Secret Techniques to Increase Productivity and Efficiency at Work

Spending long hours at the workplace almost feels like a necessity in today’s busy professional world, with endless to-do lists and overburdening work bogging us down. However, those overtime hours won’t amount to much if you’re not getting ahead. What counts most is how productive and efficient you are at the end of the day.

Workplace productivity is as critical for employees as it is for businesses. It means more opportunities for promotion, bigger bonuses and better chances of career growth.

At the end of a long day at the office, you will sometimes you finish your day with an elusive sigh of relief, while other times you end up taking your work home with you – leaving you feeling stressed. As an old adage goes, “it’s not the number of hours you put into work, it is the amount of work you put in those hours.” So, if you aren’t satisfied with your usual work cycle, you have to make some adjustments. You need to change some of your usual methods and habits in order to become more productive.

The following tips will help.

Get rid of distractions

To become productive, you need to minimize the distractions that come in your way. For example, social media is one of the biggest productivity killers. In addition to those networks, emails, WhatsApp messages, texts and phone calls also impact your work. According to research conducted by the University of California, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to a task after being interrupted. Interruptions also decrease your accuracy.

There are many ways you can eliminate distraction while at work, such as:

• Turn off instant notifications from various apps
• Turn off your email notifications and schedule time to check it
• Keep your smartphone out of reach when it’s not needed for work
• Stay off social media platforms during work time
• Listen to music that helps you in staying focused (there are plenty of playlists to choose from that are specifically made for concentration that don’t have lyrics)

Don’t multitask

Multitasking might sound the best way to get more done, but the fact is you aren’t really multitasking at all; in actuality, it is task-switching. A growing body of research shows that productivity gets reduced as much as 40% when people switch tasks. Another study by the University of London suggests that switching tasks lowers your IQ.

The point is, if you try to perform many tasks at a time, you will more likely end up doing nothing substantial. Instead, the fulfillment of any task depends a lot upon your level of concentration. The fallacy of multitasking, as it emerges, is it forces you to split your concentration into as many tasks as you are going to attempt. Therefore, focusing on a single task at one time dramatically increases your productivity as well as efficiency.

Prepare a to-do list for the next day

Making to-do lists well in advance aids your productivity. Having a list to check off provides you with greater focus and rewards you with feelings of satisfaction when you complete a task. Preparing to-do lists the night before allows you not to waste time at the start of the work day. When you spend even 10 minutes every evening in order to briefly go through the tasks of the next day, everything changes in terms of productivity.

The reason is pretty simple, while writing your tasks down, you are forced to also think through them and explain them. Though the to-do list wouldn’t change, but you will get a feeling that you have completed half of your work in your head already. The next day, all you need to do is just look at your tasks and get them done.

Take breaks

Working under stress drains your time as well as your energy. Taking regular breaks from work will maintain your enthusiasm and help you stay in a productive mind frame when you restart your task. Too much work tires your body and mind and you will start to have a difficult time concentrating on anything. They go out and do things they enjoy doing the most like surfing and hiking. You can also enjoy your time and eat healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables. In the frantic pace of today’s life, it is important to connect with friends, attend conferences and talk to people in your networking relationships. Furthermore, establishing a strong camaraderie with co-workers is a great source of stress-buster; so it would be refreshing to share drinks and party beverages during company events and parties with your colleagues.

Delegate your work

Delegation is a highly useful skill. Once you have mastered the art of delegation, you will notice how much easier your job has become, but only if you do it properly. When you delegate in a right manner, you have more time to stay laser focused on your own important task. The important factor, however, is to assign the task to the right person – a person you know has the skills and aptitude to do it. The results of delegation in a right manner are astonishing. You will amazed to see how much productive you have become, freed to focus on what you need to do.

Final thoughts

Low productivity is in no one’s interest; it neither helps a company nor an employee. So being productive should be your prime focus and make sure you are using your true potential. The above mentioned tips will help you become more productive.

Related reading:

• Productivity and Time Management Hacks
• Five Daily Habits That Can Transform Your Productivity
• Outsmart Your Procrastination: 4 Easy Steps to Maximize Your Productivity
• 8 Ways to Boost Your Productivity at Work

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