Buying yourself more time doesn’t require complicated habits. The secrets to higher productivity are amazingly simple. Whether you need a boost in motivation, more focus, help setting priorities, or some clever time management tricks, we offer 5 tips that you can put into action right away.
Set clear priorities
Those who set clear priorities and consistently pursue them create more and improve the results. You should therefore establish a system or a self-management method in order to set meaningful priorities on a daily basis, according to which you work through your tasks in the appropriate order. To-do lists are one such method. They are easy to use and implement and help enormously in keeping track of what (still) needs to be done and what has already been achieved.
Plan ahead
A lack of planning and nasty surprises can reduce productivity. That is why you should not just create a daily plan, but a weekly or even monthly plan for the most important goals and tasks: What has to be done? What conditions have to be created? Who is working on what? With a detailed business plan, you ensure a better structure and organization – which helps increase productivity.
Reduce distractions
Much productivity is lost when we are distracted. A chat with colleagues, a quick browse through Facebook or Instagram – an hour has already been wasted. If you want to increase productivity, you have to turn off distractions – sometimes literally. Mute e-mails and turn off the phone. The main thing is that you can concentrate on the task at hand.
Move more
Sitting in front of the screen for eight, nine or ten hours a day is actually unhealthy. Instead, get your body going and build more exercise into the day. For example, with a height-adjustable high table, a walk during the break – and more breaks in general. This ensures better blood circulation, more creative thoughts, a better mood and, in addition to productivity, it also promotes health.
Adjust to the biorhythm
When do you work best and when are you particularly productive? The answer to this can be different for every employee. Some start early in the morning particularly motivated and achieve a lot. Others only really get going during the day and have their peak in the afternoon. If you know your chronobiology, you should use it for your work day and thus increase your productivity.
Extra tip:
Get enough sleep
Even if you follow everything according to the plan, your concentration will drop if you don’t take care of your health. Prepare yourself for a busy office day by getting enough sleep.
It’s best to start now using the five steps described to create your own system for a crystal-clear target focus, efficient task and calendar planning, productive work phases and the best possible energy management. Good luck!