Everyone has those days at work where you don’t seem to achieve anything, and your tasks just seem to increase and increase.
Yet you look across the corridor and see that person that seems to be getting everything done with a matter of ease. They always seem to finish early. Tasks that take you an hour seem to take them only 20 minutes.
No, these people aren’t robots or on any super serum, they may just be working more efficiently. Here is a little advice on how to work more productively and efficiently to not only improve how much work you do but also improve the quality.
Contents
Standing Desks
This is something that you can purchase straight away but it will take time to get used to. When you are used to sitting at a desk, standing all day can be quite a struggle.
Not only will investing in a standing desk keep you slightly healthier but it can also improve the quality of your work. This is because when you are sitting at a desk it can be easy to become distracted and agitated.
It can be from an uncomfortable position of sitting or your workspace not being organized.
Standing desks, however, allow you to work on a task without becoming in pain and can encourage you to walk so that you can think about your problem without just sitting and stewing on it.
There are lots of choices out there, so it is definitely worth reading a review of electric standing desks before you buy them. This can help you pick the right one for you and your space.
Focus on Your Important Tasks
On any list of tasks that you need to complete, there will be some that are more important than others.
If you just go through your tasks from top to bottom, then you will end up completing tasks that were not essential before the more priority ones.
It also allows you to procrastinate. It is really easy for you to tick the easy ones off the list rather than targeting the difficult ones.
You should spend time at the beginning of the day assigning yourself at least two or three tasks that are important and that need to be completed before you clock out at the end of the day.
A meaningful to-do list can make all the difference to your day and your work output.
Distraction Lists
With so much out there to distract you, it can be easy to be dragged away from your work. Emails, social media, and your phone available at all times can really limit your work when you are trying to be productive.
Whether you are trying to focus on a challenge or just trying to smash out smaller tasks, distractions affect everyone. One way that has been proven to help stop this or limit the effect of the distractions is to create a list.
A distraction list can be either a handwritten document or a computer one but it only needs to be used when you feel yourself getting taken away from the task at hand.
Just write down what was distracting you and then head back to work. Your list will allow you to not forget about them but to put them on one side to be completed at a later time.
Breaking Your Tasks Down
There are lots of reasons why people procrastinate. One of the biggest reasons is that the to-do list is too daunting or too much.
If you find that your list of tasks has lots of items that are either big projects or lack any real specifics, then it can become easy to put off doing them. You don’t know where to begin and so you will avoid them at all costs.
You should begin by separating your larger tasks into smaller goals that all help you towards the goal. One large task seems horrific to tackle.
Six little ones that all only take a little bit of time, however, seem much more reasonable. Just make sure that you make your little goals specific and that you order them in a productive and efficient manner.
Taking Breaks
Taking a break is not a bad thing. The most efficient people in the world take breaks. It isn’t possible to work non-stop no matter how much you want to get your work done or avoid distractions.
Taking breaks is important because it allows you to not become bogged down in the tasks that you are doing. It also allows you to come back fresh and ready for the task at hand.
Research that has been conducted recently has shown that regular breaks can make you more effective. This is true, even if the break is only a couple of minutes long.
This is because you can force yourself to work towards a goal when you have a scheduled break. When you don’t have a break scheduled then you can justify being distracted as a break.
It has been recommended that for every twenty-five minutes of work, you take a five-minute break. Whilst it does not have to be as regular as this, you should take a couple of breaks to help you complete your work.
Working More Efficiently
Only you will know which techniques will help you. Everybody is different. However, coming up with a plan that you can implement will help you to avoid being distracted by everything.
Maybe you need to switch off your phone until your designated break time or you need to add a little bit more organization to your tasks.
The important thing to do is to make sure that you implement a solution rather than just beating yourself up for getting distracted. Everyone gets distracted at some point.
It won’t be long until people are looking at you and wondering if you are a robot or a magician. All you will have really done is battled procrastination.
