Your professional success depends a lot on how productive you make yourself at work. If you are serious about your career, it is imperative that you need to make yourself extremely useful very early on. Unfortunately, a typical day at work would require you juggling a lot of different thing together. Whether you are a natural multi-tasker or not, your primary goal should be to make each day as productive as possible.
Here is a list of the top 6 things that you should try to increase work productivity.
1. Make a To-Do List
Successful professionals swear by starting their days with making a to-do list. Do not depend on making a mental wrote. Put it down on paper. Do not forget to account for the smallest task you are expected to complete. This will actually help you decide how much time you want to invest on each task in hand. Work on self-imposed deadlines and stick by them. This will take a lot of pressure off you at the very beginning of the day.
2. Do not Bite Off More than You can Chew
Agreed that you might not always have a say in how much task you have been assigned; but make sure that your reporting manager is always aware of how much you have to do and share your concerns about completing a job if necessary. It is better to say no in the beginning rather than committing and then unable to complete the work. This will also ensure that you are delivering good quality work at the end of the day.
3. Take Small, Regular Breaks
To take the monotony out of your work, it is important that you keep taking regular breaks. Decide on the frequency of those breaks depending on your work and your concentration levels. If at any moment you feel that you are unable to concentrate anymore or you have been continuously working for a long time, take a break. Go for a short walk, chat with someone in the cafeteria or make a quick call to a friend.
4. Avoid Long Meetings
If you are working in a corporate setting, chances are that a huge part of your day is spent participating in meetings. Do not go for just any random meeting you are asked to attend. Choose the ones that are directly related to your work and require your active participation. Hold standing meetings if that can be done to save time.
5. Stay Inspired and Positive
Surround yourself with motivating quotes and inspiring ideas.Spend some time decorating or arranging your desk. Keep pictures of your family and loved ones on your table. Though these may seem really trivial, they directly contribute to keep you motivated throughout the day. Your workplace should not feel like an alien territory. Make it your happy place.
6. Do not Procrastinate
If a certain job can be completed now, do so without much ado. Cut down on distraction. Disable notification on your personal phone if you aren’t expecting any urgent message or call. Resist the temptation of spending too much time chatting with your colleague or breaking into a discussion every now and then. Little interruptions throughout the day end up consuming a lot of your valuable time. When working, do so with full concentration and dedication.
If you try to stick by most of what has just been discussed, you will also be able to achieve, what should be every working professional’s goal — maintaining a work-life balance. Aim to reach office on time, completing your work and leaving office on time. There will be some days when you will have to stretch and give a little extra. Do not shy away from going that extra mile. If you make it your goal to increase your productivity at work and make it your aim to strike a work-life balance, nothing can stop you from becoming a successful professional.
