5 Ways to be More Productive Everyday
Five Ways to Accomplish More With Your Limited Time
Do you ever feel like the busier you are the less you accomplish? Many people find that the stress caused by a daunting “to-do” zaps their productivity. These five tips (some are from Office Evolution Members in Lone Tree) can help you alleviate that stress and anxiety so you can be more productive every day.
Organize Your Workspace
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” – A. A. Milne
Organizing your office space, whether you work in a traditional office space or from home, is the first step towards being more productive. Not only does an uncluttered desk help you to find something when you need it, it can reduce the stress and anxiety that can kill your productivity.
Spend a few hours organizing your workspace. Everything should have its place; but, make sure your organizational scheme works for you. Once you have your desk clean and uncluttered, it should only take you a few minutes at the end of each day to maintain. The time you save, not to mention the reduced anxiety you’ll feel by being organized, makes it well worth it.
Prioritize Your To-Do List
It’s much easier to plan you’re day when you know what needs to be done. Take a few minutes each morning and plan out your day. Prioritize your tasks as “Urgent”, “Essential”, and “Non-Essential”. Urgent tasks are tasks that cannot be pushed aside, either because of a strict deadline or because someone else cannot begin their task until you have completed yours. Urgent tasks should be given the highest priority. Essential tasks, often reoccurring activities such as reporting, are important and need to get done but don’t have an impending deadline and should be taken care next. Any task you have prioritized as non-essential can wait until everything else has been completed.
Avoid Electronic Distractions
According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 67% of cell owners will check their phone for messages and alerts even if their phone vibrating didn’t prompt them. Many people don’t stop after checking their alerts – they scroll through their social media feeds, converse with a friend, or browse the web. Checking your phone isn’t the only issue; there are just as many, if not more, ways to distract yourself on the computer you’re supposed to be using for work. This isn’t, in itself, a bad thing but when you need to focus it can become an issue. To increase your productivity, “unplug” for a few hours each day. Apps, such as SelfControl, can help you maintain focus by blocking access to distracting websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, for a whatever amount of time you specify.
Do Something for Someone Else
Have you ever noticed how energized and empowered you feel after doing something nice for someone else? It’s a great feeling and you can use that energy to help you focus on tackling your “to-do” list. Talk about a win-win situation.
Don’t Ignore Your E-mail
There are few things in life more stressful and distracting than an inbox full of unread emails and their notifications serving as a constant, nagging reminder of all the work you have yet to finish. What is the easiest way to avoid this stress? Take care of those emails! Set aside time at the start of your day to read and respond to your emails. With your inbox de-cluttered you’ll be more productive the rest of the day.
Follow these simple tips and you’ll soon start to see just how much more you can accomplish each and every day. Have any additional productivity tips you would like to share? Let us know about them in the comments section below.