The essence of productivity is considered a challenge. In lieu of the increasing competition, high expectation, and pressure of some stakeholders, every company must do whatever it takes to supercharge performances.
Being productive in work and in general may seem odd, but when you’re able to maximize your time, it is no doubt that you are becoming productive. Every time there is a challenge, it is important to work smart and maximize the effort in order to feel satisfaction and energize yourself after a tiring working schedule. No person is born with a good time management. So, when you feel like you flop on something, don’t feel bad at yourself. Everything can be improved. To save your time, here are some of the tips you can ponder on to increase your productivity.
- Create a To-Do List
In an everyday challenge, there are some simple and complex things to do. You might get confused which of them needs an attention first. Making a To-Do list allows you to manage things that need to be done first and do the rest of the work that is not urgent. Along with task tracking software, you can easily manage each task you spend every day. One of which is Trello, a mobile app where you can create boards to organize your tasks and customize workflow.
- Set Your Timer
Allotting time to every task is significant as it will allow you to organize the task and make every second count. As you set a time limit for every work, it can help you maximize your efforts and make everything on the flow. In addition, there is time tracking software that can assist you in tracking your time and manage task performance. (For instance, actiTIME is a convenient tool that will save you in analyzing task performance and time management.)
- Do Everything in One Sitting
Whether you’re a freelancer, a full-time employee, or a businessman, it is recommended that you start your projects in one sitting to avoid delays and overdue. When the project is overdue, another task will pile up which will eventually lead you to cram just to finish everything and consequently ruin your time.
- Take your Regular Breaks
Although being dedicated to your work like spending your free time to do extra miles is considered good, working overtime consistently is unhealthy. Your body needs to rest and take breaks as these will help you relax your mind and energize your brain activity.
- Increase your Physical Activities
Spending time in a gym or making rounds of jogging can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Plus, doing exercise reduces the level of anxiety and stress. All of these are beneficial for your work and lifestyle in general when it comes to productivity.
- Decrease Interruptions
When you are working on something while browsing your cellphone, it reduces the chance of finishing the task on time. As much as possible, learning to minimize interruptions such as browsing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and playing games or watching videos while on duty will help you increase your work productivity. In businesses, time tracking software is also encouraged to keep you focused on finishing the task on time by removing unnecessary activities that will hamper the employee’s productivity.
- Reward Yourself
Providing rewards to yourself can increase your productivity as a whole. For example, when you’re supposed to finish the task in one-week duration, but you are able to finish the job before it hits the deadline, you can reward yourself like going to a fancy restaurant or a shopping spree.
- Always Prepare for the Next Day
Spending a few minutes to prepare yourself on the following day is absolutely a way to boost productivity. As an employee of a company, it is essential that before you leave the office, you have already created a to-do list of what should be done for tomorrow to avoid problems and interruptions.
- Find a Good Mentor
Modeling someone who has already made success in work productivity also increases your chance of being productive in general. A good mentor will teach you how to manage your time and helps you learn how to make every moment usable.
- Reduce Multi-Tasking
Most of the people tend to multitask to finish the job in a short period of time. In general, multitasking is not actually making everyone productive. Whenever you use your energy on heavy tasks at the same time in just a short amount of time, your energy level will go low. Always do task one at a time for maximum productivity.
- Look for your Productive Hours
Everyone has its productive hours. Some may start early in the morning while others do it in the afternoon. What’s important is that you are able to use your time accordingly.
- Step away from watching TV
When you’re torn between watching your favorite TV series and completing your assignment, start stepping away from things that can hinder your productivity. Watching TV shows is a way of relaxing but when your working time is jeopardized, it will definitely ruin your schedule and pile up your unfinished tasks.
- Take Advantage of Your Free Time
Whenever you have free time, make use of it by cooking a delicious dinner to reward yourself or organizing your bedroom rather than sitting and browsing your computer. It increases productivity, maximizes time, and gets things done.
- Get Enough Sleep
Sleeping early and getting plenty of hours to sleep allow your brain to relax. When you get enough sleep, you will also get up early which gives you time to finish more tasks and assignments on time.
- Listen to Relaxing Music
There are some distractions that cannot be avoided, thus listening to a bit of relaxing music will help you focus more on a task – some of which are relaxing songs of Mozart and Beethoven.
Conclusion
Productivity is always measured with efficiency. It is the combination of smart planning and maximized efforts. It may be difficult to be productive sometimes, but being mindful of making yourself productive every day increases the feeling of contentment. Plus, spending extra efforts to go beyond what’s expected makes you a better person as a whole. Along with the new technology and efforts, it’s no wonder why time tracking software, together with a strong will, can help increase the work productivity of a person in general.