How important is it to make the most of your time at work? As there are only so many hours in a day, many of us are culprits of unintentionally wasting valuable time and putting things off until the last minute! With that being said, there are two ways to increase your output – either put in more hours at the office or work smarter. Now I don’t know about you, but I prefer the second option!
Now you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to become more productive at work, but it does require you spending a little more time thinking about how exactly you manage your time. In this post, I’m going to walk you through 4 simple but effective tips for increasing your productivity in the office!
Minimise Interruptions
Having your phone buzzing in your pocket every now and then may seem innocuous, but it has been scientifically proven that brief interruptions can drastically cause a drop in productivity. Minimising interruptions may mean that you have to put on hold updating your Facebook status, sharing an opinionated thought on Twitter or checking the comments of the photo you took of your breakfast earlier that morning on Instagram… So do yourself a favour and pop your phone in the draw!
Take regular breaks
Have a break, have a KitKat… that was the saying, wasn’t it? We don’t mind what you do, but make sure you give your brain time to rest and re-focus. It may sound counterintuitive, but taking scheduled breaks can actually help improve your own concentration. Some research has suggested that taking short breaks during long tasks help you maintain a consistent level of performance.
Give yourself a deadline
A large number of us consider stress as a bad thing, however, a manageable level of self-imposed stress can actually help us be more efficient giving us more focus and help us to tick off more on our daily to-do lists! For more lengthy projects, give yourself an allotted amount of time to complete the task and then actually stick to it!
Stop trying to multitask
Whilst a lot of us think that multitasking is a skill that will help us improve our efficiency, the opposite may in fact be true. It has been shown by psychologists that attempting to do several tasks at once can result in a loss of time and more importantly a further drop in productivity.
We all want to be as productive as possible throughout the working day, not only to impress the boss but also to improve our own self-worth. Consider the above points at the start of your next working day and see what results you get!
Do you have your own personal best work-related productivity tips? Have you unearthed the secret to maximising your own productivity in the office? Then make sure you join the discussion and share your tips and tricks below!
