To increase workplace productivity, you have to focus on action and treat procrastination as your enemy. While there may be times when you need a little help getting motivated, most of the time there are other factors that affect your level of productivity. Here are three ways to fight procrastination and help you increase workplace productivity so you can have your most productive work week yet.
Declutter your brain: Keep a list.
Don’t leave remembering important tasks to chance and hope that you’ll recall them later. Keep a list of tasks. This way you won’t lose track of what you need to get done, and you can prioritize that list as well. Below are a couple of best practices for list making that will help you increase productivity.
Sort by goals.
Instead of starting by writing a list of all your tasks, write a list of goals first and prioritize those goals from the most important or urgent, to the least. Add tasks that relate to each goal, and in this way you’ll find it easy to prioritize based on goals, as well as gain encouragement and pride as you see each goal being accomplished.
Plan out your day or week.
The most productive people don’t dive into a project or projects right away in the morning. They take time to be thoughtful about their day or week and how they’ll accomplish tasks and hit deadlines. Before you jump into a project, consider how much time you’ll spend on it, the resources and people that will need to be involved and how that task will fit into your schedule. Plan out your day so that you spend an appropriate amount of time on each task, without wasting time that could be spent elsewhere.
Download a task-management app.
Having a task management app on your phone or computer is a great way to ensure that tasks and projects are completed on-time. I use Todoist and Momentum to help manage my personal and work life.
Take on a new challenge.
Another reason people tend to procrastinate is because of the lack of new stimulants and challenges. If your work is not challenging you, then try picking up a new hobby, learning a skill, starting a new project or just doing something that you’ve always wanted to do.
Tackle something that excites you, switch up your normal routine and you will notice that it is a great way to add variety to your life and increase productivity. It’s actually scientifically important to switch up your routine by doing new and different things because it increases brain function and creativity—great factors to increase your workplace productivity!
Enjoy your downtime.
Occasionally working during the weekends is okay, but doing it all the time will burn you out fast. Take time for yourself every day, and don’t forget to value your weekends as a time to relieve stress and unwind. Even taking short breaks during the day for yourself is important to refocus. A couple of ways to make sure you utilize your downtime well and enjoy it include the following:
Set a specific time to take care of errands.
In the hustle and bustle of life, errands tend to be pushed off to the weekend. Just as you would set aside time for a project at work, set aside a specific time during the weekend (or during the week, if you prefer) to accomplish your errands. This will allow you to enjoy more “you time” during your weekend, and increase workplace productivity by stressing less about errands during your week.
Unplug from work (including email)!
As difficult as it can be for some, time away from work is just that. Working 7 days a week isn’t healthy, and in the long run, it is not productive. Turn off your work laptops during the weekend, don’t look at email and take time for yourself to spend with friends and family, relaxing and taking care of yourself personally.
Procrastinating is a hard habit to break, but with these tips, you’ll be better able to focus, prioritize and enjoy your work!
