ave you ever felt like you’re not as productive as you should be? Or perhaps you struggle to stay focused for long periods of time and find yourself procrastinating or distracted frequently? If so, don’t worry, because you’re not alone. Everyone feels unproductive from time to time and it's ok. The key thing is that you are equipped with knowledge of how to work smart, not hard. To help you get up to speed with your productivity, we have compiled a list of very simple tips that will help you become more productive.
1. The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that helps you be more productive by scheduling your tasks, increasing your focus and eliminating distractions.
The Pomodoro technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The concept behind this method is that by breaking down tasks into intervals with short breaks in between, typically 25 minutes in length, you can minimize the impact that mental fatigue has on your ability to concentrate and focus.
This technique has been shown to reduce mental distractions and interruptions so that you can accomplish more in less time. You can use this technique for any task that you want or need to complete. This can be incredibly beneficial for employees who work in office environments and find themselves distracted by various things such as open plan office layouts or office noise.
There are 4 steps to the Pomodoro technique:
1. Pick a task you want to complete.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
3. Work on your task until the time is up.
4. Take a 5-minute break.
Every 3-4 pomodoros, take a longer 15-30 minute break.
2. Prioritized to-do list
If you’ve ever tried to implement the Pomodoro technique, then you’ll know that it’s very easy to get distracted - especially if you’re completing a particularly challenging task. To avoid this, you can use a to-do list to help you prioritize your tasks and focus on completing the most important ones first.
By prioritizing your tasks, you’re able to focus on the most essential ones - rather than getting distracted by less important ones. This means that you can complete them in less time, which will allow you to then focus on other tasks on your to-do list that are less urgent. This is incredibly important for people who work in service-based industries or find themselves completing general administrative tasks.
Most challenging tasks should be done first
The most challenging tasks should be tackled first thing in the morning when we are not tired after a long day. Personally, I like to start working on tasks after my first cup of coffee in the morning. It gives me a boost of energy, and my brain starts working.
Virtual list or paper list?
Some people prefer to have virtual to-do lists on their apps. It’s a common belief that digital devices help people complete tasks faster. In spite of this, the study found that people who wrote notes by hand completed their task 25% faster than those who used tablets. By using paper, our brains display more brain activity with a connection to language and imaginary visualization as well as brain region vital to memory and navigation. Therefore, it helps us to imagine how to solve tasks and navigate through them simply by writing on paper.
3. One task at a time
In order to become more productive, single-tasking, or focusing on one thing at a time, is crucial to reducing distractions and procrastination. With single tasking, you keep your mind focused on one task at a time, rather than trying to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. This allows you to complete your tasks more efficiently while also eliminating distractions that might be present when you're working on them simultaneously.
Some people might say that they love multitasking and they perform better while doing a few tasks simultaneously. But are they really performing better?
Attention residue
Concentrating on more than one task at a time can sometimes leave you with a lack of cognitive resources.
It's called attention residue that's causing this problem. In experiments, it has been shown that when you switch attention from one task to another, a portion of your mind is still focused on the previous task. Switching back and forth requires you to remember what you were doing, while simultaneously dealing with the slight distraction from the other task. As a result, your cognitive load will increase. Meaning, it’s always better to complete one task before you start on the next.
4. Eliminate distractions
Throughout the course of your work day, you’ll almost certainly be faced with multiple distractions - especially if you work in an open plan office or at home with kids running around. While it’s important to be sociable and engage with your peers or kids, it’s also important to be mindful of the fact that too many distractions can seriously impact your ability to become more productive at work.
Distractions can be eliminated by doing the following:
✔︎ Turn off notifications - your friend's Instagram picture of what she's eating is not the most important thing now.
✔︎ Close your email and other tabs - it is easy to get lost with all those 100 open tabs.
✔︎ Invest in noise cancelling headphones. Even if there is no noise around, it can be helpful to just put these headphones on (without music). This enables you to hear your thoughts more clearly, which in turn allows you to concentrate more effectively.
5. Don't underestimate the importance of breaks
When talking about increasing productivity, breaks are often the first thing that springs to mind. Taking shorter breaks throughout the day can help to refresh your mind and allow you to return to work feeling more focused and energized. Longer breaks towards the end of the day can help you to unwind, which can be especially important if you’re working on challenging tasks. Taking breaks at the right times and for the right amount of time can help you find creative solutions to problems, increase performance and lower stress, allowing you to return to work feeling re-energized, while also preventing burnout.
It is recommended to take breaks every 40-50 minutes to clear your mind. If you're working on the computer, it's good to stretch your body and rest your eyes a bit. Have a dog? Go for a walk with your pooch. To rest your eyes, especially if you're working on the computer, it's good to look at something far away for a bit then at something close, repeat this movement several times. This allows you to exercise your eye muscles a bit.
6. Optimal surroundings
The environment where we work is more influential than we think. Boost your performance by taking care of your surroundings and ensuring that your environment is encouraging productivity.
Mix it up
Some people find it helpful to stay productive by changing their surroundings. If you work remotely, try working from a coffee shop a few days per week. It will allow you to experience new things outside your routine, which might boost your creativity and problem solving. You can also try changing the location of your desk. Here's what science says about the best way to set up your office for ergonomics and productivity.
Nature
In addition to the obvious fact that nature is good for us, there has been extensive research into the ways in which it effects our health, mental well-being, and social well-being. The findings suggest that taking green micro-breaks at work - looking at nature through the window, walking outside, or even using a screen saver - can improve attention and performance. So get as many plants as you can in your office room and look at these beautiful plants from time to time. Besides increasing your productivity, they also have other beneficial qualities such as cleaning and purifying air.
Clean up your room to clean up your mind
It is important to maintain a good work-life balance. This means that you need to maintain a healthy physical and mental health to be able to stay productive and focused. There is a saying "A messy room, a messy mind" which is very accurate and true. Have you noticed that once you clean your home, you feel different - fresh and motivated? In the same way, make sure your working environment is clean (and has some plants). Note: we're not suggesting you organize your desk because some people find it easier to work when their desk has its own order. Our only recommendation is to tidy up your workspace.
7. Use tools to boost your productivity and automate your work
There are several different tools that can help you to boost your productivity at work. These include tools such as digital to-do lists, productivity apps, time tracking tools and calendars. These tools can enhance your work experience and help you prioritize your tasks, allowing you to be more efficient and focus on important tasks, leading to increased productivity.
It’s important to note that just because a tool exists, it doesn’t mean it’s the best fit for you.
By experimenting with a few different options, you can find the productivity tools that best fit your needs and help you to become more productive at work.
Some of our favorite productivity tools are:
Zapier and ClickUp - lets you automate many tasks with different software integrations.
Notion - provides a workspace for notes, to-do lists, documents, wikis, projects, and collaboration. It can be used for personal needs, for team sharing, or within an entire company.
Calendly - meetings scheduling automation platform for eliminating the hassle of back-and-forth emails.
Wordtune - if you're a content writer, this tool is amazing! It's an AI writing app that rewrites, rephrases, and rewords your writing.
Bonus tip 8. Don't finish your task
This might sound crazy, but it works 100%. Don't finish the last task you are working on entirely at the end of the day. You probably already know how to solve it and it would feel so good to finally finish it. But don't do it.
The reason is simple - when you begin your workday the next morning, you already know how to complete the task from the day before. This will motivate you to begin working on the task right away because you already know how to proceed rather than checking your emails or scrolling through social media first - also known as procrastinating. Start your day productive by not finishing yesterday's tasks.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of different ways in which you can become more productive by putting very little effort. By using the Pomodoro technique, prioritizing your to-do list, single tasking and taking care of your work environment, you can help yourself to focus, stay stress-free, and even boost your creativity. By adapting these tips, you can become more efficient and be able to achieve more throughout your day.
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