Getting your dream job is one thing but retaining it is a different thing altogether. For a company to keep you, you must prove that you are indeed an asset to them. The only way to establish yourself is ensuring that your productivity is at its peak all the time. We have compiled nine tips on how you can boost your productivity at work.
1. Work in an Aesthetically Pleasing Room
As absurd as it sounds, it does the magic. Working in a dull room makes your productivity to deteriorate significantly. For peak performance, fill up your office with some beautiful plants, wallpapers, or anything that catches your eye. Beauty makes you happy, consequently making you more productive.
2. Be Constructive During your Commute
If you took the time and calculated the total time you spend on the road, you would be shocked. We spend so much time on the road than we think. During this time, there is nothing much you can do. Therefore, many people use this time to pop in various social media platforms, as well as gaming.
As much as work should not come between you and your social life, you can maximize your commute. Use that time to go through emails and respond to them. You can also handle other simple tasks like planning and brainstorming on ideas.
3. Avoid Multitasking
Undivided attention is the surest way to make errors during work. Potential distractions include checking your social media accounts every few minutes or listening to a podcast while composing an email to your client. That would prove disastrous. Pay attention to what you do, and then you can engage in other activities.
Quality always beats quantity. As much as multitasking gives you the illusion of getting work done faster, you end up doing a mediocre job. Instead of doing various tasks concurrently, focus on one project at a time. That way, you give each task undivided attention hence achieving better results.
4. Avoid Meetings
If you evaluated the time you spend at meetings, it might add up to more hours than you thought. On average, a typical worker spends around thirty hours a month in meetings. What’s worse is that most meetings are usually unproductive.
Instead of scheduling so many meetings, look for other ways to pass the information, for instance, an email or phone call could save a lot of time that you could channel towards running essential tasks. If you have to attend that meeting, make it a stand-up meeting, they always take a shorter amount of time.
Another tip to end meetings faster is setting the agenda before the meeting. Ensure all the attendees get a copy of the schedule to give them adequate time to put their thoughts together. Also, ensure that you only invite people who should be there, a big crowd will only make things harder.
5. Invest in Self Care
Do you work until you burn out? Are you the last one out of the office and the first one in? Do you take shorter work breaks to save time? Stop it! Self-care is the act of putting oneself first by taking care of your well-being. Put yourself before your work.
You can do this by getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, which includes frequently drinking water, having a balanced diet, and meditating for stress relief. If you get enough sleep, you are more focused at work. Having proper nutrition ensures you do not get sick often. You get to do your job better once you take care of yourself first.
6. Self-Motivation
Remember, you are your biggest fan. At this stage in your life, you must have figured out what keeps you going and what stops you from getting to where you are going. If you like music playing as you work, create a playlist to get you through the day. Some people have cute little notes in sticky notes with motivational quotes to encourage them.
Do what you must to improve how you work since nothing comes easy. Your positivity will always reflect on your work.
7. Have Priorities
As you work, you unconsciously decide which job will take precedence over your workload. It would be more comfortable and faster if you created a list of tasks you are required to complete daily. As you have that list, you can work faster as you follow a particular order. You tend to find order amidst all the chaos going on at the office.
Besides, you can do tasks that seem challenging as soon as you get to work. Get it over and done. The satisfaction of completing a challenging task will get you through the day as you breeze over the rest of the day. You can group similar jobs and complete them systematically, ticking them off your job list.
8. Take Exercise Breaks
Physical exercise is how our bodies recharge. Some tasks at work can be so intense, leaving you drained. Taking some time to work out will refresh your mind. Besides boosting your creativity and productivity, you can associate with people better. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential for any worker.
9. Get Some Productivity Tools
Technology has made life easier in all aspects. Various tools have been invented to track how productive you are.
For instance, email services have a tool for creating responses for commonly asked questions. This tool goes a long way in helping you save time you would have otherwise used on communication.
Another vital tool is RescueTime. This program can monitor what you are doing behind your computer. It then gauges your productivity.
Sanebox is another tool that everyone should have. The tool ensures that only essential messages pop up on your inbox. Any other message deemed as less critical goes to a different folder.
Both the employer and the employee must enhance work productivity. The employer should strive to ensure that the working environment is favorable. The employee, on the other hand, should put their best foot forward.
