Many of us post pandemic are still working remotely whether it is full or part time. Even if you are back in the office full time, I am sure many of us would like to improve our productivity. Do you ever feel submerged in work and there is not enough time to get everything done, let alone personal activities. Do you find yourself trying to work even harder? Maybe instead harder look at working smarter?
Working smarter
Working smarter not harder essential means that you have a strategy to prioritise the most important tasks. By doing this you are aiming to feel satisfied by what you have achieved every day rather than feeling stressed, overloaded with work and frustrated. No matter how busy your work day looks if you implement these three tips you will increase your work output leaving you feeling less stressed. Plus, your work life will not eat as much in your precious personal time.
Prioritise your work list
Review your work load and categorise via the 3 C’s. It is relatively easy to produce a daily or weekly task list of jobs but how do you know which tasks you should do first? To do this you need to give your job list some structure and identify which tasks you are going to focus on first.
Critical tasks
Review all the tasks and first identify 2 or 3 maximum critical tasks, ones that have short deadlines or are important to the business. These could be activities that are on your mind so to complete them will relieve some stress. Break the tasks down into simple specific chunks. For example, rather than write next year’s marketing plan start with the step. Such as, finalise your marketing objectives for the next year. By breaking a task into chunks will stop the task feeling overwhelming and make if feel achievable.
Crucial tasks
Most tasks are important however crucial tasks may have longer deadlines, not so vital to the business or not taking up so much of your brain space as the critical tasks. These are your next priority.
Customary tasks
Customary tasks are the little things you need to do regularly which are usually administrative type tasks that do not take up too much of your time. For example, ordering stationery or other supplies, creating and sending your invoices or reconciling your bank account.
Put down your phone.
If you can stop yourself using your phone during working hours your productivity will almost certainly increase. Phones can be so distracting and the temptation not to respond to a notification extremely difficult. However, if you choose to look at your phone and respond it’s likely you will be hooked on your phone for about the next 20 mins. Plus, you then need to get back into work mode and focus on what you were working on which will also take time. The key is to find a phone life balance so you control when you use your phone, not your phone controls you. Here are some ways to help you reduce the time you spend on your phone.
- If you have a time scheduled for an important piece of work then use your phone’s do not disturb feature to reduce distractions and noise.
- Switch off all notifications from social media, email and apps.
- Instead of using your mobile phone’s alarm to wake you in the morning, use an old-fashioned alarm clock. By doing this your phone is not the first thing you pick up in the morning.
- Reduce the number of apps displayed on your home screen. If you cannot see them when you pick up your phone you will be less likely to click them
Block out time in your calendar
To help maintain focus on your to do list why not add the task to your calendar? Actually, block out the time as if you were having a meeting and include a do not disturb. Focusing on this one task during the time allocated is more productive than multi-tasking. Ideally identify what time of day you are more productive. Is it in the mornings or are you an afternoon person? Whatever works for you, block these times to complete your critical & crucial tasks. Blocking out the time and turning off notifications including emails will result in you being more focused and productive. The blocking of time does not just have to be for work tasks, it could be personal activities too such a walk, lunch or another wellbeing activity.
I hope you find these productivity tips helpful. If you have any questions or require any marketing support for your business please get in touch. You can email me, call 07753941231 or complete my online contact form.
