7 Simple Ways to be Highly Productive

How to increase productivity?

Do you want to finish each day feeling fulfilled and satisfied knowing that you used your time well and got everything on your to-do list done? Yes, we thought so. The majority of us would but often find ourselves not being as productive as we’d like to be. This is mainly for two reasons;

• We’re reactive rather than proactive
• We have developed bad habits that interfere with our productivity

However, finding solutions for this is not as difficult as it may seem. We are all able to replace our bad habits with good ones, and become proactive so that we ‘own’ the day.

Increase productivity at work

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so making the most of our time is crucial. That doesn’t mean working more hours, it means working smarter. It’s important to understand how to manage your time so that you can achieve optimal productivity.

It’s not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination but it does require some effective tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your day and feel a sense of accomplishment. Here are our top 7 tips to increase your productivity at work.

1. Plan Ahead

We all know the stress that can come with a busy work week. Especially when you’re laying in bed on a Sunday night thinking of everything you’ve got on in the coming week.

However, if you were to plan ahead…whether it be daily, weekly or monthly – you’d feel more in control of your day-to-day life. Planning ahead has lots of benefits as you’ll spend less time worrying about what will happen and more time at the moment, not to mention how missed meetings and forgetting to send emails will become a thing of the past. This is because when you create an effective plan you’ll be able to stay accountable.

If you have no clarity regarding what you need to get done in a given day, you’ll probably feel busy…but you won’t be productive. Start planning your days in advance, even the night before and you’ll see how you’ll not only get more done in less time, you’ll also experience an easier flow to a life full of useful work that adds value to your life. So make sure you start scheduling your day at least the night before to get the most out of it.

2. Set Realistic Goals

Many of us go through life and our careers with a goal or goals in mind. Setting goals is not just about setting a general direction for life but about giving yourself milestones of achievement that provide satisfaction throughout the journey and once you reach them.

In 1980 the largest survey ever undertaken regarding the link between goal setting and productivity was carried out by researchers at the University of Maryland. Abstract for the article:

“A review of both laboratory and field studies on the effect of setting goals when learning or performing a task found specific, challenging goals led to higher performance than easy goals, “do your best” goals or no goals.”

The results in terms of the goal-setting were outstanding and it went on to state:

“The main mechanisms by which goals affect performance are by directing attention, mobilizing effort, increasing persistence and motivating strategy development.”

From this, we can learn that by setting goals and working towards achieving them early in life, our lives will be more rewarding and substantial – and that it’s never too late to begin.

With this in mind, the best way to set goals is by using the SMART concept of which there are a few variations;

• S – specific, significant, stretching
• M – measurable, meaningful, motivational
• A – agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented
• R – realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented
• T – time-based, timely, tangible, trackable

Your goals should always be;

Clearly defined – therefore, rather than ‘learn a new skill at work’ it should be ‘learn how to conduct a business meeting online’

Realistic – Set yourself goals that are achievable with resources that are available to you right now rather than ‘future planning’ these goals. For example, you cannot do something that you know will take you 3 years of full-time dedication and application in 2 years while holding down a full-time job and raising a family.

Challenging – If the goal you set yourself is easy to achieve, it’s not a goal. You must see the goals as a challenge that needs your time and effort in order to be achieved. Start by setting a goal that might seem slightly beyond what you are capable of and that way you’ll be able to do more than you believe you can.

Meaningful – The goals or goals you set need to provide you with a sense of achievement.

Setting goals will help with improving your productivity as you’ll be concerned with reaching them and therefore focused and consistent in your work.

3. Track and Limit

Have you ever thought about how much time you spend on specific tasks while at work? How long each task takes to complete and how much time you may be wasting?

Some of us think we’re pretty good at gauging how much time we spend on tasks, however, research shows that only around 17% of us are actually able to estimate the time we spend doing specific things, accurately.

By implementing a tracking system that can help you monitor your tasks and the time they take to complete you’ll be able to better understand if you are using your time effectively and productively or if certain tasks are taking up too much of your time unnecessarily.

How so? Well, to begin with tracking your time will help you understand where you’re getting distracted. It will help you spot the things at work that repeatedly throw you off track such as meetings, interruptions or unplanned tasks. Tracking your time will also be able to help you with spotting bottlenecks and workflows that may need to be automated instead of you spending hours on them.

Maybe you’re the type of person who is ready and raring to go as soon as you’ve drunk your morning coffee, or maybe you’re more productive in the afternoons. By implementing a time tracking system to your working day, you’ll be able to find your productivity golden hours easier. This will enable you to manage your tasks and energy levels accordingly. For example, work that requires deeper focus can be reserved for when you know you’re most productive, and other tasks that take up less energy you can complete at another time.

4. Be Proactive, Not Reactive

The word reactive basically means that you don’t use, or have initiative. You let others in the workplace tell you what to do and make the decisions, while you’re the ‘doer’ who gets things done.

In contrast, the word proactive implies that you anticipate things, find new ways to work and new ideas to bring to the table on your own accord. Nobody needs to tell you what to do because you’re usually a few steps ahead anyway.

In short, being proactive is the same thing as being reactive with one BIG difference – you do the reacting ahead of time.

To become more proactive and use your time productively and efficiently, not to mention impressing your colleagues more you need to remember 3 main things;

1. Ask yourself what is likely to happen and make sure you have a way to deal with it before it happens.

2. See the big picture and implement the necessary steps to take ahead of time.

3. Be on top of your game and make sure your energy is too. Doing something you love helps with being proactive as you will genuinely want to be the best at what you do.

5. Take Advantage of Commuting

Regardless of how you get to work – whether you drive a bus, bike, walk or scoot to work, it’s been reported that the average American spends more than 100 hours a year commuting.

Let’s face it, that’s a lot of hours and they really do add up. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were more than 139 million workers commuting in 2014. At an average of 26 minutes each way to work, five days a week, 50 weeks a year.

That works out to 29.6 billion hours, 1.2 billion days or 3.4 million years spent commuting in one year alone. Imagine all the things you could do with that amount of time? But no, instead you’re sitting on a train or stuck in traffic.

However, your commute is unavoidable, we all need to get to work and yes, it’s a chore but you have the power to turn it into a productive time during the day. And no, we don’t mean scrolling through your Facebook News Feed, we mean starting your working day early.

For example, you could;

• Plan your day – we previously mentioned how important this point is for your productivity so why not plan it out while you’re on your way to work?
• Answer emails – get your day started by answering all those emails that take up time first thing in the morning. By the time you get to the office, you’ll be able to start your tasks with a clean inbox…pretty great right?
• Self-learning – why not spend time fuelling your career? Listen to a relevant podcast or catch up on the latest news in your field. You’ll educate yourself and get your brain going early.

Whatever you choose to do, start boosting your productivity on your commute to really get the most out of your day. You’ll also get to work with a sense of accomplishment – a bonus to start the day that way in our opinion!

6. Minimize Distractions

To optimize your productivity levels you need to get rid of all the things that steal your time. For a lot of us, this may be emails, phone notifications or social media. We’ve all become so addicted to constantly being online, phones in hand and looking at something that we get lost in whatever it is we’re looking at and don’t realise we waste hours upon hours of productive time.

While you’re at work, it’s also really easy to be distracted by colleagues. One wants to grab a coffee with you and the other just ‘popped in for a chat’ all while you’re trying to get your head down and complete your tasks. All these interruptions produce a change in work pattern and a drop in productivity.

So what can you do to stop these distractions? Well for one, learn how to work smarter instead of harder and start setting boundaries. This may include;

• Setting ‘office hours’ so that people know when you are and aren’t available
• Silencing phone notifications
• Setting times to check social media and emails so that you don’t do it while working on something.
• Block websites that steal your focus and therefore reduce your productivity.

By minimizing distractions, you’ll notice how quickly your productivity will increase and there is no better feeling than that sense of accomplishment at the end of a long working day knowing you got everything you needed to do, done.

7. Get Enough Sleep

Did you know that 70% of Americans admit to falling asleep on the job? According to a survey conducted by William A. Anthony, PhD, a clinical psychologist and director of Boston University’s Center for Psychological Rehabilitation, American’s are falling asleep while working simply because they feel the need to. Early-morning commutes, long working hours, and too many responsibilities at home mean that increasing numbers of people aren’t getting enough sleep.

We’re all aware by now that not getting enough sleep has negative effects on our performance in all areas of our lives. However, in the workplace, it has an even greater impact as the prefrontal cortex which helps us with tasks that require logical reasoning and complex thought is impacted by lack of sleep and will impair us when trying to complete such tasks.

Therefore it is very important that we all get enough sleep every night to ensure that our productivity stays on top form. According to the National Sleep Foundation, that means making sure you get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night if you’re an adult between the age of 26 – 64. Make sure when planning your day, everything on your to-do list is completed in time to allow you to get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night too.