Ways To Improve Productivity While Working From Office
Ever sat for hours on end and realized you didn't anything
done? Well, you are not alone. We have all been there, and there's no shame in
that. The only thing you should be worried about is ensuring that you keep the
number of such unproductive days at a minimum. Therefore, if you are looking
for ways to improve productivity or getting more done in a relatively lesser
timeframe, you have come to the right place. Without wasting any more time,
let’s get right into it-
Focus On Only Task At A Time
Image credits: Ben Kerckx from Pixabay
Just ask yourself, why were you so productive one day and
unproductive on a different day. You
will soon realize that the most probable reason why you were productive on a
certain day was that you focused on only one task at a time. For instance,
don't try to talk to a client and work on a presentation simultaneously. By
doing that, you won't be able to give your full attention to any one of the
tasks and end up taking a lot more time than you would have, had you focused on
a single task. Therefore, if you find yourself stuck between an important
client e-mail and preparing the monthly sales report, reply to the e-mail first
and then get back to preparing the sales report.
Don’t Use Social Media Apps At Work
Social Media is easily the biggest distraction in each of
our lives. How often have you found yourself stuck on YouTube or Instagram for
hours when you originally intended on spending those hours for
self-improvement? Quite often right? Well, believe me, you aren't the only one.
These tools are unbelievably smart at understanding our preferences. Breaking
free from the habit of using social media unnecessarily is no easy task, but
it's certainly possible. Therefore, to give your best, make sure you don’t use
social media apps at work. If needed, you can use browser extensions like
StayFocusd, Limit, and Pause to block the sites which you find most distracting.
In case, you want to know more about how social media affects our lives on a
deeper level, I suggest you check out the popular 2020 Netflix original documentary
film, “The Social Dilemma”.
Limit The Use Of Your Smartphone During Work Hours
Smartphones are easily one of the biggest distractions in
our daily lives. You could be working on your project one moment, and
sometimes, all it takes is just one notification to mess with your momentum. To
prevent that from happening, keep your phone on vibrate or silent and only take
those calls, which are extremely important. If you are someone, who gets easily
distracted by the sight of your smartphone, try keeping your phone away from
your desk, which will boost your productivity.
Try To Work On Important Tasks When You’re Most Focused
All of us have a specific period where we are most
productive. Some of us work better during the early hours, while some of us are
our most productive selves later in the day. Therefore, try to complete tasks
that require more attention during the period you work best. For instance, if
you have a significant analysis to do, make sure you do it during this time,
while you can devote other hours to answering simple client queries.
Divide Your Tasks Into Smaller Sub Tasks
Image credits: ds 30 from Pixabay
While keeping a to-do list is vital to improving your
productivity, breaking your tasks into smaller tasks is just as important. For
instance, imagine yourself working as an insurance agent and finding details of
250 potential clients in a day. Seems tough, doesn't it?. To make this task
easier, try breaking this task into smaller sub-tasks. For instance, you could
ask your regular customers whether someone in their circle is looking to buy insurance. You could then inquire your co-workers about
potential leads and research about people, that have recently shown interest in
your company. The task certainly seems a lot more doable now. When we look at
tasks as a whole, we feel overwhelmed, but when we break it into smaller tasks,
the target seems easier, and we feel motivated to complete the tasks. If the
subject of productivity interests you a lot, you should consider checking out
Thomas Frank on YouTube, who I am a huge fan of. Also, ensure that your to-do is realistic. You
don't need to give yourself excess pressure by making your to-do list
unnecessarily long and, in turn, guilt if you are unable to accomplish your
goals.
Don’t Eliminate Breaks From Your Schedule
As counter-productive as it may sound, breaks are essential,
and it helps us in becoming more productive. Sitting in front of computer
screens for extended hours can be detrimental to your health in the long run.
The short-term effects include back pain and eye strain. To avoid that, take a
break of 2 minutes after every 30 minutes of work. During this break, you can
try basic stretching exercises, or just take a small walk around the office.
Don’t Overthink
One of the biggest reasons why we fail to be productive, at times,
is because we overthink the task at hand. It's pretty natural for anyone to
feel overwhelmed at the thought of a task that is a lot different than what you
usually do. I get it, it's not an easy
thing to do, and it might seem that you may not be able to complete the task,
but trust me, you can. Think about it this isn't the first time you have come
across a difficult task. You must have come across these kinds of situations
multiple times, and yet you managed to achieve your goals. This situation will
be no different. Just trust yourself and jump into the task. Also, if you
intend to be productive daily, you need to let go of your idea of perfection.
You can't be perfect every day, and it's fine. After all, completing the work
imperfectly is a lot better than not starting the work out of fear of being
imperfect.
Keep Your Workspace Unorganized Both Digitally And
Physically
It’s pretty natural that when you have an unorganized
workspace, you spent more time searching through your documents, which, in
turn, results in a loss in productivity. The same thing happens when you don't
keep the digital copies of your documents organized. If you want to learn more
about how unorganized workspaces affect your productivity, check this article
by Libby Sander on Harvard Business Review. Another thing you can do to boost
your workplace productivity is to keep the home screen wallpaper of someone who
inspires you. You can also keep a physical picture of your family or your
friends on your desk to boost your mood.
Stay Positive And Be Nice To Everyone, Including Yourself
While we should always be looking for ways to improve, we
can be overly critical of our work, at times. Therefore, you should go easy on
yourself. After all, jobs will come and go, and so will the good and bad times,
but if there’s anyone you should love, it is yourself. Also, you should always
keep a positive mindset and believe that you can deal with everything that
comes your way.
Reward Yourself
Another way you can boost your productivity is to create a
system that incentivizes you for being productive. For instance, you can allow
yourself a cup of ice cream or stream a new show after being productive for a
couple of days. You need a system that provides you with additional motivation
to focus on your work.
That was my take on what you can do to boost productivity
while working from the office. Here's hoping I was of some help in that
regard.
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