1. TIME STRUCTURE
After researching, I found that the most common place people lose time in their day is when it has little to no structure. I know I find myself breezing through my day, lacking intentional actions and try to chip away at my to-do list with no real set aside time to complete each individual task. One article encouraged individuals to set aside a certain amount of time to get a task done and actually finish it in that amount of time. Another good option for time structuring is to learn when you work best and dedicated multiple hours of uninterrupted work during those times(morning, afternoon or evening). These both have proved to boost productivity.
2. EMAILS FIRST
Most people dread getting to work and immediately opening their computer to several emails that are demanding a response and email has been shown to be one of the biggest distraction within a work day. Responding early in the day and allowing yourself to focus on the work that really needs to be done can increase your productivity greatly. Forbes did an article on how successful people structure their days and this one was near the top. They used the CEO of Apple as an example and mentioned that he begins responding to emails before he hits the gym, this usually means he is checking his email around 4:30 am. That may be a little intense, but it gets the point across that emails can suck the life out of your work day, so why not knock them out in the first hour while your coffee is still hot?
3. STOP TASK HOPPING
Task hopping an be detrimental to how much work you are completing. If you are starting on one task and then moving onto another before your first task is completed, you are leaving more for yourself to go back to later. Start and finish each task and then move onto the next one, this will allow you to focus and not bounce back and forth with different ideas and thoughts. This one is really difficult for me because a lot of what I do is creative. Creativity doesn’t come when you sit down and tell your brain to be creative, it comes when you are in the middle of something else. I get struck with a great idea, it creates excitement and suddenly I am distracted. A good way for me to grow in this area is to have a notepad next to me so, when I get a creative idea/thought I can write a small portion of it down and return to it at a later time.
4. UTILIZE YOUR LUNCH BREAK
It is easy to use your lunch break to sit on your phone and scroll through social media but studies have shown if you get up and moving on your lunch break, you will have a more productive afternoon. This means going for a walk after you finish eating, grabbing your protein shake and climbing a few flights of stairs or use your break to get in your daily work out at the gym. The key factor is to increase your heart rate for a period of time before sitting down for the afternoon.
5. BEDTIME ROUTINE
One of the best things I have started to do, is prioritizing my sleep! I have a super weak immune system so my body needs all the rest it can get. I love to create a to-do list for the following day and leave it on my desk. This allows me to acknowledge and be aware of all the things I need to get done but doesn’t allow it to control my thoughts as I am trying to fall asleep. This is an easy way to not feel overwhelmed and to get your mind off of the ridiculously long list of things that need to be done in the morning. The better you sleep, the more productive you will be in the work place.
These five things have worked great for me but like I said I still have my moments of dazing off or starting a task and realizing it has been 30 minutes and not a single thing has been done. I figured these would be practical ways for anyone. Let me know what things have helped you increase your work day productivity!
