Is your productivity flagging? Use these 4 secrets to get more done each day
Whether you're struggling with motivation or are simply not interested in completing things, sometimes it can be incredibly difficult to move past your mental block and get things done. It is difficult to control your productivity as you cannot control how many hours there are in a day. But what you can control is how many hours you spend working to ensure that your tasks are completed. Being cautious about how you spend your waking hours is the key to getting more accomplished during the day. From waking up early to creating a functional to-do list, here are four lesser-known secrets to getting things done:
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Don't crowd your day with too many meetings
Surprise meetings are no fun. If anything, they are arduous and uncalled for, and they get little accomplished. If you're in charge of calling meetings, it is best to keep the amount of meetings you attend in a day to a minimum. There's nothing more annoying than setting aside important tasks at hand to attend meetings. Most meetings are time-consuming and they distract people from their on-going work. If you can accomplish something over email, avoid calling for a meeting.
Say 'no' to additional work
If you're friendly with your colleagues, chances are that your coworkers will ask you to help them with their tasks. While it is difficult to say 'no', you need to be firm and polite and turn such requests down. It's alright to help your colleagues once in a while if your schedule allows it, but don't make a habit of it. If you spend a large part of your day assisting others, when will you have the chance to get your own work done?
Don't stick to your desk all day
If you stare at the same four walls all day, you are bound to get irritated and less productive. We live in a time when we can check our emails from almost anywhere. Take advantage of your smartphone and wander to a nearby coffee shop and work from there for a few hours in a day. A change in environment can do more for your productivity than you can possibly imagine.
Listen to music
Listening to music is proven to have a positive effect on people's productivity. Start by making a list of your favorite songs. If you are unable to work to your favorite songs, try working to more soothing tracks or even instrumentals. You can even plug in your headphones and not listen to any music at all. When people see that you have headphones on, they are less likely to come to you with a request. This reduces unnecessary distractions, and you are more likely to have stretches of uninterrupted work.
Evaluate your regular day and find out what works for you and what doesn't. Try to implement the above-mentioned four secrets to improve the quality and quantity of work you accomplish each day.
Read Also: 7 habits to supercharge your productivity
