Lesson 9: How to boost productivity at work?

There are a limited number of hours in a day, and making the most of your time is difficult. There are only two ways of increasing your productivity—either you give in more hours or you work smarter. Doing the latter is always the smarter idea.

• The most popular productivity blocker is multitasking - doing several tasks at the same time with the intent of getting more done in less time. According to the research, only 2% of people are proficient in multitasking, the rest 98% fail at it. When you are multitasking your attention is split between multiple items, this reduces productivity by up to 40%. Instead of doing everything at once, give your full attention to one single task at a time; and focus on another task only after the first one is completed.

• Another thing that blocks productivity is doing everything on your own. I’m sure there are tasks that other team members can successfully do. Invest some time in teaching others and it will pay off really quickly.

• Repetitive tasks like writing content, phone calls, responding to emails can be grouped together. Completing similar activities in batches helps to save time.

• We as humans are poor estimators, we usually estimate how much work can be done in a particular amount of time incorrectly. A simple solution is to pick 3 things, focus on them with all your attention and then pick the next three. This will help you gain a sense of achievement and also complete the required tasks within deadlines.

• Employees who work from home sometimes focus on the wrong priorities. It’s a good idea to prioritize tasks, for example, try to plan the most time-consuming ones for the morning so that you have plenty of time to finalize them in time. Smaller or less important tasks can be kept for the end of the working day.

• Self-discipline is a skill that can be developed and improved by practice. You should acknowledge your weaknesses and have a clear plan on how to overcome them. Start making small steps, you probably will feel uncomfortable at the beginning, but remember to never give up! Don’t forget to motivate yourself - it will keep you on track to achieve your goal.

Eight hours go by much faster in the office than at home. The routine and structure of daily office life i.e., waking up, going for a walk, getting ready, commuting is what keeps you productive, because it tricks you into thinking small tasks are getting completed. While working from home our routines are disturbed which increases the distraction. To overcome this, it’s better to have a proper morning routine and take regular breaks as you would if you were working from the office.

Bonus:

Productivity Checklist Get your certificate