Top 10 Tips to Increase Productivity in the Office
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Productivity is very important for the growth and success of a company. Here are the top 10 tips to increase productivity in the office.
In any office setting, it is very important to find ways increasing productivity. Productivity is an essential in ushering in the growth and success of the company. Here are the top 10 tips to increase productivity in the office setting.
#1. Employ contingency management.
The key to overcoming procrastination lies on contingency management. Pick a mundane task that you just cannot pass on in a workday. Checking emails can be one of these tasks. You should then make the task contingent on working for roughly 30 minutes. After that period, you should stop checking mails and start working. Moreover, do not check your emails anymore, not until after work hours.
#2. Have a timer handy.
When you’re doing a certain task, you should practice timing yourself. Tell yourself that you going to spend just 30 minutes for a particular task, and proceed to timing yourself. This keeps you on your toes and motivates you to be more productive.
#3. Unschedule your weekly schedule.
The concept here is to fill your schedule with activities that are not work-related. Dedicate the remaining time to work-related activities. Schedule these activities for just 30 minutes at a time. Many 30-minute periods of focused and undisturbed work can go a long way.
#4. Use 2-folder email management.
Having too many folders for your emails is a waste of time. You have to spend time browsing through many folders to find a particular email. The smart thing to do is to use just 2 folders: Action and Archive. The Action folder is for emails that need working on. The Archive folder is for emails that contain tasks that have been completed already.
#5. Avoid perfectionism.
It’s fine to strive for the best. But if you strive to be constantly perfect in all your tasks, then you will surely obsess over every single detail of your work. This brings much waste of time as well. Thus, accept the fact that you just cannot be perfect at all times.
#6. Include detailed subject lines for your emails.
You will surely be sending emails to your colleagues. With detailed subject lines, your colleagues no longer have to open each email from you. They can just check the detailed subject line, and they will find what they’re looking for faster.
#7. Leave strategic voicemail messages.
Always leave your name and contact number at the start and finish of each message you leave. This way, the recipient won’t have to listen to the message all over again, just to catch your contact info.
#8. Hire a personal assistant.
Your personal assistant can do the menial tasks for you. You can then focus on the major tasks at hand. This helps increase your productivity as well.
#9. Dedicate peak hours for major tasks.
After a weekend off work, you are more energized during the first days of the week. This is actually a common observation. Thus, you should schedule the major tasks for the mornings of Mondays and Tuesdays.
#10. Do not bring work at home.
As much as possible, you should separate your professional life from your personal life. Bringing work to your home just stresses you out. It robs you of time away from the office. The following morning, your spirits will surely be dampened. You should then avoid this and get enough rest instead.
