We’re only productive for about 3 hours a day, discover 4 ways to improve your productivity at work
Deadlines are mounting. You’re unable to concentrate. You want to finish your work but your mind is busy and full of thoughts that aren’t conducive to making concrete progress. How do you increase productivity when time is against you? Let’s take a look at 4 ways to improve your productivity at work.
When you’re doing too much and your time and effort are in high demand, focusing on the things that are important to you can be tricky. This can be difficult when your mind is distracted because you’re stressed, tired and doing too much. You want to concentrate and show demonstrable results but it’s hard to be productive when you’re constantly switching hats. Let’s look at some of the ways to improve your productivity.
How to be more productive at work
Do you ever wish you could click your fingers and become more productive? It’s good we don’t rely on magic because what we really need is the right mindset, tools and conditions. Here are some suggestions:
1. Uninterrupted time
Carve out some time to give your full attention to the task at hand. Block the time out in your diary, minimise your emails and put your phone on do not disturb. Fully focus on whatever it is you’ve got to do. Keep your team informed so they don’t wonder where you are and ask them to only interrupt you if it’s absolutely necessary. You’ll be speeding through your to-do list in no time. Furthermore, take a look at Cal Newport’s book on Deep Work or check out his blog for more on this idea of “cultivating a deep work ethic [to] produce massive benefits”. He suggests that if you “Do less. Do better. [and] Know why” you’ll “amplify things that matter and reduce the things that distract you”. He says: “[the] human mind craves deep, difficult challenges, and can find real satisfaction in the process of sticking with something intricate but important for a long period of time.”
2. Delegate
Have you ever noticed that you put off the things you really don’t want to do? Give yourself a break and delegate it to someone else. You’re infinitely more productive when you actually enjoy the task and it’ll feel much easier to focus without those other things hanging over your head. Take marketing, for example, if it isn’t your forte and you don’t have the time to do it yourself, get someone like me to manage it for you.
3. Sleep
How many hours are you getting a night? Do you feel fully rested in the morning? Sleep is vital for our mental and physical wellbeing. We don’t function well when we’re sleep-deprived so it’s unsurprising that we perform better and are more productive when we’ve had a good night’s rest. According to Harvard Scientists sleep deprivation costs businesses almost $65 billion every year in America due to lost productivity. That’s huge, if ever you need a good excuse to turn in early or switch off your alarm, this is it.
4. Music
To increase your productivity try listening to music while you work. 71% of people said listening to music made them more productive at work, according to a survey by Robert Half.
Here are my top 3 playlists on Spotify that help me concentrate:
Reasons to be more productive
When you take big strides at work it spurs you on to do more and you feel happier as a result. You can give yourself the space to be fully present and engaged with the things you love outside of work without being distracted by things you ought to have done in the office.
Did you know that on average people spend only 2.8 hours a day on productive tasks, according to Rescue Time? If we could increase the time we were productive, imagine what else we could accomplish? Would you feel calmer, happier, more energised?
When I feel well-rested and take the opportunity to safeguard my time to work, I’m always more productive. I can have an aim in mind to finish a particular task and often supersede this if I work under the right conditions. I can then enjoy some well earned time to myself without the dreaded guilt or anxiety hanging over my head about any tasks that are still outstanding.
It can be a struggle to find the right conditions to focus your attention and even when you’re well prepared, poised and ready to begin, there can be blockers. You can’t always operate at full cylinders, you need to take a slower pace at times but when there is pressure mounting and you need to complete a task, doing these four things can help you focus. Be kind to yourself and minimise those distractions as best as you can.
I’m interested to find out how productive you are at work, what’s helped and what’s hindered your progress? What’s your experience been like and how did you feel after you’d completed a mammoth task? Let me know how you’re getting on by leaving me your comments and share this blog with anyone that you think will find it useful.
