they are most productive. For example, are you a morning person or a night owl? It’s important to identify which hours of the day you feel most alert and attentive, and then dedicate those hours to your most important tasks. This is especially useful if you work remotely and can determine your schedule.
If you can’t create a schedule around your most productive work time, consider organizing your priorities in your current schedule based on which hours of your workday you feel most alert. Your productivity peaks are often in 90- to 120-minute intervals.
8. Take short breaks.
Whether it’s taking a walk, going to your favorite coffee shop, reading a magazine or visiting with a colleague, taking short breaks that are unrelated to your work can make a huge difference in your performance. Your productivity diminishes the longer you go without a break. Kobel explained that this is why it’s recommended that people don’t work more than eight to 10 hours per day. At a certain point, she said, your body and mind simply cannot produce anymore.
9. Move around.
Exercise isn’t just good for your body; it can also positively impact your work performance. Physical exercise has been shown to affect mental health and focus, said Sam McIntire, founder of Deskbright, an online learning platform dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and employees. A great way to feel sharper and more productive? Try going for a run in the morning or starting your day with a workout, McIntire suggested. It doesn’t hurt to sneak in some exercise on your breaks either.
10. Listen to music.
Wearing headphones doesn’t always mean you’re antisocial. When working, listening to your favorite tunes can help you get into the zone and knock out your to-do list, Gauld said. Be careful, however: While music can help people enter flow states, it can also serve as a distraction
11. Switch locations.
Luckily, hybrid and remote working arrangements have become a common benefit for many employees. If your employer allows it, take some time during the week to work in a different environment. Meghan Khaitan, founder of seat belt device MyBuckleMate, said that a change of scenery can be a big help in boosting productivity. Head to the library or a local park (weather permitting), or find a place that’s quiet and full of natural light. Khaitan said this can help spur new ideas or shed new light on an old problem.
12. Write down your daily goals.
It’s not always easy to keep track of everything you need to do, so start each morning by writing down your goals for the day. When your focus is broken or you find yourself procrastinating, McIntire said, you can use the list to keep you on track, said McIntire. He suggested writing your list down on a Post-it or something that’s visible from your desk, then returning to it when you need a reminder of what you should be working on.
13. Stop trying to multitask.
Doing more than one thing at a time may seem like the best way to get all of your tasks done, but it can hurt your productivity more than it helps. Multitasking simply doesn’t work, and when you do it, you end up wasting time, Kobel said.
14. Follow the two-minute rule.
David Allen coined the two-minute rule in his bestselling book Getting Things Done. If you see a task or action that you know can be completed in two minutes or less, do it immediately. The principle is that completing the task right away takes less time than finishing it later.
If it’ll take longer than that, schedule it and get it into your productivity system so you can tackle it when you’re ready.
15. Make a simple to-do list.
To be productive, it is essential to create a schedule of tasks. Different methods work for various individuals: Some individuals use smartphone applications, while others prefer to maintain a handwritten journal. Regardless of how you construct and track your to-do list, it should be succinct, attainable, and adaptable. Do not overburden yourself with a lengthy to-do list; doing so can exacerbate feelings of stress and exhaustion. Mark Ellwood, productivity consultant and author of The Poetic Path to Getting More Done, stated, “A to-do list is great because it addresses the past, present, and future.” “Consider your high-priority duties… It does not mean that you complete those tasks first, but rather that you plan for them and then schedule your time accordingly.” Want to ensure that your employees’ work from home is productive? Read our reviews of the top software for employee monitoring.
If you’re searching for a straightforward method to manage your to-do lists, Ellwood suggests identifying priorities that influence long-term outcomes. Break down these priorities into tasks that should be completed today. Include additional tasks for the day, such as timesheet completion. Other tasks should be discarded or delegated; you should not expend time on them.
According to Ellwood, it is essential to consider what you want to accomplish in a month’s time, and then to divide these goals into daily duties. If you want to acquire a new employee by the end of the month, for instance, you can begin the process today by posting a job listing. Breaking down a large objective, such as hiring a new employee, into smaller tasks, such as evaluating a few resumes or conducting an interview, makes it much more manageable and provides a sense of daily progress. The sense of progress, according to Ellwood, can help mitigate these overwhelming moments.
16. Take back control of your schedule.
Staying productive, clearheaded and calm is really about feeling in control. Whether you’re delegating tasks to others or setting time limits for interruption, you are taking back room in your schedule to tackle the things you’ve deemed important.
Avoiding burnout and fatigue is essential to boost your productivity and memory retention. You can do this by simply influencing the direction of your day rather than being resigned to letting the direction of your day control your actions.
17. Get off social media.
Social media is a part of all of our daily lives. However, it would help if you were disciplined not to spend large parts of your day seeing what your friends thought of the latest movie or what they had for dinner last night. Many companies ban employees from accessing social media when they are at work, as it is a drain on productivity. If you are allowed to use social media at work, use it as a break for a few minutes, because if it becomes a regular habit, it can easily take over your day and impact the work you need to get done.
18. Eat healthy.
What you put in your body matters. If you load up on junk food, you can end up with that 4 p.m. slump. To avoid feeling sluggish, prioritize healthy eating and nutritious snacks. No one works well on an empty stomach, but that means that afternoon snacking is an opportunity to give yourself a good, clean energy boost.
19. Eat lunch with your co-workers.
Although you may want to skip lunch to eat a salad at your desk while you work, research shows a boost in employee productivity and morale when employees eat together. Eating with your co-workers can help you build social relationships, bond with your team and grow your network. Additionally, it forces you to take a much-needed break to relax and unplug from work.
20. Practice presence and meditation.
Multitasking, using social media and engaging in other distractions can prevent you from accomplishing what you need to in a reasonable amount of time. Stay focused and engaged at your current task to get things done more effectively. One way to make this easier is to meditate each day. This gives you time and space to focus on one task – breathing – and this energy can be carried throughout the rest of your day.
