5 Hacks To Help You Boost Workplace Productivity
In a day and age where our phones contain (and control) our lives, distractions are aplenty. While most people are busy all the time, most people aren’t actually productive. With this in mind, it’s time to take back some control and organize your workday in the name of productivity. Lizzi Hart, a Marketing Assistant at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau shares five tips to help you boost workplace productivity and gain control of your workday.
1. Set goals and reward yourself
A popular method of workday organization is writing a list of each day’s goals. However, do be realistic as a gruelingly long to-do list will do nothing but panic and dishearten you. Once you have an achievable list, try setting yourself deadlines for each task according to when you work best during the day (see point 3). To encourage yourself to stick to these deadlines, think of something rewarding to work towards. For instance, if you finish that report by lunchtime maybe treat yourself to a delicious meal you’d never normally have. Or if you manage to get that spreadsheet completed a day early, give yourself the evening off to make time for a glass of wine and some mind-numbing TV.
2. Prioritize (properly)
With your list of goals for the day, it is essential to assign each task a level of importance and urgency. Many people try and get all of the small and less important tasks out of the way first, but that’s where they’re going wrong. If something is important, it needs to be your priority. And think of the benefits of completing a big task early on. Those small tasks may seem easy to tackle, but they can take up more time than expected. Plus your focus will constantly be changing as you flit between tasks, while that important goal looms over you.
3. Work out when you’re at your most productive
You surely know when you work best – be it obscenely early or when most people are asleep – so use this to your advantage to help you boost workplace productivity. If you find that those early morning meetings aren’t sinking in, try and work around your body clock and organize your workday accordingly. If you’ve managed to prioritize properly, you can schedule those challenging and important tasks for the most productive time of the day, while saving the easier tasks for those ‘I want to be in bed right now’ hours.
4. Take control of your working environment
First, don’t glue yourself to your desk. Stand up and stretch your legs; get your circulation going while saving your brain and eyes from the computer screen. Next, you need to make sure your work space is clear of mess – though this should probably be done at the end of the day leaving the next morning free. If you find yourself easily distracted during the day, then you need to take control. Set aside blocks of time to check emails or phone messages instead of letting them constantly distract you from an important task.
Pro Tip: How To Get Organized And Boost Creativity At Work
5. Make the most of your commute
If you spend longer than ten minutes getting to work and take public transportation, you should aim to use this time wisely. When taking a train, bus or cab, your commute can be filled with some of the small menial tasks that would normally distract you from bigger projects. Make the most of your smart phone rather than scrolling through Facebook – you will start your day feeling accomplished and driven rather than dreading the day’s workload.
About the Author
Lizzi Hart is an English Language student at the University of Sussex and a budding journalist. She works as an Online Researcher and Marketing Assistant at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau.