Perhaps you have just started a new job and are looking to impress your new manager or maybe you are looking for more recognition or a promotion at work. Show your true professional side, impress your boss and achieve your goals by following these 7 steps for increasing your productivity at work.
- Plan – whenever you set yourself goals you need to have a clear action plan that you can follow to ensure that you achieve them. Planning is the key to success. By taking time to plan, prioritise and schedule tasks, you will become more focussed and efficient hence your productivity will increase. This also means learning to say “no” to things that you know you won’t be able to complete on time or that will affect other higher priority tasks you have.
- Be organised – there is a saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place” by following this and keeping your work space, computer files and emails tidy and well organised, you will be able to find things quicker and feel less stressed.
- Take short breaks – it’s not healthy to be sitting at a desk for long periods of time so get up, stretch and walk around so that you feel more energised. During your lunch break try and get outside for some fresh air as this will definitely increase your energy levels and make your mind open to new ideas and solutions to challenges.
- Personal calls – along with personal web surfing should be avoided at all costs or only done in an emergency or when taking a short break. These are things that you should be doing in your own time and your boss may well be monitoring so if you want to get ahead, limit it as much as possible.
- Avoid office gossip – office gossip and politics generally tends to be very negative and therefore will have a negative impact on your energy levels and productivity. While it is important to spend time chatting with colleagues, try to avoid office gossip as much as possible.
- Power nap – research has shown that taking a short power nap increases efficiency and productivity so if you can close your eyes for 10 minutes at work, you should feel more focused and energised.
- Know when you are most productive – while going in to work early has the advantage of fewer interruptions, if you are not a morning person, then that is not your most productive time so don’t do it. Talk to your boss and see how flexible the company can be with your working hours so that you can do most of your work at a time when you know you can be more productive.
“We have a strategic plan. It’s called doing things. ”
Herb Kelleher.
