6 Tips to Increase Productivity at Work Today

Dedicating time to specific tasks, completing them, and ending your workday with all your boxes checked is a satisfying feeling. But achieving it can be hard. By making minor changes to your daily workflow, you can see changes in your productivity. Follow these six tips to start making changes today:

1. Take breaks

We might think working longer hours means more work done, but we never work as well when we're burned out. Taking regular breaks helps improve concentration and boosts mood. Take a five-minute walk around the office, inside or out. These short breaks can allow you to recharge, clear your mind and get ready for the next task.

2. Monotask

It can be tempting to multitask, especially if the tasks seem small or easy. But if you focus on one task at a time, you'll complete it faster.

When we split our concentration between tasks, we waste valuable time transitioning between the two. This can result in incomplete or low-quality work. Stop trying to do everything at once. Instead, dramatically increase productivity by monotasking.

3. Limit distractions

Interruptions can sideline us throughout the day. Even though you may enjoy chatting with co-workers, frequent interactions can hinder your workflow and decrease overall productivity.

Headphones can be a polite indicator to your colleagues that you need to concentrate on the projects you are working on. You can also try setting office hours, keeping your door closed, or working from home for time-sensitive projects. Turn your phone on airplane mode if you need total concentration. 

4. Delegate

When you delegate, you have more time to spend on meaningful work. It starts with assigning the right task to the right person and then leaving them to it. If you give a task to someone and then supervise them the entire time, you're not delegating. You're micromanaging.

5. Break tasks down into smaller tasks

Sometimes, achieving our goals can be overwhelming, but you'll feel more in control and much more productive if you break them up into smaller tasks. 

Use smaller tasks as milestones to measure your progress toward a larger goal. Rather than write down "finish project," break that into all the tasks it will take. This will keep you on track and make starting projects less daunting.

6. Limit meetings

Is this meeting necessary? 

Meetings are one of the biggest time consumers. Yet, somehow we continue to overbook them, attend them and dread them. Before booking your next meeting, decide if you can accomplish the same tasks via email, phone, or, if necessary, a video call.