Increasing productivity is something we all strive for and it’s vital for success at work. Every manager will want to get the most out of their employees and one of the ways to do that is by individuals increasing their own productivity.
Instead of wasting time downloading productivity boosting apps (ironically), here are some small changes you can make which will increase your performance both in and out of the office.
1. Write a to-do list for your day before you leave the office the night before and don’t forget to prioritise your workload. It will enable you to focus more on specific tasks and keep you on track.
2. Keep track of time and aim to work on a task for a set period then change your focus to something else. You can always come back to it later but by doing this, it will keep you more engaged and productive.
3. Use your commuting time efficiently by reading emails, checking out some LinkedIn articles or brainstorming some ideas then there’s a couple of things less to do when you get to the office.
4. Do not try to multitask. Instead, channel all your concentration into one task and once you have completed it or reached the end of its dedicated time slot, then you can move onto something else. A good recruitment CRM can assist you with this.
5. Make the most of your lunch break and get away from your desk. By having some time away from your working station, it means you can return from lunch with a new lease of life and focus.
6. Keep your inbox organised by creating folders and rules to save you the hassle of trying to find an email you thought you’d lost! After you’ve read each one, make sure you action something whether that’s adding it to your to-do list, forwarding it or deleting it.
7. Take a break! When you feel like your productivity is diminishing and you’ve lost concentration, have five minutes to yourself and grab a breath of fresh air. It will allow you to come back to your work with a fresh mindset.
8. Follow the two-minute rule to eliminate quick and easy tasks by doing a task immediately if you know it can be completed within two minutes or less.
9. Do not be afraid to say no! Sometimes we can get sucked into this world at work where we feel like we should say yes to everything but we really don’t. If someone asks you to do something for them but you really don’t have the time, then prioritise your workload first and try and help them out another time.
10. Eliminate distractions like social media and your phone by either logging out or physically removing them from your workspace. This will allow you to solely concentrate on the task at hand.
By applying these tips to boost your productivity, you should find yourself getting more work done and improving your performance. If you find anything particularly helpful for improving your productivity then we’d love to know, just tweet us @itris.
