Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
Simple changes to your routine can make the difference between just getting by and really being productive and effective at work. Below are the best and easiest work productivity tips that truly work.
- Turn off all alerts: While at work we have lots of important tasks that need our undivided attention. If we’re constantly being ‘pinged’ by our email, phone, text and social media alert it’s hard to get work done. These constant distractions, a minute here and there, all add up and create a major problem. Check out this video, How to tackle minor stoppages, to get more information on this silent and deadly time killer.
- Stop checking email throughout the day: How many times have you been at work, looked at the clock, and realized that all you’ve done is reply to email. How do you get work done when you’re constantly replying to requests? First, watch the video in tip 1 and set a routine to check your email 2x per day. Yes, this is possible, you just need to train yourself and others not to expect instant replies.
- Take breaks and re-energize yourself: Get up and away from your desk, change your scenery, or take a walk break. These are quick and great ways to change your perspective and give your mind and body a needed break. A change of scenery ensures you have the needed energy to finish your tasks. Check out this infographic for cool stats on taking breaks.
- Implement walking meetings: Sitting down in a meeting can easily suck the energy out of the participants. If your meeting is one-on-one or with a small team, try a walking meeting. It keeps everyone focused and alert. Usually leading to resolving meeting items quickly. How productive is that!
- Plan for today the night before: Take 20 mins at the end of each day and plan for the following day. This gives you direction for the following day and allows for a stress free morning as you’re already aware of what needs to happen that day.
- Do the least desirable task first: Being productive means getting important tasks done. Sometimes those important tasks are just plain boring. This is when procrastination kicks in. Get important things done first thing in the day, leaving you the afternoon to deal with emergencies and other distractions.
- Have an objective and deliverable for every meeting: Meetings can suck your energy, this is magnified even more if you don’t know why and what you need to do in the meeting. Be specific and have a meeting objective and deliverable for every meeting you attend or facilitate (agendas are also great). If a meeting doesn’t have these two items I give you permission to not attend!
- Clean your desk and surrounding area: Some articles I read report a messy desk means a person is creative. But like all good things a super messy desk doesn’t mean your super creative. There’s a fine line when ‘creative’ can become just plan ‘stressful’. Clean up your desk and area so you can focus on your activities and not on where things are.
- Track your time: Understand how you use time by tracking your day and activities for 2-3 days. Afterwards analyze the data. This provides insight for planning future activities and identifying bad habits you may have, which now you know, and can change. Love empowering myself!
- Have professional goals and share them with other: Having goals and sharing them with people increases our probability of actually achieve them. When we communicate our goals with others, we tend to be more accountable to them, resulting in a higher rate of achieving them. Very efficient.
Implement these best and easy tips and you will see a dramatic improvement in your professional life. The trick is to actually do them for at least a minimum of 21 days so you can develop them into a habit. So start today and have the most productive workday EVER!
