If you’re wondering how to be productive at work you’re not alone. Women in particular tend to have a lot going on. We’re the project managers of our households. We may have kids to look after, and our minds are constantly racing with schedules and to-do lists. As if that’s not enough we have to find a way to pay the bills. With busy lives, it can be easy to zone out some days. Having productivity tools in your back pocket can be useful on those days.
This post is all about how to be productive at work.
If you struggle with productivity you are not alone! The most important thing to note about productivity is that it does not impact your value or worth as a human being. If you’re having a low productivity day you are no less valuable than when you have a high productivity day. We need to learn to separate our views on productivity from things like morality, self-worth, or purpose.
Our productivity is however directly linked to our results. That doesn’t necessarily mean that if you work more you will have more results. On the contrary, sometimes overproduction will hinder your productivity (hello burnout). In essence, we need to work smarter and not harder. Productivity tools can help us be more efficient and achieve more in less time without having to work ourselves to burnout.
This can be easier said than done. So how do we increase our productivity at work while not burning ourselves out?
Top 5 tips on How to be Productive at Work
1. Decide On Your Top Three Tasks
How many times have you sat down to create a to-do list and suddenly feel overwhelmed by the 10+ tasks you’ve laid out? We’ve ALL been there, but it’s completely unsustainable. We need to be more realistic about the amount of work we can achieve in a day. When we give ourselves task lists that are unattainable we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.
Instead, think about the three most important non-negotiable tasks you need to get done that day to make progress on your project. You can also take it a step further and write down an estimate of how long you think each task will take you to complete. Now you can see very clearly what’s realistic for you to accomplish that day. Perhaps one of your tasks will take 30 minutes but another may take an hour. Assuming you still have meetings, appointments, and breaks to work into your schedule you can see how there isn’t always room for multiple tasks in a day.
The top three tasks you select each day should be directly related to your closest deadline. For example, say you’re working on an event and the first deadline you have is to confirm a venue. Your top three tasks for that day may look like this. 1. venue research 2. select three venue options 3. make contact with those venues to set up a meeting. You want to make sure your tasks will move your project forward and align with your deadlines so that you feel accomplished at the end of the day. Any additional tasks you complete once your top three are checked off are a bonus!
2. Implement Productive Systems
Systems are going to save you an immense amount of time and brain power and are the key to productivity. What is a system? it’s a project management tool that is designed to keep your work on track and manageable. Some of the top systems at the time of writing this post are Notion, Asana, ClickUp, and Monday.
Some project management systems can take a bit of effort to set up in the beginning. Though once you’re in the flow of using them you will save a lot of time. These systems allow you to see an overview of your project, assign and share tasks with your teams and update your project’s status. Rather than thinking about your to-do list each day you can open your project management system and see which tasks need to be completed next. They take all of the information that is floating around in your brain and make it accessible and tangible.
Other systems or tools that you can use are Toggl (for time tracking) and CRM /automation tools like Honeybook or Dubsado. Anywhere you can implement automation in your business or work will save you an immense amount of time. You can use CRM databases to onboard new clients automatically, send invoices and guide clients through your email marketing flow.
Bottom line, if you are not using systems or automation in your business right now, it’s time to start!
3. Delegate Tasks
Want to know a secret about productivity? you don’t need to be the one who completes every single task on your to-do list. Remember, productivity is all about working smarter, not harder. One of the most important skills to have in the workplace is knowing when to complete a task yourself and when to delegate. We are not experts on every aspect of our job or business and there is proven success with teamwork and collaboration.
Now I get it, sometimes it can be difficult to let go of control, but you have to have a little trust in your team. It’s important to remember that we are not experts on every aspect of our job or business, and there is proven success in teamwork and collaboration.
When we delegate tasks we’re building trust with our teams, lightening our own plates, and accomplishing project goals faster.
4. Set Focus Time In Your Calendar
Focus time is uninterrupted work time, and yes that includes not doom scrolling on your phone. A good rule of thumb is to schedule at least one-two hours of uninterrupted focus time in your schedule per day. This allows you the space to get to work on those top three tasks that you listed out (in your new shiny project management system!).
There are focus time apps out there like clockwise that integrates with your calendar system and mute notifications. You can also do this manually by ensuring notifications on your computer are turned off, your phone is on silent and out of view and you have time blocked off in your calendar. Another tip is to make sure your calendar is shared with fellow team members so they know when you’re not available. Though most focus time apps will send an automatic decline to incoming calendar requests during blocked time.
Setting focus time is not rude or insensitive, time blocking is necessary for task completion and moving projects forward. Be honest and communicate openly about your focus time with your team so that expectations are clear and boundaries are set from the beginning.
5. Take Breaks
It may seem counterintuitive to take a break when you want to be productive, but breaks are vital! Sometimes the best thing to do is step away from the desk and clear your head. There are a few ways you can do this like taking a walk outside, closing your eyes for a few deep breaths, or switching to a mindless task. You can take this a step further by actually scheduling breaks into your day to make sure you’re not going for hours on end. Working tirelessly without breaks will lead to burnout and then you won’t be able to produce anything at the level you want to. If productivity is the goal then intentional breaks and rest are key.
How to be Productive at Work from Home
If you’re a WFH (work-from-home) employee or business owner all of the same tips apply to you. Your productivity will still benefit from narrowing down tasks, using systems, delegating, time blocking, and taking breaks. The added consideration is that you may have additional distractions at home or struggle with motivation.
In order to be productive while working from home you need to ensure you have a designated work area. A space within your home that feels like work and separate from leisure space. You also want to consider decluttering your home workspace or setting your desk up somewhere with good lighting or a view. You want your work-from-home space to feel motivational. Second, you want to minimize your distractions, ensure your workspace isn’t near a TV, and that if you live with anyone they’re aware of your focus work time.
Productivity is all about working smarter and not harder. Once we’re equipt with the tools to accomplish this our productivity skyrockets.
This post was all about how to be productive at work.
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