Learn how to boost your productivity levels with these five simple and effective tips. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done in less time.
Being a project management professional myself, one of the key things we work on with our team members is to improve their productivity. And all of that starts with getting feedback from them on questions like - do you ever feel like you have too much to do and not enough time to do it? ; do you struggle to stay focused on your tasks? ; do you wish you could be more productive and achieve your goals faster?
And if you have also answered yes to any of these questions, then this blog post is for you!
In this post, I’ll share with you five tested strategies that we use in time-bound projects and can also help you increase your productivity 10X in your endeavors. These are not some vague or generic tips that you might have heard a thousand times before. But are practical and actionable steps that you can implement right away and see immediate results if done consistently.
Ready to get started?
Let’s dive in!
Strategy 1: Clear your surroundings.
One of the biggest enemies of productivity is distraction. And one of the biggest sources of distraction is your environment. If your workspace is cluttered, noisy or uncomfortable, it can make it hard for you to concentrate and get things done!
That’s why the first and primary strategy to boost your productivity is to simplify your surroundings. This means getting rid of anything that is not essential or relevant to your work such as extra papers, books, gadgets or decorations. It also means creating a comfortable and ergonomic workspace that supports your health and well-being.
By doing so, you can eventually reduce the items that compete for your attention at work and make it easier for you to focus on the task at hand. You will also find yourself making improvements in your decision-making abilities and overall well-being.
Strategy 2: Practice time management.
Another common cause of low productivity is poor time management. If you don’t have a clear plan for your day, week or month, you can end up wasting time on unimportant or urgent tasks whilst neglecting the ones that are important or strategic.
Therefore, the second strategy to boost your productivity is to practice time management. As complicated it may seem, there are methods or tools that help you organize, prioritize and even schedule your tasks effectively. Some of the most popular time management techniques are:
The Eisenhower Matrix: This is a simple framework that helps you categorize your tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance.
The idea is to focus on the tasks that are important but not urgent (Quadrant II), while avoiding or delegating the ones that are not important but urgent (Quadrant III), or not important and not urgent (Quadrant IV). The tasks that are important and urgent (Quadrant I) should be done as soon as possible.
The Pomodoro Technique: This is a technique that helps you break down your work into short intervals of 25 minutes, separated by 5-minute breaks. Each interval is called a pomodoro and after four pomodoros, you take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. The idea is to use a timer to keep track of your pomodoros and breaks, and to avoid any distractions during your work sessions.
The SMART Method: This is a method that helps you set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals. The idea is to make sure that your goals are clear, realistic and aligned with your vision and values. By setting SMART goals, you can increase your motivation, focus and accountability.
Strategy 3: Reduce busy-ness.
A lot of the work we do every day is not actually productive work. It merely keeps us busy and therefore termed as ‘busywork’. As it sounds, Busywork is any task that does not contribute to our goals or outcomes, but it does take up a lot of our time and resources.
Examples of busywork are:
Attending meetings with no clear agenda or outcome
Checking emails or messages constantly
Searching for information or documents
Chasing approvals or feedback
Doing repetitive or manual tasks
Busywork can make us feel like we are working hard but in reality, we are not working smart. Busywork can also drain our energy, creativity and prevent us from doing more meaningful or impactful work.
And that is why the third key strategy to boost your productivity is to reduce busy-ness or busywork. This means eliminating or, if possible, automating any task that does not add value to your work or goals.
There are easy ways to do this and some of them are:
Declining or delegating meetings that are not relevant or necessary.
Setting boundaries and expectations for communication.
Using tools like Asana or Google Drive to organize and share information.
Automate workflows using tools like Zapier
Outsourcing or hiring help for tasks that are not within your core competencies.
By reducing busywork, you can free up more time and energy for work that matters to you and your goals.
Strategy 4: Bank on peak productivity hours.
Not all hours are created equal when it comes to productivity. Some hours are more productive than others depending on your bio-clock (sleeping patterns), energy levels, mood and environment. These hours are basically referred as your peak productivity hours and they are different for everyone.
For example, some people are more productive in the morning whilst others are more productive in the afternoon or evening, some people are more productive when they work in silence whilst others are more productive when they work with music or a background noise, some people are more productive when they work alone whilst others are more productive when they work with others.
And so, the fourth strategy to boost your productivity is to capitalize on your peak productivity hours. This means finding out when and where you are most productive and scheduling your most important or challenging tasks during those times. Some ways to do this are:
Tracking your productivity levels throughout the day
Experimenting with different work environments and settings
Aligning your tasks with your energy levels and preferences
Communicating your availability and preferences to others
By capitalizing on your peak productivity hours, you can maximize your output and quality of work.
Strategy 5: Avoid multitasking.
Most of us have heard about this term but what exactly is ‘Multitasking’? It is the act of doing two or more tasks at the same time or switching between more than one task frequently. Although it may appear like a good way to get more done in less time but in reality, it’s a productivity killer.
Research shows that multitasking can reduce your productivity by up to 40%, impair your cognitive abilities, increase your stress levels and lower your satisfaction. This is because multitasking splits your attention and eventually reduces your focus making it harder for you to perform each task well.
That is why one of the key strategies to boost your productivity is to avoid multitasking. This means focusing on one task at a time and completing it before moving on to the next one. Some ways to do this are:
Creating a prioritized to-do list
Blocking out distractions
Setting a timer for each task
Taking breaks between tasks
In summary, Productivity is not about doing more in less time. It’s about doing less, but better. It’s about working smarter, not harder. And it’s about achieving your goals faster and easier.
Apply these five proven strategies to increase your productivity 10X and you can transform the way you work and probably your life too :)
Start by implementing at least one of these strategies today and see the difference for yourself!
If you found this blog post helpful, please share it with your friends and peers. And don’t forget to subscribe for more such tips and tricks on how to be more productive!
Commentaires