The fact is, there are only so many hours in a day to get your work done. If you want to increase your productivity, you really only have two choices; you can either work longer hours, or you can learn to work smarter.
Personally, we’ll take number two!
Increasing productivity isn’t rocket science. All it requires is you examining your workflows and processes then implementing better time management techniques. Here are five tips for improving your productivity by working smarter, not harder!
- Self-Imposed Deadlines – Uncontrolled stress can be a bad thing, but manageable, self- imposed stress can help you focus! Set self-directed deadlines for open-ended projects and keep them. Make sure your deadlines are realistic. You’d be surprised how watching the clock can increase your focus.
- Avoid Meetings When Possible – Meetings are famous time wasters. Before you schedule a meeting check whether you can get the job done with a phone call, via email or with a web-based meeting.
- Stop Multitasking – We’d all like to think that multitasking is an important productivity booster, but in fact the opposite is true. Psychologists have found that attempting to do several tasks simultaneously can result in productivity losses. Make it a habit to finish off a task before you move on to your next project.
- Use Your Time Wisely – Whether you carpool or take the train you probably spend your commute playing online games or Facebooking to pass the time. Instead, why not use this time productively. Create your daily to-do list, answer emails or brainstorm for your next big project!
- Give Up On Perfection – We all want to perfect our tasks, but the reality is nothing is ever completely perfect. Rather than chasing this dragon, bang out your tasks as best as you can and move on to the next task. It’s always better to finish a project and move on. If you need to fix something, you can always go back and tweak it later.
If you feel that you need to increase your work productivity, take a step back and think about how you can work smarter!
