4 Ways to Increase Productivity
We all strive to have super productive workdays, but it doesn't always go that way. Most people aren't effective because of bad work habits or working on whatever comes their way throughout the day. In addition, no structure can sometimes cause a person to lose confidence in their abilities. While the solution to becoming more productive is simple, it's not always easy. Follow these four tips on increasing productivity and becoming your best, most productive self at work.
Eliminate Distractions - I've found that this can be the hardest thing for most people to do. Whether it's Instagram or another app on your phone, it's so easy to get distracted from your daily tasks. It's important to know what your distractions are so that you can eliminate them. The funny thing is, email can be a distraction as well. Setting those admin hours is vital when it comes to focusing on the work you need to do daily. I would highly suggest turning off all notifications on all technology so that you can have total concentration. Allow yourself 15-minute breaks where you can take a peek at your notifications or brown Instagram. But don't allow yourself to go overboard.
Handle Hardest Tasks During Optimal Hours: This one is tricky because no one can tell you WHEN to do the most demanding tasks. It depends on when you are at your best. If you're a morning person, like I am, you want to start with the heavy hitters in the morning. But if you're a night owl, it's best to stagger your work and handle the delicate items in the earlier half of your day.
Stop Multitasking - Multitasking can be a productivity killer, and trust me, that's not something you want to happen. I recently read that research shows that productivity can be reduced by 40% by the mental blocks created when people switch tasks. So it's essential that you stop trying to do everything at once and instead give your full attention to one task at a time.
Make To-Do Lists the Night Before - While this may sound simple, it's one of the most important things that you can do to help you increase your productivity. So often, we spend the majority of our morning mapping out what needs to get done. Unfortunately, what this does is decrease your work time and set you back. So spend the last 20-30 minutes of your workday writing down what needs to get done the following day in order of importance. That way, you can hit the ground running the moment you get in the office.
These four productivity tips have helped me so much over the past year. If you're someone who struggles with feeling like they're getting anything done daily, implementing these tips will make everything a little easier.
Comment below and let me know what works for you or what you're planning on doing to help increase your productivity.