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Six Ways To Improve Productivity At Work

Six Ways To Improve Productivity At Work

I’ve been working for more than 18 years and there are a lot of things that I’ve learned throughout the years. Nobody is perfect in the beginning and we learn and grow with time and experience. I believe in helping others with the thing that I’ve learned with my experience as an entrepreneur. As far as productivity at work is concerned, the field of work doesn’t matter.

Productivity is something that most of the people working in the private sector suffer with or simply, lack in. There can be an infinite number of reasons for the same but there is a solution or in this case, many solutions to a problem. I am writing this article based on my own experiences about how I managed to improve my productivity. The sole purpose of this article is to help those who might need it.

For all of you out there who are struggling with productivity at work, I have some tips for you that will help you in improving your productivity. Again, these are based on my own experience of 18 years as an entrepreneur. So, let’s get started:

6 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Productivity At Work

1. Get Rid Of The Distractions

First and foremost, get rid of anything that distracts you from work. Just make sure that you pay full attention to your work till the time you are in the office. Keep things that distract you such as phone and other electronics away from your desk. You can leave your phone in your car or lock it away in your locker and only lay hands on it in your break time. Try to choose a seat that is away from your friends or the people you like talking to. This will help you in working attentively and improving your overall productivity.

 

2. Some Motivational Music Can Do The Trick

Put on your headphones, open whatever streaming service you like, and listen to songs that motivate you. Not only will it help you in cutting off distractions, but it’ll also inspire you to work with your full potential. You will notice yourself giving it your all while listening to upbeat music and energetic lyrics. This is something that I am fond of doing while I work and it has helped me a lot in improving my productivity. I’m sure that doing this will help you a lot as well.

 

3. Do What You Love To Do

It’s a popular saying ‘do what you love to do and work won’t feel like work’ and from what I have experienced, the saying is true. However, please be careful not to overdo yourself as that’ll only make it harder for you. Just make sure you work in a field that you are actually truly interested in and take breaks whenever you feel the need for it. Follow your passion and you’ll notice your productivity going through the roof.

 

4. Draft A ‘To Do’ List Every day

Something that I am used to doing now is making a list of tasks to accomplish every day. Not only does it give you an idea of what to do first and what to do last, but it also works as a tool to stay away from distractions. When you know what you need to do in one day, you’ll realize that you don’t have much time for distractions. Trust me, this will help you in completing your work on time and that will improve your productivity very much.

 

5. The Hardest Task Must Be Accomplished First

What most of us are fond of doing is delaying or preserving the toughest task for the last thing in the day. It’s safe to say that doing this really harms your productivity. This is because the hardest task will consume the most amount of time which will harm your productivity. And if something is easy for you to do, it won’t take you much time to accomplish. So, the easiest tasks must be accomplished first and then you will be able to spend the time you saved on the hardest tasks. This will help you a lot in improving your productivity.

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    7 Simple Habits That Can Increase Your Productivity

    These tips are in no way a one-size-fits-all matter. You can adapt them to your current situation.. 7 Simple Habits That Can Increase Your Productivity

    The word “productivity” is getting quite hyped up in recent years. Indeed, we live in a competitive world where you have to stay one step ahead if you want to get somewhere in life, but that step may be in the wrong direction.

    As such, productivity doesn’t imply more work. It actually implies less work, or the same amount of work, but more actual achievements.

    Workaholics aren’t necessarily productive. They work long hours, but working this way can lead to lower attention spans and “walking in the wrong direction”.

    People are less effective when they’re tired or stressed out. Thus, extra hours are useless and can even come with hindered productivity the next day due to exhaustion.

    There are certain things that you may do to boost your productivity:

    • Baby steps

    When you want to achieve a big task that can take a couple of hours, you may find yourself overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. If you think of a half-an-hour task with specific actions in mind, you can easily achieve it. A good idea would be to have a checklist with several small tasks that you plan to tick out that day. It will be way easier to stay focused than having one big task in mind.

    • Don’t forget to take breaks

    It’s easy to get yourself lost in a task and forget to stand up, stretch your body and relax your mind for a few minutes. Forgetting to do so may lead to backaches, stiff muscles, brain fog and “writer’s block”. Just remember to stand up and do something else every hour or so. Your body and mind will thank you.

    • Forget about multitasking

    Multitasking is one of those things that may seem like a good idea, when in fact, it’s a real focus-killer. You have to understand that focus takes a while to build up and your brain needs some time to organize thoughts before accomplishing a mental task. Switching back and forth between tasks only uses up mental energy by constantly zoning in and out.

    • Eliminate any distraction that you can think of

    This includes constantly checking your phone, e-mail, other unrelated websites, listening to music (although non-vocal music can boost focus in some situations), having a chat with your colleague, and the list can go on. The best approach is to take one thing at a time and organize your tasks so that you’re not “having a break” while also working at the same time. That is slightly contradictory.

    You can do what you want during your designated break periods. A great method to split break periods from working periods is by using the Pomodoro technique. This method implies that you’re in total work-mode for 25 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of break. Those 5-minute breaks have to be your reward for working so hard and uninterrupted during those 25 minutes.

    • Write a to-do list for the day

    I find it a lot easier to have a productive day when I start it with a clear plan in mind. Not only does this prevent me from procrastinating, but it also lets me set some achievable goals. Each day can bring about unpredictable things, and it may be quite easy to let yourself “go with the flow”. A to-do list will be your “annoying friend” that won’t let you have fun until you’ve finished what you told yourself you would finish.

    There’s nothing like finishing the day knowing that I’ve respected the promises that I’ve made to myself.

    • Use supplements

    Certain supplements such as L-theanine, Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba or Phenibut are known to increase focus, energy levels and attention spans, thus increasing productivity and making you more willing to get done with boring tasks.

    Caffeine is quite popular, but I think it’s overrated. For example, someone who is suffering from anxiety wouldn’t benefit as much from caffeine. I’ve noticed that a lot of times, energy levels aren’t the reason for lack of productivity. Sometimes, it’s anxiety and negative thoughts that are holding us from achieving our true potential.

    • Breathe deeply

    As I mentioned above, anxiety and negative thought patterns may lead to a bad work day, and caffeine should definitely be avoided in such cases. Some people find meditation to be the perfect way to calm the mind, yet it can be difficult to pull off in a loud office environment, for example.

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    Productivity vs Efficiency. What is more valuable?

    Productivity vs Efficiency. What is more valuable

    In the race to be successful, a business sooner than later finds itself negotiating concepts like productivity and efficiency. It understands that in order to better its market performance, it needs to increase both but in the daily chaos of efforts, the words are strewn about so indiscriminately till no one can really figure out which means what. Here is then a brief guide on what productivity and efficiency mean, the differences between the two and finally how each has its place in a successful venture.

    What is Productivity?

    To start with, every business or organization works with three major performance factors – utilization of resources, efficiency and productivity. Productivity is at its simplest the ratio of produced outputs to inputs that go into production. it can be measured by calculating the quantity of the output divided by that of the inputs like raw materials, human labour, capital, money and so on.

     

    Image source: Eapo Tokyo

     

    And yet things are not so simple after all. Researchers have pointed out the danger of equating productivity to volume of output. In other words simply a higher yield does not inevitably mean higher productivity. For example if a farmer produces 5 tonnes or mushy, insect-ridden vegetables, his productivity cannot be said to be higher than 3 tonnes of firm, glossy vegetables produced by another. Likewise in the digital world, a company can churn out 150 widgets in an hour but if no one is buying or using them, its productivity is questionable as compared to another company that produces fewer number of widgets but garners higher number of users and customers.

    What is Efficiency?

    In order to avoid wastage incurred from possible scenarios as above, businesses pay more attention to the concept of efficiency. This can be understood as maximization of production of quality products with limited inputs like capital, money, raw materials, labour and others. It can be calculated as the ratio of actual productivity to standard productivity. Efficiency indicates how well a firm can attain its objective like producing goods or services with the minimum costs. Thus efficient firms are often identified as those which have been successful in producing better output with lower costs.

     

    Image Source: istock photos

    Differences Between Productivity and Efficiency

    To crystallize the differences between productivity and efficiency:

    • Productivity indicates the rate of the production of output – thus the more number of goods and services produced by a business in a given time period, the higher its productivity. Efficiency on the other hand means the optimization of resources like time, human energy, raw materials in such a way that there is minimum wastage with maximum production.
    • Productivity as its simplest can be measured as a ratio of output to inputs while efficiency can be calculated as the comparison of actual output to standardized output.
    • While productivity focuses on the amount or volume of output, efficiency can lead to greater quality of output.

    Which is more Important?

    Once the concepts of productivity and efficiency as well as the mutual differences are understood, it will become clear that each has its place in the production process. However business often end up prioritizing one over the other in their road to goal achievement. For example a business may be so focused on increasing productivity that it loses sight of the value of what is being produced. Two examples above have already illustrated this. Again higher productivity can be achieved while using more expensive resources but this result in lower profits for the business. To continue with the farming example, the first farmer may produce four tonnes of vegetables of the same quality as the other’s three but if that extra tonne was the result of expensive fertilizers and seeds, the first farmer’s profits are compromised. Finally researchers have also pointed out that productivity isn’t too helpful when considering factors like machinery that are unlikely to change over time.

    However there are situations when focusing on productivity may be useful. One such scenario is the measurement of people and process performance. When even small changes in the workflow can lead to substantial differences in the time spent in finishing a task, productivity is impacted. Again a fall in productivity of a person or even a process over time can quickly help a business to spot latent areas of trouble.

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    Some Days it’s About Productivity And Efficiency

    Some Days it's About Productivity And Efficiency

    Some days it’s about productivity and efficiency Some days it’s about happiness and love Some days it’s about hard work and progression Some days it’s about all of the above Some days it’s simply about getting through the day And knowing that even if everything is not going right you are still going to be okay.

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    The Top 7 Things Which Are Genuinely A Waste Of Your Time

    The Top 7 Things Which Are Genuinely A Waste Of Your Time

    Learn these 7 things which are genuinely a waste of your time:

    “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

    How many times have you felt that you could have done that activity better if you would not have wasted your time in doing something else?

    Yes, we all have faced this plight many times in our lives. Wasting our time in certain activities or over certain things is a necessity nowadays.

    Despite knowing that the wastage of time is the wastage of splendid opportunities, we do not prevent ourselves from doing so. Did anyone give a second thought as to why we contribute to wasting of our time?

    Not many did.

    We are human beings and, most of the times, our minds are drained because of numerous phenomena; we do not get energized to perform some purposeful activity and eventually lie down on our sofa watching the television aimlessly, gulping down unhealthy French fries and becoming a couch potato; you can relate to it, right?

    So, you have not clearly sorted out your life’s goal, procrastinated always about what to do and what not to, got tired of thinking and contemplating, and then, you started wasting your time.

    Quite a usual process, it is. However, it is time you give your life a break from your conquering laziness and purposelessness and be an optimist.

    To follow your dreams you need to be, by hook or crook, steady about your ambitions and targets. You cannot waste time on something which does not make you feel better about yourself.

    If you do so, what is the point of doing that futile activity?

     

    To start off fresh, you first need to be aware of the activities that are not worthy of your precious time.

    Time is Precious, Don’t Waste Time!

    1. A Big No to Watching the Television:

    Okay, very sorry to say that all this time when you have been watching the television without even dropping your eyelids for once has gone into waste.

    Yes, you heard it right; the television is still at times an idiot box. Apart from a few distinct channels, it offers utter pretense.

    So, you go to school and your classmate asks you, “Hey did you watch the last episode of that soap?” and there you are lamenting over not watching it! You go home, throw your school bag and sit down before the television to start watching it.

    Here lies the consequence; are you really satisfied watching it? Did the soap actually promote something worth watching? In maximum cases, it does not. You have just wasted your time.

     

    2. Getting into a Relationship Just to Not Feel Lonely or Bored:

    One fine day, a thought came to your mind, “I am quite bored these days and kind of emptied; I should just go and get in some relationship”.

    If we convert this sentence, it will mean wasting time. Only because you’re alone, bored or feeling homeless, it does not mean getting into a relationship is an option.

    This will eventually make both of you and your partner’s life ruined. Instead, visit the local cafe and have your favorite coffee; this is way better.

     

    3. Stop Being the Jack of All Trade:

    You cannot be the Messiah when you cannot take up excess responsibilities. Going on helping others when not needed will make them feed on you, making your life a hell.

    Of course, do help when needed but do not overdo it.

     

    4. Stop Grumbling:

    Cannot stop complaining? Well, this is just a waste of time. Try to solve the problem on your own instead of publicizing it in front of the others.

    Complaining won’t make it easier; instead, it will complicate things. If there is no solution, ignore, accept and move on.

     

    5. Going Out of Your Way to Please the Others? Stop it Right There:

    Doing things you don’t like is no act of perseverance but mere futility. In the end, you’ll realize how hopeless you’re feeling by not making yourself happy.

    This is a waste of time. No one can ever please others if they are not happy themselves.

     

    6.  Say No to Gossip:

    How many times you’ve found yourself in the midst of talking nuisance and criticizing someone along with the others?

    This is one of the best ways to waste time. It can put someone’s reputation at stake and put into jeopardy your goodwill.

    Hence, quit gossiping and be straightforward about your opinions, if you don’t like that person, don’t talk; but, never gossip.

     

    7. Calm Down and Forgive:

    Staying mad at someone is no option at all. Maybe the person doesn’t even know the reason behind your anger; maybe, it isn’t the fault of the person; maybe, it is only a misunderstanding. So forgive and forget.

    So, this is the time for you to decide what you would really like to do in life.

    If you have goals and ambitions to fulfill, you should stop procrastinating and start using all the time that is available fruitfully.

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    11 Habits that Can Absolutely Transform your Productivity

    You might be thinking that living in a digital era with the complete access to any information is an absolute advantage. But the abundance of information has become the major distraction for people nowadays. What may have seemed an advantage, now is perceived more like a major downside. Moreover, informational overload has influenced our productivity so much that we often feel lost and perplexed.

    Luckily, there are some things you can do to escape falling into the trap of losing your focus.

     

    • Clear the way to achieving your goals by decluttering the space around. Ever noticed, how cluttered working area instantly kills your motivation? So make the first step to becoming productive by getting rid of unnecessary things! Make a list of stuff you will need for a particular task – writing things down will definitely motivate you. Organize your working space and create an even more productive atmosphere!

    • Break your work into sections. Try to work deliberately for 90 minutes and then have a small break from 15 to 20 minutes. But to follow this rule completely, you should remove all triggers of procrastination. Our phones have proven to be the major reason to procrastinate, which won’t be helpful on your way to achieve your goals. Put your cell phone on silent mode and turn off vibration so that the buzzing doesn’t annoy and distract you. And each time you have a compulsion to check your phone or e-mail, remind yourself about your goals and say “No” these distractions!

    • All right, now, when you are motivated enough to work till you drop, be reminded that overdoing yourself will instantly kill your motivation. Remember that the best triggers of productivity are a good night’s sleep, healthy food, and active lifestyle. Remember that your health is the priority and respect your body.

    • The major key to staying productive is being positive. And remember that the most important part of being productive is planning! So get yourself a nice organizer and start putting down all you have in mind! Another important thing is a creative approach to achieving your goals.

      So make the most creative habit trackers, to-do lists, and deadline calendars! And don’t forget to search for the inspiration on the Internet. Just look at this inspiring infographic the guys from www.assignmenthelper.com.au have created! Creative tools like this can absolutely transform your productivity, get you motivated and determined on your way to achieving your goals!