If there is something that entrepreneurs and business people all have in common is the lack of time. It is very hard to find a balance between family, sports, work, friends, leisure… And if we add the desire to improve to the mixture and to be more productive and efficient, having time for other things seems impossible. But don’t stress! Today we want to share several productivity tips that will transform your daily reality.
Productivity at work is the amount of profitable work done in a given time. This amount of useful work should be at the maximum possible and should be increasing over time to make the most out of your working hours, whether you work for yourself or others.
In times when new technologies, stress, and other causes constantly interfere with your performance, it is important to know how to increase productivity at work and make your daily tasks profitable.
Productivity has become a problem for many companies and freelancers. At first, workers and employers are motivated and productivity is not affected. However, when a stable dynamic is achieved, productivity begins to suffer.
What can be done to avoid it? How to improve your work so that performance does not decrease? Well, this is achievable with the right motivation, constant communication, continuous training, and a good organization. Check out the following tips and make your work life a lot more productive.
Sleep Well and get up Early
This is the simplest and most natural way to be more productive. How many times have you stayed up working late thinking that this way you will achieve more or you stayed up watching one more episode of your favorite series? It is really as easy as it sounds, if you sleep well and wake up early, you will do much better than working non-stop all day or working late at night.
So how many hours a night sleep is good for you? This depends on the person, but the recommendation is to sleep more than 6 hours and up to 8 hours at the most “normal” times possible which is between 10 pm. and 8 am.
Our brain has different peak performances during the day so it is important to identify those peaks and develop activities that allow us to make the most of the time of greater clarity. So, for example, it will be more productive to fall asleep at 11 pm. and get up at 7 am. to have a super productive hour at the beginning of the day.
And it will be less productive if you stay up by 12 pm. doing some work because it is more likely that what you are trying to solve at night, with a good rest you will solve it the morning in less time. Let’s not forget that it is possible to wake up with all the answers to the questions that were bothering you the day before thanks to your brain thinking about it while you were asleep.
Keep Distractions to a Minimum
Distractions are the greatest enemy of productivity at work. In order to combat them first, it is necessary to identify them. These distractions can be divided into: distractions caused by different communication tools (let’s say: your mobile phone), distractions caused by other people (for example: your coworkers), and last but not least internal distractions (those distractions related to your thoughts and your personal life ).
To avoid them, as we have mentioned, you must identify them first and then try to cut them off. You can turn off your mobile while working on an important task, work with headphones so that your colleagues do not interrupt you, solve personal problems in your free time so that they do not interfere with your work tasks, and so on.
Use Technology for Your Advantage not for Procrastination
We already talked about how distracting technology can be, but on the other hand, it can save you an unbelievable amount of time if used properly. And by using properly we don’t mean spending your day scrolling through social media feed, watching YouTube videos, or playing online games.
Did you know that there are many online tools that can streamline your daily processes, help you cut other distractions, and help you work more productively? Below we will mention some of our favorite productivity tools.
EasyPDF – This tool can be a lifesaver if you deal with a lot of PDF documents on a regular basis. This online PDF Converter suite can make any PDF editable in a matter of seconds, thus saving you a lot of time. It can even make scanned PDF editable with a high success rate. If this is not enough, you can also create PDFs from any file type easily. If you prefer using mobile apps instead, we recommend trying out the PDF Converter Ultimate app available both for iOS and Android devices.
Pomodoro Tracker – If you are aware of the Pomodoro technique and what it can do to your productivity we recommend trying out this tool. It is a simple online tool that has everything you need to track, label, and log your Pomodoros. There is an option to add an alarm or notification for the end of each Pomodoro and you can even add a ticking clock sound if it doesn’t make you nervous. For mobile users, there are also Pomodoro apps available on iOS and Android devices.
Todoist – This tool is a must if you want to track all your tasks, chores and be on top of things wherever you are. You can easily add or delete new tasks, move them to other projects, set reminders, collaborate, track progress and the list goes on. The main selling point of the app is also the fact that it runs on basically every platform that exists so alongside the online version there are apps for iOS and Android devices.
Work in Blocks and Take Regular Breaks
Improving productivity is not about working more, it is about working better. To work you have to immerse yourself in a task and avoid distractions. But, it is impossible to stay focused during the entire working day!
We all need breaks and to be disconnected from time to time. Therefore, it is advisable to organize tasks in blocks and rest between them. Numerous studies claim that breaks are beneficial for performance, necessary to reactivate the brain, and essential to tackle new tasks with energy.
Plan Today for Tomorrow
The best way to increase productivity is to plan for each day. When your workday is over, spend around 10 minutes organizing your schedule for the next day. It will prevent you from forgetting tasks, meetings, or important dates, and you will establish a schedule and even take time to rest. In addition, you will know what you have to start the day with and you will not waste a moment in deciding or making decisions, because you already have everything prepared in advance.
Do Less – Only What’s Important
When making your daily plan of things that you have to do, at work or in your business, do the following:
- Make a list of all of the activities you plan to do.
- Ask yourself:
Which of these activities are the most important?
Which of these activities, if I didn’t do today, wouldn’t affect my most important goals?
Which of these activities, if I never did, wouldn’t affect my most important goals?
- Once you have eliminated unimportant activities with the mentioned questions, compare the activities you have left with each other and order them according to their importance.
Avoid Multitasking and Do One Thing at a Time
Have you ever heard that multitasking is not a power, it is a weakness? To increase productivity and get the best results, you need to focus on a single task. Multitasking makes you think you do more at the same time, but in reality, it undermine your ability to complete tasks efficiently.
In fact, multitasking can reduce productivity by 40%. In addition, there are studies that claim that dedicating yourself to one thing at a time is able to improve the ability to switch from one task to another in a more productive way.
Reduce the Number of Participants in Meetings
Do you want to have more productive meetings? Then simply call only the people who are involved in the project and please don’t call the whole neighborhood and departments to attend. The more people in the meeting, the more chaotic the meeting can be, and the easier it is for it to end up being more of a waste of time than a productive meeting.
It is best to only call the people with whom you really need to exchange projects and new ideas. There is also a 2 pizza rule which states that if 2 large pizzas are not enough to feed everyone at the meeting then you have more people in the meeting than you should.
Do the Difficult Tasks First
To beat procrastination, learn to tackle less pleasant tasks early in the morning, rather than leaving them for the end of the day or even the day after. This simple approach will allow you to have a great productive day, and you will not feel bad when the night comes, for having stopped doing what is necessary.
We hope that you will apply these productivity tips in your daily work and that you found them useful. Remember that there are many changes to be made, so go one by one in order to have good results. Let us know in the comments what was the most difficult productivity tip for you to implement?