Struggling With Productivity in
the Workplace? 12 Tips to Get More Done
PART II
In PART I was covered
1.
Keep a junk journal to declutter your task list
2.
Stop multitasking to get more done (Yes, really!)
3.
Your device’s do-not-disturb feature is your new go-to
4.
Honor your priorities
5.
Schedule uninterrupted time every day to improve focus
CONTINUES IN PART II
6.
Give yourself a break (Or several)
Here’s a fact for you:
A recent study by the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign recently found that prolonged focus on a single task
actually hinders productivity and quality of the completed work.[2]
They found the longer we focus on one thing,
the less motivated we are in achieving the original goal of the task. They call
this “goal habituation.”
Their cure for goal habituation is taking
frequent breaks to reset your brain’s focus and cognition when it starts to
decrease.
This allows you to avoid a lapse in focus and
productivity, and to work smarter, not harder.
Of course, when we’re “in the zone” it’s
important to capitalize on that state of focus. But once your mind starts to
wander, it’s time for a break.
7.
Set your goals the right way for success
It’s no secret that having big-picture career
goals can keep us motivated in the long-run, but it’s also a great idea to
break larger goals into smaller ones.
Why? Because achieving smaller goals on a
weekly or daily basis keeps us motivated and in a state of flow when it comes
to keeping up productive output.
Setting short-term goals that
stem from the big-picture also helps prevent you from becoming overwhelmed or
discouraged by a goal that seems too far away or too big in comparison to where
we are now.
To set goals the right way, try this method:
1. Set
your big-picture goal and be specific.
2. Identify
what needs to happen to achieve that goal from the top down.
3. Write
out each of these lower-level goals in descending order, until they’ve been
broken down into weekly and even daily goals.
Once you have smaller, more immediately
actionable career goals, you’ll have more motivation to achieve the smaller
ones, which will help boost productivity and personal morale in the workplace.
8.
Set boundaries and stick to them
Many people have a tough time setting
boundaries because it means saying “no” more often.
How often do you say “no” to your boss or
coworkers? Do you end up staying late or taking work home?
Though you may think that taking work home or
working long hours allows you to get more done, it doesn’t.
When we know bringing work home at night is
an option, it’s easy to let productivity slip away during the day. Then, when
we arrive home, the time that should be spent unwinding is instead spent finishing
the day’s work or playing catch-up.
It’s much easier to be fully present at work
when you know you have a solid block of time to get things done. When you know
you’ll have a total disconnect once you leave the office, your hours spent at
work suddenly becomes more valuable, and you’re more motivated to be productive
during the day so you can fully unplug when the workday ends.
Of course, there are times when we have
deadlines to meet, and the occasional evening or weekend will be spent working.
But the more you set and stick to your
boundaries whenever possible, the more productive and valuable you’ll be during
work hours.
9.
Turn your task into a process
One of the easiest hacks for boosting your
workplace productivity can be summed up in one word: streamlining.
Most of us have repetitive tasks we do weekly
or even daily, but many of us attack them from scratch each time these tasks
come up.
Creating a solid process for these tasks can
not only make them easier but also allow us to complete them in a quicker and
more efficient way. Creating processes can also include templates, such as
email scripts, which can help us work even faster.
This is streamlining in action. The more we
can streamline our tasks, the more we can get done and the easier our workload
becomes.
Even better, the simple processes you create
may even help your colleagues and who knows, maybe even your department or
company at large!
10.
Spend time with your coworkers to strengthen relationships
Sure, goofing off and chit-chatting with your
coworkers during work hours doesn’t sound very productive, but it is.
Getting to know your coworkers and
communicating with them in a more relaxed manner can easily strengthen your
working relationships. These strong bonds can help craft a positive work
environment, which is shown to enhance productivity in the office by a
significant amount.[3]
So don’t be afraid to get to know your
colleagues, or engage in “water-cooler chat” on breaks—those chats might just
be the productive boost your team needs to get more done during the day.
11.
Ask for feedback
A big contributing factor to decreased
productivity during the workday is a lack of communication.
While we covered how communication can
strengthen your work relationships with your coworkers, it can also strengthen
your overall work and productive output when feedback is involved.
Simply requesting feedback or being
particularly present during performance reviews can give you a detailed view of
where you are in relation to your performance and your workplace goals.
After all, what good is being productive if
you’re on the wrong path, or focusing your attention in the wrong areas?
Strong feedback can help set you on the right
course or enforce that what you’re doing is helping you—and your company—to
succeed.
Bonus:
While constructive criticism from your boss
is important, asking for feedback from your coworkers can also be highly
beneficial for smoother communication and teamwork.
12.
Find meaning in your daily work
The final tip for boosting productivity in
the workplace is crucial not only to our quality of work, but the quality of
our lives, and that tip is to find real meaning in your work.
When we’re doing work that has meaning or
makes us feel fulfilled, we are far more likely to enjoy the work we do and
become more productive in turn.
Now, this is easy if you work for a
non-profit that helps to serve the community, but what if you work a typical
desk job for a large company?
Finding fulfillment in
the office is different for everyone, but starting out with small steps like
practicing gratitude and establishing a personal mission statement can help you
feel fulfilled right away, which will help boost your productivity in no time.
Your
new toolkit
From cutting back on multitasking to finding
meaning in your work, you now have the tools to tackle workplace productivity
head-on and get more done.
Kileen Robinson
https://www.lifehack.org/799815/productivity-in-the-workplace
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