12 Tips to Help You Have a More Productive Day at Work
How many times have you left work in the evening, feeling like you accomplished nothing? It’s not that you didn’t do anything productive at work you did lots of things! But none of those things are what you set out to accomplish at the beginning of the day. If you want to have a productive day at work, here are 12 tips to help you get there. You can get started with today’s productivity-boosting tasks right away, so go ahead and follow this list to optimize your productivity so you can get more done by quitting time!
1) Communicate efficiently
Email is an integral part of work, so it makes sense that we’d want to learn how to communicate more efficiently. If you’re looking for some ways to be more efficient with your email communication, you can try one of these four techniques: Use subject lines: Subject lines are a great way to convey what your email is about without having people read all of it. In some cases, subject lines can increase open rates by up to 10%. Add a CTA: When composing an email, consider adding a call-to-action so people know what you’re asking them to do.
2) Make sure you know what your objectives are for the day
Whatever your goals, make sure you know what they are for each day. That way, if you hit or fall short of them, you’ll know why and can take corrective action for tomorrow. If your biggest problem is that you don’t have enough time in your day, figure out how to solve that and schedule accordingly. If you’re having trouble staying focused and starting tasks from beginning to end without interruption, focus on closing off distractions turn off social media notifications on your phone, or only check email once a day instead of constantly refreshing. The possibilities are endless.
3) Start early
Starting early means you’re able to get done whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish, as well as leave time for contingency plans. Leaving yourself some breathing room lets you work faster and more efficiently without worrying about how much time you have left or feeling like you don’t have enough time. It also means that if something unexpected comes up, it won’t throw off your entire day (or week). If all goes according to plan, go home early: Leaving on time gives you extra hours in your day to focus on things that aren’t related to work. Don’t just take your lunch break: Take breaks throughout your day instead of waiting until lunchtime.
4) Eat healthy meals
Inject some fun into your workday by eating healthy meals and snacks during breaks. Don’t deprive yourself of sweets and other junk food, but do make sure you eat regularly. Skipping breakfast is never a good idea if you want to stay productive all day long. A healthy lunch is also crucial if you want to avoid staving off hunger pangs later in the afternoon. If possible, take half an hour out of your lunch break and use it to eat something yummy or go for a quick walk outside with colleagues. Making sure that your afternoon snack is full of nutrition will ensure that it keeps you going until dinner time when you can relax with family or friends.
5) Keep yourself focused on your tasks
It is easy to get distracted and make way too many needless trips back and forth between your desk. The important thing is not to let yourself be distracted, whether it’s by checking social media or something else. Keep in mind that you’re there to work, so it’s best if you stick with your tasks and try to keep your breaks short. Try not to let more than 15 minutes go by without taking a break from work, even if you don’t think you need one! Get up, stretch, and walk around for a few minutes – just try anything other than sitting still for too long. Also, remember that working remotely doesn’t mean giving up your healthy lifestyle in fact, it can help improve it!
6) Use focus boosters
Before starting work each day, boost your focus with some of these tips. They’re all about giving you that extra mental boost when you need it: Interpersonal Communication – When you feel anxious or stressed in a situation, give yourself space by taking a step back. This can help reduce anxiety and improve your ability to manage difficult conversations. When approaching someone at work, practice pausing for two seconds before speaking and take slow breaths during your conversation. Reduce Your Stress at Workplace – Practice healthy habits such as exercise (or even meditating) outside of work to reduce stress when you are inside of work. Exercise releases endorphins that cause your body and mind to relax, which can help make stressful situations less taxing on both your body and mind.
7) Have a productive morning routine
Injecting more fun into your day isn’t all about how you spend your time during office hours. The way you spend your morning hours makes a big difference in how productive you’ll be for the rest of your day. If you aren’t convinced, try these productivity strategies for yourself: getting enough sleep (and keeping healthy work habits throughout), blocking out email and social media before noon, and setting specific goals for each morning even just having one goal is better than none! In other words, set aside time to plan out your day before jumping into it. After all, going through each morning hour with no strategy is like driving on autopilot; if something goes wrong, there won’t be anyone around who can save you.
8) Take breaks to relax and refocus
Of course, no matter how much you plan your day or try to be productive, there will be times when you get overwhelmed. It’s important not to panic or let yourself get sucked into busy work just because you feel you need to stay productive. Instead, take regular breaks during your workday. Every hour or so yes, even if you only have an hour for lunch spend 10 minutes doing something completely unrelated to work: grabbing a coffee with a coworker, going for a walk outside (weather permitting), reading email on your phone, catching up on Facebook and Twitter feeds.
9) Use a relaxing work chair
It might seem like an indulgence, but if you’re spending eight hours a day in it, your work chair should support your back and keep you comfortable. It’s okay to reward yourself for good behavior. While there are hundreds of different brands on the market from Herman Miller to IKEA take it from us: Don’t settle on a cheap office chair just because it’s affordable; get something that will make you more productive. If that means sitting in style and comfort, so be it.
10) Use mobile apps during downtime
The good news is that there are plenty of apps out there that will help make your downtime in the office more productive. If you find yourself with ten minutes here and twenty minutes there throughout your day, it can be tough to fill up all that time without getting distracted. Thankfully, however, mobile apps offer ways for you to use those small windows of time when you’re on break or waiting for a meeting to start they’re called microbreaks, and they can keep you from going stir crazy during downtime.
11) Create a work schedule
Working long hours is not only unsustainable but also unproductive. Make sure your work schedule accommodates your body’s natural rhythms and that you aren’t burning yourself out. If you find yourself getting more accomplished in a shorter amount of time during daylight hours, consider getting up earlier to accomplish more before noon. And try not to take your work home with you at least until it’s finished. Clear boundaries between when you’re working and when you’re taking time for yourself will make it easier for everyone involved.
12) Exercise regularly
This is one of my favorite time management strategies, and it’s super easy. If you get into a workout routine where you are exercising regularly, your energy levels will be higher throughout your day (and so will your mood!). Exercise also helps us get more done during our waking hours because it helps us feel calmer, happier, and more relaxed. Plus, endorphins are amazing! So take advantage of those endorphins and boost your productivity today!
Summing up
If you work in an office, there’s no way around it. You have to sit down and do your job. That can seem like enough work on its own. But sometimes, something simple like adding some fun into your daily routine can make everything else easier. It will help you inject more fun into your days, so everyone wins! Use these twelve tips as a jumping-off point for making business productivity less of a chore, and more of an adventure!
