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04

Sep 2019

How To Be More Productive At Work.

Construction
CATEGORY
By: Ivory Group

It’s easy to start the week with a positive attitude. But by Tuesday, our enthusiasm is already fading. Your last public holiday is probably already a distant memory, your weekends fly by, and your energy is at an all-time low. You feel like you can’t get anything done due to constant interruptions, and streams of emails flooding your inbox. So how do you ditch the distractions and learn how to be more productive at work?

Here are our top tips to increase workplace productivity, and start every day motivated, passionate and ready to kick your goals:

 

1. Set goals

It’s difficult to achieve your goals when you don’t know what they are. At the beginning of every work day, make a short list of goals you want to fulfil by that evening.

They should be achievable, yet your day should still be highly productive. Your daily goals should also be relative to your long-term goals. So, say your long-term goal is to get a promotion, your short-term goals should be working towards this in some way, and your daily goals should feed into that.

For instance, perhaps to get your promotion (long-term goal) you’ll need to hit your sales targets (medium-term goal), which can be achieved by securing small deals in the meantime (weekly goal) which you can achieve by conducting daily calls, meetings, or presentations and sending sales propositions. By keeping your goals in sight, you will have achieved them in no time and you can cross tangible actions off your list every day.

 

2. Start the day on a high note

Workplace productivity isn’t rocket science. Start your morning on a strong note, by doing the things you enjoy, and you’ll feel much more motivated, and much more productive at work every day.

 

Ask yourself what you love doing in the morning and start the day with that.

Is it:

  • A morning coffee or tea?

  • Music?

  • Yoga or running?

  • Listening to a business or motivational podcast?

 

No matter what it is, ensure you leave enough time in your morning routine to fit it into your day.

Once you’re at work, start the day with a simple or mindless task to ease yourself into work, like emails, a casual phone call, or catching up for a morning WIP with a co-worker. Take work one task at a time before getting overwhelmed.

 

3. Stay focused

Distraction is the devil. Don’t jump from one task to another. Yes, it will look like you’re “busy” but if it means staying at work an extra hour at the end of the day, who is it helping?

Try to avoid social media at all costs, as well as text messages. After all, that’s what your commute is for! Don’t get sucked in by emails, either. Try to answer all your emails at specific times; try the beginning of the day, 2pm, and the end of the day. If you keep flicking back and forth between emails, you’ll be wasting valuable time and it will disrupt your flow of work.

Keep referring back to your to-do list to stay focused.

 

4. Keep organised

Whether you’re more digital or you prefer the good ole’ fashioned pen and paper, stay organised. Keep one system whether that is a hardcover diary or a Calendar on your iPhone.

A messy workspace can be distracting, and can contribute to feelings of anxiety. This can be overwhelming when things get busy. A neat and organised workspace will create a more productive workplace and help you feel calmer.

Keep a detailed agenda, so you aren’t scrambling to remember important dates and deadlines or missing meetings. Try to only work on one or two things at a time so you don’t miss anything. Keep notes during important meetings and then add anything else you need to remember afterwards.

 

5. Track your time

Tracking your time not only helps your employer understand which Clients or tasks are taking up the most time to maximise profitability, it can also help you improve your productivity at work.

By understanding what takes up most of your time, you can relay this back to your superiors and next time they ask you to do a task you’ll be well placed to understand whether you can meet deadlines or not.

Usually if something is taking too long there could be a reason. Is there another person who could help, or some kind of software? Do you need more training? Or is it that management hasn’t accounted for the project timeline correctly? Relay this to upper management; it’s the only way to create a more productive workplace.

 

By implementing these easy steps and understanding how to be more productive at work, you’ll be kicking goals before you know it!