PERSONAL SPECIAL.... How to make the most of your workday

How to make the most of your workday

Do you often find your workday spiralling out of control? Here’s what you can do to make your day productive

You start each day with a plan to get so much done, but soon find yourself becoming distracted, focusing on low-priority tasks and, simply, procrastinating. So how can you regain control of your time? Onesize-fits-all lists on how to be more productive don’t work. Here are some productivity techniques that can be adapted to your personality and working style:

Three basics of productivity

Use these principles to help guide you through your workday. All workers and workdays are unique. With fewer companies and employees adhering to a traditional 9-to-5 day, the differences in our workdays are becoming more pronounced. But putting those differences aside, three overarching ideas apply to all our productivity tips:

1 Trust the small increments. 

You can’t expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.

2 Be accountable. 

Whether it’s weekly check-ins with a coworker or setting your own deadlines and announcing them to others, having to answer to someone else can often force you to get the job done.

3 Forgive yourself. 

You are human: Accept that you are sometimes going to slip up, become distracted and have a bad day. It’s more important to move on than to dwell on your mistakes.

At your desk

Where you work can be just as important as how you work. Your desk says a lot about you. There’s no one right way to organise a desk. But your physical workspace can have a big effect on productivity. It “can either energise you or deplete your energy,” says time management expert Julie Morgenstern.

Piles of worry

In general, only 25 per cent of a desk’s messiness is related to organisational skills, Morgenstern maintains. The rest is tied to time management. “Every paper on your desk has a task associated with it, and that task is going to take time. Have you factored in enough time to get it all done? Out-of-control piles of paper may be a sign that you need to delegate,” she says.

Ask yourself: Are the piles on your desk the same ones that were there three weeks ago, or are they moving? As long as they’re not stagnant, you are probably doing fine with some clutter.

Demarcations

In most cases, keep your desk clear except for the project you are tackling at the moment, along with the equipment you need to complete it. You should also create a space for an ‘in zone’ — brand new things that have just come in — and an ‘out zone’ for things that are finished and need to be distributed.

One of the easiest ways to start to change your work space is to spend the last 10 minutes of your workday readying your desk for the next day. Then you won’t have to start your day with yesterday’s mess. Starting out with a desk prepared for the day ahead could have a powerful effect on your mindset and productivity.

—The New York Times