Productivity is not working for hours; it’s getting things done at the right time!
Today is almost over. What did you do with the day?
I am sure you woke up ready to work today. Your laptop was charged, your coffee was ready, and you were pumped that everything was on track. Then, right before you started working, you decided to tweet for just a second. You told yourself. While on it, you quickly opened Instagram to see if the trends were on IG, too. Suddenly, a notification from LinkedIn came through, and you had to check it.
Before you realized it, 2 hours had passed, and you had yet to start working. This isn’t the first time this has happened; it occurs every day. Immediately you sit down to work; your inner procrastinator urges you to do everything apart from work.
As frustrating as this is, there is more to it; your tasks keep piling up, your procrastination level increases and your productivity reduces.
Today, I am here to share with you seven trusted and tested tips on how to increase your productivity, especially at work.
- Start your day with movement: My dear remote workers, I know you love waking up and working on your devices. Some don’t even move the bowl (visit the restroom) or brush their teeth. As simple as this may sound, your brain and body need some sort of movement to kick-start the day. Also, in 2008, Coulson pointed out in research that movement can improve well-being and that 72% of daily tasks are achieved on days when individuals in the research exercise. Find an activity or exercise that you love and do it daily.
- Set short goals: even though you have a lot of things to do, there is no need to try to tackle everything at once. You can start by breaking every task into shorter and more realistic goals; they are easier to achieve and make the process easier. When you break your tasks and allocate time to each, you achieve more and have a productive day. More productivity days lead to a more productive week.
- Shut out distractions: Yes, about that, we all know what is distracting us; it could be social media, food, movies, or even a person. Learn to shut them out! Keeping them away allows one to focus and achieve the goal at hand. If you feel you aren’t disciplined enough, you can use apps to block them for a specific time, especially during working hours. This will enable you to focus properly and not waste time while working.
- Actually do some work: This may sound funny, but there are times when you exercise, set smaller goals, and shut all distractions, but you still aren’t working. This happens when the mind is unsettled or the task seems overwhelming. The fact is the mind is always active, and tasks are naturally overwhelming. So, channel your energy into the task at hand and don’t allow your mind to wander.
- Embrace tools: There are certain things you do daily; it could be replying to emails, sending welcome messages, or responding to queries. Most of these things can be automated, and you can create a template that suits what you always do and automate it to respond. You can find tools for editing and proofreading for writers to make the job easier and more accurate. Also, you can schedule your posts on social media, meetings, and even presentations using designated apps. With the advancement in technology, almost everything can be automated. Do the needful.
- Take frequent breaks: You are human and deserve breaks to refresh and perform better, but instead of taking an hour off from work, why not take a 5-minute break for every 25 minutes you worked? This will help rest your eyes from the screen, allow your muscles to stretch, interact with other humans, and increase your concentration level.
- Complete your tasks: Always ensure that you finish one task before moving to the next; this will reduce your number of uncompleted tasks at the end of the day and help you achieve 80% of your daily tasks. You can tick the achieved ones off your list and move the unfinished ones to tomorrow.
Remember, productivity is not working for long hours; it is to have a notable outcome at the end of the day. Learn to work smart instead of working hard. So, instead of working more, try to work smarter on important things.
