Getting more work accomplished in less time is something that every professional aspires to. When you’re worried about increasing your productivity levels, your first instinct could be to just work harder. However doubling down on your output won’t necessarily achieve your objective. Trying to work extra hard doesn’t mean you’ll get more work done, and you may make yourself vulnerable to burnout. To take your productivity to the next level, you can apply some simple but strategic measures to improve your focus, manage your time, and improve the quality of your work.
Create a Work Setting That Supports Focus
A working environment that’s rife with distractions could really impede your concentration and efficiency. Moreover, problems focusing in your work environment are likely to interfere with the overall quality of your work. Being deliberate about how you set up your workstation could help keep you in the zone.
Keep clutter out of your immediate surroundings. When you need to do lots of work, clutter on your desk can be a physical manifestation of feeling disorganized. Looking at the clutter evokes a general sense of disorder, and you may have trouble finding things when you need them. Decluttering your office and using practical storage solutions to stay organized will help you maintain order.
Using aromatherapy at your workstation is another way to create an ambience that fosters focus. Young Living Essential Oils aromatherapy products can keep your energy up by stimulating your senses. Activating parts of your brain that processes information from your olfactory receptors can also engage the parts that regulate energy, focus, and relaxation.
Use Ergonomic Seating and Equipment
It is imperative that you stay as physically comfortable as possible throughout your workday. Monitor and keyboard placement have big implications for your spinal alignment and joint health. Repetitive strain injuries from administrative tasks are extremely common, but proactive prevention with ergonomic seating and equipment could spare you from considerable discomfort. Being able to work comfortably and free from pain enhances your wherewithal and makes you less susceptible to distractions.
Start Your Days With Challenging Tasks
The most productive people commonly make it a practice to fill the first several blocks of time in their workday with the most difficult things that they need to get done. Instead of trying to hit off of their to-do list that are low-effort or low-priority, they start the day by taking on the hardest things on their to-do list.
Going after the tough stuff straight away is the perfect time to do it. Even seemingly low-effort tasks depletes some of your mental energy. It’s better to get into challenging tasks when you still have a full reserve of energy for concentrating. Also, beginning a workday with the stuff that you don’t particularly relish doing is going to preclude the possibility of procrastination. When you get onerous stuff off of your to-do list right away, it won’t be looming over you and possibly distracting you.
Make a Responsible Plan to Deal With Notifications on Your Phone
Staying glued to your cell phone throughout your workday will definitely hamper productivity, even if you need to be using it for work. A lot of your screen time won’t wind up going towards work-related tasks, even when you try to be mindful about avoiding non-work related notifications.
A good approach to getting your phone feed out of your workday is to manage the notifications that your phone shows you. Putting a filter before pings and banners shields your productivity while you’re being bombarded with all kinds of messages or pop-ups that don’t deserve your attention. The easiest way to manage settings is to use your phone’s general settings but you can also change apps’ settings individually to limit the number of interruptions that disrupt your workflow.
Lastly, it’s important to prioritize rest in your work-life balance. Pushing yourself through a busy day without getting the rest you need can really throw off your efficiency. Having a harder time paying attention means you’ll end up having to use more mental energy on basic tasks than you ordinarily would, even though your mental energy reserves are low from lack of sleep. Make it a point to go to bed at a consistent time every night to get the rest you need to work productively.
