10 Ways to Increase Productivity

Hard to achieve and even harder to maintain, productivity is that allusive trait that we all strive to achieve in our day to day activities. Being consistently productive is a challenge and as time is a finite commodity maximising every hour in the day is not always possible. However, as with all traits, there are ways to develop and increase your productivity by adapting your routine to accommodate the following ten tips:

1. Set Goals
Trying to visualise every task that you need to complete can often blur the picture of your day/week ahead meaning that tasks either do not get completed on time or are completely forgotten about. Create a to-do list of exactly what you want to achieve, this means that you can accurately visualise what needs to be completed and gives you an indication of how much time you have to complete a particular task. The time constraint and constant reminder that other tasks are pending will force you to work harder to complete the task at hand.

2. Prioritise
In tandem with setting goals is prioritisation. Ensure that work with closer deadlines or business critical work are put to the top of the list. Completing higher pressured tasks sooner will provide you with a sense of accomplishment and relieve the amount of pressure as the day pans out.

3. Delegate appropriately
Sometimes it is not always possible to get tasks completed, whether these are large tasks that require the work of more than one team member, a task needs completing that it is outside your skill set or there is a tight time constraint, it is okay to ask for help. If you are going to draw in other team members however, make sure that they have all the relevant documents or information needed to effectively complete the job.

4. Only attend relevant meetings
Meetings are one of the biggest drains on your time as a professional. As you have with your goals prioritise and decide which meetings are relevant to you. If you feel like you are involved in a meeting that has no relevance to you then get yourself out of there.

5. Establish personal/internal deadlines
It might sound crazy to put more stress on yourself whilst you have all these things piling up that need to be completed. In actuality, putting a deadline will help you to focus on the work that needs to be done. You might surprise yourself how much more gets down when deadlines are set and adhered to.

6. Take regular breaks
It is not humanly possible to maintain a high level of performance for a sustained period of time, you need a break. Research by Ariga and Lleras (2011) into the impact of breaks on work performance found that taking regular breaks during long tasks help you to maintain a consistent level of performance.

7. Leave the desk on your lunch break
Being chained to the desk can leave you feeling lethargic and sluggish. By building time into your working day for exercise you can actively increase your productivity. Whether you go for a run or even a walk.

8. Focus on one project at a time
Do not over complicate what you are trying to achieve, focus on one task at a time complete and move on, by becoming completely involved in one activity at a time you are more likely to achieve clarity with what you are doing and complete it in no time.

9. Tune your schedule so that it suits you
Part of becoming productive is understanding how you function. For some they are likely to achieve 10x more work in a morning before burning out in the afternoon, therefore for this type we suggest scheduling your tasks so that the bulk of the work is set with a deadline of the morning.

10. Minimise distractions
In the modern world there are a multitude of distractions to hand, whether that be emails, phone calls or social media, ensure that you commit to the task at hand. By frittering between an email, Twitter, Facebook and the job you are trying to achieve, your productivity will diminish within an instance. If you are faced with a high number of emails or correspondence, try allocate a set amount of time in the day to deal with it allowing you to focus on the bulk of the work before you.

Image Credit: @Sean MacEntee