Being productive is a great attribute to have. You want to get your work completed - efficiently and on time.
- How many of us find ourselves dragging behind with our work schedule?
- Are you someone who feels like you are always running behind those looming deadlines?
- Is your work piling up and you feel like you cannot manage your time well, no matter how hard you try?
If this is you, then do read on...
We have come up with a few handy tips to help you catch up with time and build skills to improve your productivity at work.
1. Focus on the most important jobs you need to do first
Creating a hierarchy of the most important tasks (MITs) can help boost your productivity at work.
Distinguish which tasks are THE most important ones to do within your working day and focus on completing them before any of the less pressured and time-consuming ones. It is really easy to fall into a trap of completing smaller jobs first and leaving the bigger tasks for later on.
The idea here is to alter this habit and adopt a different outlook to work. Getting the more demanding jobs completed first will help you manage your time more productively so that you have time to focus on other tasks.
2. Tackle tasks in bite-sized chunks
It's very common to take on heavy tasks, then experience overwhelming stress and panic because you feel as though you won't be able to complete the task to hand in time.
One way of counteracting this would be to deal with the job in bite-sized chunks, a little at a time. The best thing would be to plan ahead, and using a time management app would certainly be a helpful too.
There are a plethora of apps, geared towards becoming a master of your own time, available on smartphones. They are a convenient and very useful way of improving your productivity at work. The reviews prove invaluable so have a look around to see which one suits you best and give it a try.
3. Take breaks
Everyone deserves a break even at work. Encouraging short breaks at set times will help you relax, refocus and energise yourself for subsequent tasks ahead. Not mistaking breaks for short times focused on procrastinating or daydreaming, mind you!
Regular breaks incorporated into the day will hopefully help you stay on track and retain focus on your tasks ahead.
4. Avoid multitasking
Oddly, we think that we can switch between a number of tasks at work and that this is the best method of dealing with all of our work – all in one go, simultaneously.
However, this is a common mistake. It’s probably more challenging to write an email whilst speaking to a client with messages popping up on Slack (a cloud-based instant messaging platform great for workplaces!)
So, avoid multitasking as it can decrease your overall productivity at work. Breaking this habit will probably be testing especially if you are a die-hard multitasker but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done! Take each day slowly and remind yourself not to take too much on all at once.
5. It’s okay to say “no"
Many of us agree to take on more work than we really should. We’re quick to say yes because we’re excited by new opportunities. However, we may then realise that we have too much on our plates. And guess what? Our productivity ends up going down the pan as a result.
It really is okay to say “no.” It’s better to be honest than to say you can take on more when you really shouldn’t or can’t. Learn the art of saying it so you can focus on tasks that you can deal with at that present moment. It will increase your productivity and efficiency at work.
We hope you find these tips helpful. Let us know how you get on!
