How to Be More Productive at Work

In Blogging by Brian Town

We’ve all had those days at the office that we just can’t seem to get anything done, no matter how hard we try. We know we have work to do, but sometimes it’s hard to get yourself to focus. There are a LOT of tips and tricks out there on how to be more productive at work, but I wanted to make a list of some of my favorites to share. Obviously some will work better than others for you, and these could be completely different from the ones that work best for your coworker, and that’s fine! We all work differently and that’s exactly how it should be.

Forbes has a list of “10 Easy Ways To Be More Productive At Work“, and from this list I really think that a few of them are quite helpful:

1. “Understand Your Body’s Timetable”
While it makes a lot of sense to “organize your day around your body’s natural rhythms” – we’re obviously more productive when we have more energy, like “first thing in the morning, after you’ve rested and eaten” – I also think it is important to keep in mind that this is not always possible. Some days are just too packed to take your pick of what you want to do at any given moment. However, if you do have some wiggle room in your day, this is a great tip!

2. Batch Together Similar Tasks
This is a good tip because, if you think about it, how much easier is it to switch from task to task when those tasks are similar in nature? For example, if you’re making client calls – it’s easier to go from one call to the next, rather than to make a call, go to a meeting, send some emails, and then go back to your office and try to make another call.

3. Take Breaks
This is one of the most important tips, in my opinion. If you try to sit down at your desk first thing in the morning and work straight through the entire day, chances are good that you’re going to get less and less productive as the day goes on. You’ll get bored, lose focus, and eventually just find yourself on Facebook until it’s time to go home. “Your brain can only focus for a limited amount of time”, so “it’s critical to take breaks and let your brain rest”.

Along the lines of taking breaks, it can actually be really beneficial to do something creative when you take a break from tasks at work. Write, draw, listen to music, etc. – these things can help get your mind off of the task at hand while also getting your brain working again. Doing something creative that you enjoy can help clear your head and make room for more focus by relieving some stress.

Keeping your workspace organized can help you be more productive at work by not only reducing clutter on your desk, but also in your brain. If you have a lot of things around that you don’t need, or the things that you do need are buried under clutter, you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to organize your desk before you even get to organizing what you actually need to do that day, let alone actually starting to get things done!

Prioritizing is so important to productivity at work – There is nothing worse than feeling productive because you’re getting a bunch of little tasks done, only to late realize that you don’t have time left to finish that big project you’ve been working on. Plan out your day with enough allotted time to get important tasks with deadlines or due dates done, and save the other things on your to-do list for later in the day.

There are countless tips out there to help increase your workplace productivity, but these are a great place to start!

~ Alli

Brought to you by Michigan Creative Video