There are only so many hours in a day, and while everyone wants to get more work done, we can lose motivation and lack productivity. Increasing your productivity isn’t about putting in more hours, it's about working smarter. This blog will talk through 5 key points which can help increase your productivity in the workplace.
1) Know when you’re alert
We can often overlook tasks because we don’t feel motivated or confident enough in ourselves to accomplish them, which can have a huge impact on our productivity! Not everyone is a morning person, so understanding when you work best is vital. If you are a morning person, then this is the best time to tackle the bigger tasks! Based on this example, if you are a morning person and wait until the afternoon, you could be burned out and lack the motivation to complete any tasks, which could result in running past your initial completion date.
2) Set small goals
When at work we tend to set ourselves projects and goals to complete which can be overwhelming, especially when we see them all together. It is normal at the beginning of the week to list targets or project completion dates we need finished that week, but we can lose productivity when trying to complete them. Rather than setting ourselves an overall target for completing an entire project, we should be breaking down our projects into micro-tasks.
Setting smaller tasks and breaking them down, can create a sense of control and calmness, and allow bigger projects to seem less daunting to us. On a day-to-day basis, this can help motivation and productivity, and you may even see yourself achieving your goal earlier.
3) Take breaks
If you spend more than 7-10 hours at a desk and are not moving around, this can make you feel like you have less energy. When we think about productivity, we shouldn’t measure this by how long we work but rather by the quality and quantity of work we accomplish.
To help improve productivity, it helps to get up and go for a walk, have a chat with a colleague, or just take a breather before jumping straight into another task.
4) Quit Multitasking
We tend to think multitasking is how we achieve our goals quicker, however, Psychologists have found that when we attempt to work on several tasks at the same time, this can result in lost time and a lower level of productivity. Instead of multi-tasking, focus on one task before moving onto the next, you may find this can help productivity and complete tasks faster!
5) Get a good night’s sleep
Sleeping well is a key part of productivity if we are tired in work this can show in our work. When we are tired, we are less motivated or feel we are unable to complete various tasks, resulting in your work not being finished or not to the best standard.
According to a 2007 Harvard report, sleep deprivation can reduce our efficiency and we also become more prone to making errors in our work. If we are well rested this can improve creativity, reduce stress and improve both our mood and memory.
Looking for more helpful tips for the workplace? Why not check out VANRATH’s News or visit our LinkedIn page.
If you’d like to speak to one of our consultants regarding a job role, feel free to ring VANRATH and speak to a consultant directly on 028 9033 0250.
