Want to know how you can stand out from the crowd by improving your productivity? Read on!
It is difficult to make the most out of the 24 hours we are given in a day. When it comes to working, sometimes it becomes hard for us to remain proactive while performing our day-to-day duties. There are two ways to increase your output:
1. By putting in more hours
2. By working smartly
Most people today opt for the 2nd option.
Being productive at work requires us to be conscious about how we manage our time while doing our ‘best’. In order to improve your productivity at work, here are 8 tips to improve your productivity at work!
- Prepare a time-based task list:
Try to prepare a task list that helps you track the amount of time you are spending on each activity. By doing this, you will be able to take out adequate time for doing other things that are not related to work. This also helps you in prioritising the most and least important tasks for the day and can help you see the loopholes that you need to work on with respect to wasting time on unnecessary things.
2. Take regular breaks:
Taking scheduled breaks can help you improve your concentration. It is healthy to take short breaks during long tasks so as to maintain a constant level of performance. Performing a task without breaks leads to a steady decline in performance, which results in maximum input but minimum output. Try taking a short break after every 90 minutes or 1.5 hours.
3. Follow the ‘two-minute rule’:
Invented by entrepreneur Steve Olenski, the ‘two-minute rule’ is about making the most of small windows of time that you have at work- If you see a task or action that you know can be done in two minutes or less, you can try to do it immediately. It is believed that completing the task right away takes lesser time than having to get back to it later and takes away most of your stress!
4. Avoid multi-tasking please:
Most of us think that the ability to multitask increases our efficiency. However, doing several tasks at once can result in wasted time and productivity. Instead, try making a habit of doing a single task at a time and then move ahead on to the next one.
5. Utilise your travel time:
When you are commuting to work, you can use your free time to decide your to-do list, sort your priorities, do important brainstorming for some projects instead of just using social media, watching movies or playing games. This will give you a clarity of mind in the beginning of the day itself.
6. Do not run after perfection:
When we are doing a task at work, we often feel like giving our best and push ourselves to the limit- which is a good intention. However, what we forget is that this illusion of achieving perfection can also demotivate us if our work doesn’t turn out to be the way we expect it. So instead of running after perfection, we must try to concentrate and focus on completing the tasks one by one rather than putting all our time and efforts in just one of them. If needed, we can always come back and make necessary changes if required.
7. Make sure to indulge in physical activities and healthy food:
It may sound cliche but it is very important to indulge your body in doing a physical activity like exercising, walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, doing yoga, etc. to keep laziness at bay while working. Also, eating healthy food like fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole-grains, etc. can help you stay focused and active at your job. Avoid taking too much sugar, caffeine and junk food to keep your body functioning.
8. Your social life can wait:
While it is tempting to check out social media platforms, call to your friends and text them in the middle of your work, it is highly recommended that one must keep some time aside to indulge with the outside world (unless too urgent) while working. Try to call back your loved ones and check social media only during your short breaks to not get distracted in between.
While it depends from individual to individual about they wish to utilise their time at their workplace while maintaining their productivity, it is a good practice to work smartly by small adjustments in your regular habits rather than worrying about why you are not performing well at work.
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Image Credits: storyset.com
Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.