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How to improve your productivity

Discover how to improve your productivity

Surely you have ever asked yourself the following question: How can I do more with the time I have?

We all know that good productivity is key to successfully achieving the goals you set Believe it or not, people who achieve important milestones are highly productive.

Here are some habits that successful people use to be fully productive, and that you can incorporate into your own routine.

Control and limit the time you spend on tasks

Didn’t you ever get that look at the clock and be scared of how fast the hours have passed? Don’t worry, this has happened to all of us once. Most people are not able to accurately estimate the passage of time.

The worst thing about this situation is that when we realize, we no longer have time to do the other things we wanted to do.

A good way to manage your time better is to use a timer. It makes it easier to know exactly how long you’ve been with a task and helps avoid distractions. Set a deadline for completing your tasks, and don’t let yourself do anything else while the timer is running.

Finally, every time you manage to finish things on time you can give yourself a small reward to celebrate your effectiveness so you will be more motivated!

Do physical exercise

It has been shown (in 2005, the University of Bristol) that employees have a greater concentration and better time management in their tasks if they have previously performed physical exercise. In addition, they themselves acknowledged being in a good mood, and having improved the relationship with their co-workers.

In conclusion, exercising is not only a comforting mental and physical activity, but also helps us increase our energy, productivity and personal well-being.

Take regular breaks

It may sound counterproductive, but the reality is that taking short breaks helps keep our performance level constant.

When we work a long time without making any pause, we gradually lose concentration. This is why our performance ends up getting worse.

So, we recommend that after a dedicated work period you pause for 10 or 15 minutes. Stopping for a few minutes will allow you to revitalize your mind and work more efficiently in your next period of work.

Plan the tasks you will perform during the day

A plan of actions for the day is great to focus and prioritize. Besides, it’s very simple to prepare. So there is no excuse for not doing it!

First thing in the morning, spend a few minutes planning the tasks you need to perform during that day. Reflect on the urgency and usefulness of your activities, and order them accordingly.

You will start the day more motivated to complete your tasks, and you will work with greater intelligence to have clear what your priorities should be.

Prioritize and learn to delegate

Focus on the most important things first. In another article we already explained the importance of focusing more efforts and energies on the tasks that will give you a greater result; if you want to know more about that we invite you to read our post The 80/20 rule in the world of human resources.

Finally, dedicate yourself body and soul to your priorities and, if you have the possibility, leave aside less preeminent tasks. For these, consider whether it is best to delegate or outsource them.

Delegating is not bad; quite the opposite. If we know how to trust the right people, it is a decision that helps us increase collective productivity and obtain better overall results.

Keep your work area clean and tidy

I’m sure you’ve heard this expression before: “a messy desk is a symptom of a messy mind”. Well, it’s true!

It has been shown that a workplace that is pleasing to the eye facilitates greater productivity, and that, on the contrary, a disordered desk causes the opposite effect.

Disorder not only distracts us from our tasks, but also makes it difficult to have a clear mind. Besides, we all know that searching for a specific document on a desk full of things is not an easy task.

Be optimistic

Looking at the positive side of things makes us feel more energetic, motivated and have a much more serene mind. It is a great boost to our productivity.

The happiness of people depends largely on the attitude of those around us. So let’s try to be close to positive people, and transmit enthusiasm to others.

Make sleep a priority and become an early riser

Sleep well should be a priority for you. And is that, if we sleep enough, first thing in the day we are much more energetic, rested and ready to face our activities.

On the other hand, try to take advantage of the mornings. In that period of time we have greater mental facility to perform complex tasks, so get up early and try to make the most of the morning hours.

If you follow both tips, you will not only feel much more productive, but you will also be taking care of your body and health.

Create barriers to "time thieves"

We are permanently exposed to numerous distractions. Email, social media, instant messaging services…

We must be able to isolate ourselves from these distractions when we want to work, or else we end up absorbing much of our time without even realizing it.

So, when you want to be efficient, limit the scope of such interruptions. Turn off your mobile phone, close the inbox, try not to enter RRSS…

Look for specific time slots for answering messages or surfing the internet. If you keep your priorities in mind, new technologies will not become “thieves of your time”.

As we have seen, time is one of our most valuable resources. We’ve given you some tips to be more productive, but if you want to know more don’t miss our article The 80/20 rule in the human resources world.

In addition, we recommend you read these two books to start being a more productive person:

  • The 7 Habits of Highly Productive People; by Stephen R. Covey
  • What successful people do before breakfast: A practical guide to organize your mornings; by Laura Vanderkam.
Do you manage your time well? Do you manage to do the tasks in the time you propose?

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