Increasing your productivity can mean the difference between wins and losses. It turns out, productivity is nothing more than a combination of intelligent planning and focused efforts and is something everyone can improve. Staying productive at home or work can be a challenge. Every time the day ends, the odds are high you aren’t completely satisfied with what you’ve accomplished.
Imagine being able to close each workday with a satisfied sigh, knowing that you had been so productive that you accomplished everything on your list. And knowing too, that you were at the top of your creative game, getting your tasks done both efficiently and well. Fortunately, you can continuously improve your productivity.
Most of us aren’t as productive as we would like for two reasons; We have bad habits that interfere with our workplace productivity, and we’re reactive rather than proactive, putting out fires instead of making progress toward our goals. So, how do we become more productive? Here are some valuable tips for increasing your productivity, so you can get more done.
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Seek Help and Delegate Tasks Accordingly
Everybody needs help from time to time to complete tasks throughout their day. To get help to accomplish your larger tasks, you need to be able to trust those you are seeking help from to complete the work. To ensure they take your request seriously, you want to be sure to let them know the deadline for the completion of the task.
When you delegate properly, you have more time to spend on your own work. The key is to assign the right task to the correct person, a person you know has the skills to do the job and that you can trust to get it done. Then leave them to it. It takes some getting used to, but you’ll be surprised how much it affects your productivity at work.
Increasing Your Productivity – Create To-Do Lists
You will always have tasks that are simple and ones that are complex. To stay on top of your tasks, create to-do lists and track them using a task app, like Google Tasks. With the larger tasks, break them up into more manageable tasks. You may also want to consider putting a timer on your tasks, so you don’t lose your focus in completing other items on your to-do list.
Making a to-do list or updating it, means that you won’t waste time at the start of the workday looking for your task. You might even try talking through your list with someone. To-do lists are important productivity aids. They get you organized, focused, and gives you feelings of satisfaction when you’re able to check off things that you’ve accomplished.
You’ll feel good when you finish each of them and cross them off. But you’ll never learn how to be more productive unless you cross off some of them before you even bother to do them because higher productivity demands focus. You should ask yourself, What are the important tasks on the list? Or How many of these can I actually finish by the deadline?
Take Breaks
If you spend more than eight to ten hours at a desk, without moving around much, you’ll find you have much less energy. The number of hours you work doesn’t measure productivity. It is measured, instead, by how much you get done without sacrificing your health. To keep your productivity levels up throughout the day, take small breaks and clear your mind.
We all know that sleep deprivation has negative effects on our performance. Lack of sleep decreases our concentration, working memory, mathematical capacity, and logical reasoning. And because the pre-frontal cortex is particularly vulnerable to a lack of sleep, tasks that require logical reasoning or complex thought will be the most impaired.
It sounds counterintuitive, but taking scheduled breaks can actually help improve concentration. Some research has shown that taking short breaks during long tasks helps you to maintain a constant level of performance; while working at a task without breaks leads to a steady decline in performance.
Eliminate Distractions
In the U.S., a recent study revealed that more than 12.2 billion collective hours are being spent browsing social media every day. If you find you are falling behind on your tasks, then you should consider getting rid of your social media apps on your smartphone.
To be productive, you need to shut down the noise and shoo them away. Turn off your email and phone notifications if you need full concentration. Are you a Facebook or Twitter addict? Use social media as a carrot. Allow yourself a few minutes browsing after you accomplish a major task. Then shut it off and get back to work.
If you feel the need to increase your productivity at work, resist the temptation to put in longer hours or pack more into your already-full calendar. Instead, take a step back, and think about ways you can work smarter, not harder.
Set Ambitious, Yet Realistic Goals
If you can cross everything off your to-do list in one day, then you need to create more ambitious goals. People that set higher goals tend to be more productive and more satisfied, than those with lower expectations. Your goals have to be very specific, and you should write them down to ensure you stay on track.
Incorporating these tips for increasing your productivity into your routine can help you to increase your productivity. When you are more productive throughout the day, you can inevitably learn how to be more productive at work.
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