Ways to Boost Your Productivity
- The Leadership Institute
- May 18, 2020
- 3 min read
Learning how to manage your time and boost your productivity is never easy but placing In more effort and patience to practice, you will find yourself being able to complete your work more efficiently! Here are a few tips to help you out.
Make a ‘What to Do’ List
Lists are a great productivity tool! Make sure to list them according to the level of urgency and importance. Estimate how much time it takes to tackle and set a time for each task. Whenever the time is up, move on to another task.
Prioritize Certain Tasks
Start your day with the most important and urgent tasks. These tasks are to be completed before the day ends to ensure that your project moves forward. Listing your tasks in order of importance ensures that you finish your most important tasks during the day. Learn to prioritize.
Never Multi-task
Did you know multi-tasking reduces your productivity as much as 40%? Toggling between tasks limits one’s focus and increases stress and mental fatigue - as a result, the quality of your work is compromised. Make a habit of focusing on one task at a time for optimum productivity.
Reward Yourself for Motivation
Rewarding yourself is one of the most effective way of managing your habits and productivity. Listening to your favorite tune, eating a piece of cookie, checking your social media accounts or even watching a short video should be used as a reward. Tapping into one’s emotions by incorporating rewards will train your brain to focus on goal-oriented tasks. You will feel much more motivated to finish your tasks, making you feel good as a result.
Take Regular Breaks
Understand yourself better. Taking short breaks to refresh and refuel your mind between work increases concentration, creativity and memory. Never work for long stretches of time as it will only mentally drain you.
Identify Your Most Productive Hours
Everyone has a certain period of the day where their productivity levels are the highest. Schedule your most important and highest-leverage tasks during that time as you will have more energy to do them. Work at your highest brain capacity with optimum focus and attention.
Use Focus Tools
Make good use of focus applications and technology. Some even offer to block out any social media websites for a stipulated time, limiting you to only browse search engines for any work-related purposes. There are also full-screen, distraction-free word processors available for tasks that involve a lot of writing. Try out the top-rated ones and see which suits best.
Eliminate any Digital Distractions
Completing our work on either our phones or laptops often leads us to browse non-related work websites or applications. Set a limit on the amount of time you spend on the Internet. If your device is not needed for you to complete your task, place it on silent mode and keep it away from arm’s length.
Change of Scene
An office environment fosters collective energy and resources. However, it can also hinder one’s productivity. Some people work better with noise in the background while the rest work effectively in silence. Having a change of scene shows that it increases productivity.
Take Full Advantage of Your Travelling Time
Common time wasters like scrolling down your Instagram feed should be avoided. Instead, use your traveling time to either gain more knowledge – listening to a podcast, or even plan a what-to-do list before you reach the office.
Always Be Properly Fueled
The food we eat affects our energy levels. Consuming the right food boosts our brainpower, impacting how productive we can be at work.
Be Organised, Clear the Clutter
Having a messy workplace leaves you frustrated and impatient to begin your tasks. Start de-cluttering your desks by throwing out any non-essential items while keeping what you need in a drawer, within your arm’s reach but out of your sight. You will spend lesser time finding that document or stressing on where you misplaced the post-it note your boss gave to you. Having this ample space on your desk helps you get less distracted easily and leaves you feeling refresh to start your day.
Protect the Time
Protect the time in your schedule, keep your most productive hours free for you to do the most important tasks. Work your life around that - never underestimate how efficient you can be when you start dedicating the right amount of time to get real work done.
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