If you’re struggling with your productivity levels, it can affect your business more than you might think. You might not meet every deadline, and you may end up with dissatisfied customers who start looking elsewhere for service.
Before that happens, take some time to strategize and plan out how you’re going to improve your productivity levels. The tips below should be helpful:
Try a Change of Scenery
Working from home or a local café may be saving you money, but it could be at the detriment of your productivity. If you require structure, organization, and minimized distractions to remain motivated and productive, consider a serviced office space.
These spaces come with an affordable weekly or monthly fee and everything you need to work a full day comfortably. You can benefit from high-quality office furniture, admin support, meeting rooms, and phone and internet connection. With an organized and connected workspace, you can hit the ground running each day.
Use Task Management Apps
If your desk is littered with post-it notes and your email inbox is overflowing, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. You can lose track of what projects are due, those you are yet to start, and customers you are supposed to contact.
All of this information can be easily entered into a task management app in chronological order. You can then focus on the most pressing tasks while also having a platform with which to communicate with colleagues and clients.
Don’t Multitask
It’s only natural to assume that working on several projects at once means they will be completed quicker. However, that’s not always the case. A Stanford study showed that multi-taskers are less organized and struggle to switch from one task to another.
Where possible, work on one task to completion before moving your attention to another. You’ll reduce the number of loose ends you have that might otherwise fall through the cracks.
Take Breaks
Taking breaks may sound counterproductive, but when carried out right, they give your brain the recharge it needs to work at full capacity. A fresh mind can focus far better on the task at hand than one that’s weary.
Even if it’s just a quick walk around the block, watercooler chats, or a five-minute coffee break, these reclaimed moments allow you to approach a task feeling renewed.
You may even like to try out the Pomodoro Technique to see if it assists with your productivity levels. This technique involves working for 25 to 30 minutes before taking a 2-3-minute break. After four sessions, take a more extended break before repeating the shorter intervals once more.
Know Yourself
We all find that we are the most productive at specific times of the day. If you are unsure of when your most productive period is, think about when you typically feel the least productive. By identifying these parts of the day, you can begin to prioritize tasks when you know you can focus on them.
Doing so may mean you don’t have the most conventional workday, with some people feeling more motivated in the early morning or late evening. However, even if your average workday is a drag, it can be worth the change when you notice an increase in your motivation and productivity.
Few people can consistently maintain a high level of productivity week after week. However, by identifying a few minor changes you can make, you’re putting yourself on a path to unlocking the master of productivity you know is hidden within you somewhere.