10 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Productivity at Work

Are you feeling overwhelmed at work? Does your weekly workload have you dreading every Monday? if you find yourself struggling with organizing your time and tasks, there are steps you can take today to improve your performance at work and get a handle on things.

Taking steps to properly organize your schedule, prioritize tasks and identify your most productive periods of the day will lead to a reduction of stress at the workplace. And a less stressful work life will also mean less time spent worrying about work when you have your days off!

With as much time as we spend at work, it is essential that we take steps to increase our sense of well-being when in the office as well as out of it. By improving our productivity at work we can improve all areas of our life - feeling happier, sleeping better, and dealing with lower anxiety levels.

Check out our tips on how to increase productivity in the workplace below and start to feel a little bit more in control when you enter the office each morning.

10 Tips on How to Increase Your Productivity in the Workplace

Start planning next week on Friday to Increase Productivity

When Friday afternoons roll around it can be incredibly tempting to start switching off and planning your weekend. Incoming phone calls slow down, the work environment feels less busy and there isn't really any time left to start any new, big projects. Well now's the time to start planning for next week!

Avoid an extra stressful Monday, by setting yourself up for success and planning out your morning ahead of time. Write out a list of everything you will need to do at the start of your day and put your most important tasks at the top. Starting off your Monday right will put you in the best position for success for the rest of the week.

Implement the Two Minute Rule to Your Workplace Tasks

It can be tempting to let smaller tasks and matters fall by the wayside when you focus on bigger projects. The problem is that if you let them build up, they can end up being just as stressful and anxiety-inducing as the bigger chunks of your work. Keep your workflow moving by applying the two minute rule.

If a task such as making a quick call, answering an email, or talking to a colleague can be accomplished in two minutes, then do it immediately! Do not let your to-do list become bogged down with the small, easy-to-accomplish tasks which can be batted away instantly!

Identify when You Are at Your Most Productive

To make sure you are applying your talents to the right tasks at the right time, you need to be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses and when you feel most productive in the daytime. If your energy levels are at their highest when you arrive in the office and tend to lag towards the end of the afternoon, then schedule all your most important tasks when you are starting work.

If you schedule your most important tasks during the time of day when you usually feel tired, lack focus, and lack energy, you'll discover that your work performance suffers and you'll take longer to complete your work. During these less productive times, you should schedule in your smaller, less important tasks which don't require as great a level of concentration and focus.

Improve Your Communication Skills to Avoid Mistakes

There is nothing more frustrating than spending hours on an important task only to have your work sent back by a superior who had an entirely different idea about the task. Save yourself time and effort with effective communication skills and make sure you have the correct understanding of what each task requires.

When you are assigned a task, confirm expectations either in conversation or in an email you can refer back to if you run into trouble. You won't find yourself wasting time on tasks that need to be redone.

Schedule Breaks into Your Day – And Take Them!

if you are incredibly busy and under pressure, the idea of taking a break even for five minutes may be unthinkable. But you may be surprised by how much more capable, fresh, and in control, you feel by turning away from your screen and stepping away from your desk for a few moments.

Getting some fresh air, focusing your eyes on a different area, and thinking about something else for a minute will allow you to attack the task with fresh eyes when you return to it. A problem that seemed insurmountable a few minutes ago, may suddenly all become clear!

Set Milestones Throughout Your Work Day

Improve your work day by breaking up your time into achievable milestones. Rather than plunging into a relentless sea of work until going home time rolls around, just focus on accomplishing your first task. This will help to ensure that you don't feel overwhelmed, can completely focus on what is in front of you, and feel a sense of accomplishment throughout the day when you hit each mini target!

Write down a clearly organized to-do list, with larger tasks broken up into smaller milestones. You; 'll get a little boost of satisfaction with each part of the task you tick off!

Don't Work Yourself to the Point of Exhaustion

Try to stick to a set work structure and don't allow your work-life structure to become too imbalanced. A well-rested and focused mind will be able to accomplish tasks quicker and to a high standard than someone whose brain is fogged by exhaustion and stress.

You may find yourself having to repeat tasks if you make sloppy mistakes, miscalculations, and wrong decisions. Keep your physical and mental health your first priority if you want to accomplish your work tasks to your very best ability.

A well-rested, healthy mind will always put you in the best position to complete your very best work in the least amount of time. So if you feel yourself feeling exhausted, dizzy, and falling asleep at your desk, then be realistic about your capabilities and give yourself a rest.

Don't Try to Accomplish Too Many Things at Once

Multi-tasking can be achievable in low-stress environments with lower stakes, but if you are juggling important tasks you need to make sure that each is getting your full attention.

It may take you longer, but your bosses and clients are likely to be a lot happier with the final results. Make sure that you manage expectations, schedule tasks realistically, and don't split your attention across too many tasks at once.

Improve Your Diet and Exercise Routine

If you don't eat healthily and regularly exercise your physical and mental health will suffer. You will feel lethargic, sluggish, and low energy and that will undoubtedly feed into your work performance. A happy, healthy mind will put you in the best position to attack your work day each morning.

Improve your performance by committing to eating healthily, batch cooking nutritious meals, and exercising half an hour a day. You'll be amazed how much more you can accomplish when your body and your mind are fighting fit!

Take Your Holidays, Weekends, and Lunch Breaks!

Your workload should not be regularly bleeding into your home life, to the extent that your find yourself working through all your break times - whether that it is your lunchtime, weekend, or even booked vacations.

These are times to give your mind a little rest before turning back to your work, if you don't allow yourself this important time to rejuvenate you will be heading for burnout quickly. And then your work performance will suffer a much more drastic downturn.

That means that when you have your allotted time off, it's time to put the out-of-office message on, switch off the work phone and concentrate on your home life, it will only benefit your work performance in the long run!

Summary - 10 Things You Can Do to Increase Your Productivity at Work

Our time at work represents a substantial amount of our life spans, so if we spend the majority of those hours feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed we need to do what we can to fix it!

That's why we must work to improve our organization and productivity skills to make our work tasks more manageable. If you feel more in control and capable of attacking your work day, you are less likely to spend each weekend dreading when Monday rolls around.

Work stress can bleed into all other aspects of your life, from family life to your mental health and sleep patterns. Taking steps to adjust your work life, improve your productivity and increase your performance will only lead to improvement in all areas of your life. So why not get started tomorrow and implement some of the tips we have listed above?