We are often stuck with one problem at work, “So little time and so much to do”. Well, there are only so many hours in the day, so making the most of your time is critical. Every time you start your day ask yourself one question “How can I become more productive today?” There are two ways to increasing your output, either put in more hours or work smarter. Needless to mention most people would prefer going with the latter.
I am no expert here, but here are a few pointers that have helped me immensely increase my productivity at Work:
1. Arrive Early
According to research, on an average majority of people are most productive during mornings. Arrive early at work, this is the time you are most active and you can get the best out of yourself. Every individual has a time frame during the day which is the most productive for them, figure yours out.
2. Make your To-Do List
Every morning Benjamin Franklin asked himself, “What good shall I do today?”. First thing in the morning make a list for yourself, prioritise what is important. More often than not, we are inundated with work mid-day and we end up missing out on our important tasks, a mini check list could help here. Moreover, check off the task completed on your list, from personal experience I can tell you it gives you a mini sense of accomplishment. You deserve it.
3. Leave the office for Lunch
Well we aren’t robots, are we? As the famous saying goes, “If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.” The thought of sitting in office for a good half of the day may make it difficult to focus, and a change in the environment is detrimental. It is a much needed medicine for the day. Go Get yours.
4. Avoid Distractions
Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Linkedin, YouTube, Instagram, the list is endless. We all know how addicted we are to the digital media today. It is foolish to think that we can completely boycott these mediums when we are at work. Everyone needs a change from their mundane work. Start timing yourself, take 10 minute breaks but switch back to work right after. Science has found the perfect formula, 50 minutes of work & 10 minutes of break, the human mind needs it.
5. Delegate tasks
You may think of yourself as a master of all trades, but give up. If you could handle everything in a company, the many employees around you wouldn’t be required. You may be good at every task but you can’t do all of them at once; so delegate!
6. Time yourself
The clock is ticking, every minute counts. Set a time to your targets. Ensure you finish your task within the time allotted. Your checklist will be done even before you know it.
7. Commuting? Think.
How many of us think of absolutely baseless things in life while commuting? We choose to pick a quarrel happened this morning or the pickles faced in the week gone by on our way to work, What if we spent this time planning how we could structure our work better today? You are working even before you have reached your workplace.
8. Love what you do
In the commencement address Steve Jobs gave at Stanford back in 2005 he said “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” It is extremely important that you love what you are doing, productivity will never be an issue when you follow your passion.
9. Eat right
This may seem irrelevant, how does eating right have anything to do with my work? Well it is the most important thing that determines your productivity at work. Ensure you have a wholesome breakfast before you get to work, its the most important meal of the day. Studies show the day you skip your breakfast your productivity automatically falls by 40%. Well that’s almost half your battle lost right there.
With only so many hours in a day, we must learn to work more effectively and efficiently if we want to succeed. These pointers have definitely made a huge difference in my work life. Hope they help you too.