Productivity hacks
We are nearing the end of, yet another year and the Festive season is fast approaching. In the Festive season, there will be moments for deep reflection, where we can think of how this year went and how we would like to move forward.
In that time, we may wish we were more productive. Or some of us will still be working and we would like to increase our productivity still this year or next year. Either way, this blog shares some hacks about how to be more productive. Here we go!
Classify work according to the Eisenhower matrix. The Eisenhower matrix classifies work according to urgent, important, not urgent and not important. Do urgent tasks now. Schedule non-urgent, yet important tasks. Delegate non-urgent and non-important tasks to someone else and eliminate non-urgent, non-important tasks.
Work in accordance with your body’s natural rhythm and schedule meetings during the part of the day when you are the least productive. For example, if you work well in the morning, take the morning to do your work and schedule meetings in the afternoon.
Keep a diary with a to-do list. This helps you to stay on top of all tasks coming your way.
Stop multitasking. Multitasking is a way of interrupting your own thoughts. Humans are bad at it. (Atlassian, 2024). Think of a computer with too many tabs open. The computer can’t function well. Now imagine that computer is your brain.
Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash
Take regular breaks. (Atlassian, 2024) Although this seems counterintuitive, it’s good for you and allows you to come back refreshed. The breaks don’t have to be long. They can be about 5 minutes in length.
Know what you want to accomplish when you begin working. This saves you tons of time, as you start working on that task immediately.
Keep a work-life balance. This helps you to be more productive because you can be totally present in the moment. When you work, you can be completely focused on work, and when you relax, you can relax, knowing you will do your work in an allocated time. Be sure to mark that work time off in your calendar so that you don’t stress.
Ignore your cell phone when you work. Cell phones and excess notifications can be extremely distracting. Turn it upside down or put it in a drawer where you can’t see it so that you can work undistracted. (Slack, 2024)
Make sure you eat properly and get enough sleep. Tiredness and hunger lead to distractions and a loss of productivity.
Have a designated corner/desk to work. This way, you can work in peace and quiet, undistracted. Also, when you have a designated place to work, your brain associates that place with work, so when you sit down, you automatically go into work mode when you sit there.
There are many hacks that lead to increased productivity. This blog covers a few. May you use these hacks and become more productive.
Compiled by: Tanja Werle