“Productivity is not just about doing more. It is about creating more impact with less work.”—Prerna Malik
Productivity, Productivity, Productivity. We hear this word wherever we go. Whether we are at work or reading an article online, we are told to be more productive. What is even more interesting is that everyone defines productivity differently. In fact, everyone has an advice on how you can be more productive from internet to your co-workers. Unfortunately, none of them really works. Do not worry because in this article, you will learn about productivity enhancing tactics that really works. Read on and find out more.
1. Schedule and Prioritize
First and foremost, you must schedule and prioritize all the tasks that you have to complete. Just creating a To-Do list, you should divide your whole day into hours and minutes and assign a task to each one of these time slots. That is what most productive people do. With so many different tasks, you should also prioritize tasks based on different factors. Complete tasks that are more important or tasks whose deadline is quickly approaching. When you schedule tasks and prioritize them, you feel much more organized which help you achieve much more than you would do when everything is in a mess.
2. Keep An Eye On Productivity Killers
Meetings, emails, social media, browsing the web, chatting with your noisy co-workers can kill your productivity at work. If you cannot keep them in check, you cannot be productive. It is as simple as that. Say “No” to meetings that do not have an agenda. Check your email inbox once or twice throughout the day and batch process emails. Check social media, attend calls, respond to messages, browse the web and chat with your co-workers in your lunchtime so these non-value added activities don’t put a big dent on your productivity at work.
3. Focus On One Thing At A Time
Believe it or not, multitasking decreases your productivity instead of increasing it. Yes, that is not a typo. Research has shown the negative impact of multitasking on your productivity, efficiency, brain and IQ levels. Our brains are hard wired to focus on one thing at a time and when we multitask, we are only switching focus back and forth between tasks, which results in loss of some precious time that our brain needs to refocus. Hence, multitasking can do more harm to your productivity than good and you must avoid it, or atleast minimize it.
4. Use Productivity Tools
Thanks to the advancement in technology, we now have access to productivity management software that helps us with task management. Choose one of these digital tools and you can easily assign tasks, track progress and complete more tasks. Additionally, task management software comes packed with productivity enhancing features. Throw in collaboration, communication and reporting features into the mix and you get a comprehensive package that will help you get more done with minimal efforts in less time.
5. Take Breaks
I have some bad news for workaholics out there. If you are not taking breaks regularly, your productivity will take a hit. Yes, that is right. We all are humans and we get tired. Fatigue will get to us and so does stress, which stops us from being more productive. Our mind and body needs rest and they will ring the bell when they need rest. Taking multiple breaks throughout your workday rejuvenates your mind and body and recharges your battery so that you can go the extra mile. As a rule of thumb, you should take 20 minutes break after every 90 minutes work session.
Which productivity enhancing tactics do you use to keep your productivity levels up? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.