Even though you like your job, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to burst through the doors every day full of energy and determination. It’s even harder to keep that motivation going all the way through to the end of the day. So, how can you make your day more productive? How can you eliminate that feeling of guilt you get when you’re lying in bed thinking about everything you should have accomplished today but didn’t?
You stumble into the office thirty seconds before you’re meant to start, rubbing your sleepy eyes and dreading the day ahead. The only way you can make it through is by consuming an abundance of coffee. You find yourself staring at the clock, not able to concentrate on anything else, waiting for the day to end. But, once you can finally go home and relax, you start stressing about all the projects building up that you haven’t yet finished.
Being more productive at work isn’t rocket science—it only takes a few tweaks here and there to better manage your time. These are our top tips for boosting your productivity at work.
To-Do Lists
At the very top of our list is making to-do lists. This is the number-one way to organise yourself and declutter your mind. Jot down everything you have to do that day in order of priority. It’s a great idea to do this the night before, as you can rest better without worrying you’re going to forget something you have to do tomorrow. You can always add to the list as the day goes on if more things pop up.
Plan & Prepare
Get into the office 10 minutes early at the start of each day and write out a schedule for your day’s tasks, using the to-do list you wrote last night. If you have a large project that will take a long time or may span over a few days, break it up into smaller steps and allot them separate time frames. By planning your day and sticking to it, you’re accounting for every minute you spend at work and making sure your time is filled by doing something productive.
Other preparations are things you can do at home. Plan your outfit the night before. Set up the coffee maker before you go to bed. Whatever small tasks you can prepare in advance, do them. This allows for less-stressful and hectic mornings, leading to a fresh and uncluttered mind for the start of the work day.
Switch It Up
Instead of working on one project exclusively until it’s completed, try working on one task for a set amount of time and then changing your focus. This helps keep you productive whilst also diminishing the monotony and tedium that come along with working on one project for extended periods of time.
Take Frequent Breaks (Yay!)
Keep in mind that productivity is not measured by the number of hours you sit at a desk. As we all know, Newton’s first law of motion says that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. This means that if you spend eight hours sat at a desk without really moving around, you have very little energy during the day and afterwards; but if you incorporate some movement into your days, you will find you have more energy throughout the entire week.
The ideal way to do this is to take a break every 90 minutes or so. This doesn’t mean take full-on, 20-minute breaks every hour and a half—but at least stand up and walk around for a minute or go to the loo or something just something to change your focus and give your brain a breather. That being said, you should try to take a full ten-minute break once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Not every 90 minutes, though, as that’s rather counterproductive—the exact opposite of what we are striving to achieve here!
Leave Your Desk for Lunch
Sometimes this is easier said than done, because sometimes you have too much to do that day; but it’s always better to give your brain a break to reboot your energy and your focus. Staring at the same surroundings for ten hours a day is not particularly motivating, so mix it up a bit and put yourself in a different setting for lunch.
Stay Hydrated
The brain becomes much slower and less focused when not hydrated enough. Even slight dehydration—as little as 2%—can have an impact on your reasoning ability and your mental alertness. Not drinking enough water also leads to fatigue and headaches/migraines, especially if you spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen. Virgin Pure created this video to show you what happens when you’re not properly hydrated at work:
Via VirginPure.com
Eliminate Distractions
Throughout the day, track and monitor things that tend to distract you—phone notifications, email alerts, social media, searching for files—and get rid of them. You may not be opening them, but phone notifications can still be distracting; even if they just catch your eye for a second or break your train of thought. If this happens to you, adjust your phone’s notification settings or just put away your phone altogether. You can check it during your little breaks or over lunch. If a big time-consumer for you is hunting around your desktop trying to find where you saved something, then organise your files.
There are so many parts of our day that we could make better use of—for example, when commuting or waiting around for a meeting to begin—why not use these little pockets of time to respond to your texts or to return that missed call? This way, you don’t have to cut into your productive work time, and you’re also making the best use of these little time pockets.
Declutter
At the end of the day, throw away all of your rubbish and leave your desk organised. Don’t just run out of the office—having to face a messy desk every day will make you more reluctant and less motivated to come into work. Every Friday afternoon, go through all your papers and throw away anything you don’t need anymore. If you do still need it but it isn’t something you need in front of you at all times, file it.
“Is this productive?”
Always ask yourself if what you are currently doing is productive. If you often find your eyes wandering, you might even want to put a sticky note somewhere prominent on your desk to remind you to ask yourself this. It’s easy for your mind to stray throughout the work day, especially when sat at a desk. If the answer is “no,” then mentally reprimand yourself and get back on your grind.
Reward Yourself
Whether it’s a certain meal you’ve been craving, a material possession you have wanted for ages, having a lie-in on the weekend or watching an extra episode of your favourite TV show, reward yourself with something that makes you happy once you get something major completed or when you’ve finished your to-do list for the day. If used in conjunction with the above tip of mentally scolding yourself for unproductive time, the rewards are that much sweeter (maybe even literally—how about that delicious-looking cookie as your reward?).
Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Our final tip is a bit of a no-brainer. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” If you don’t get to sleep until very late, your body is going to want to sleep until later. If you are half asleep at work, the quality of your work is going to suffer.
The body likes a regular schedule. It might be tough waking up early at first; but after getting into a routine and making it a habit, your body will adjust to it. Also, make sure you don’t sleep too much, as then you will end up still being tired at work. Aim for eight hours and cut it off there, otherwise you’ll throw your circadian rhythm (look it up) out of whack. Even over the weekend, you should try to stay as on-track with your work-week sleeping schedules as possible. It’s always better to wake up at your regular time and take naps throughout the day instead of sleeping for 12 hours at a time.
