- Being productive at work is a science. It’s not as easy as sitting at your desk, busting through emails and shutting your office door in hopes you can get everything done. There are always a million and one things going on and trying to focus on what’s in front of you isn’t always easy. These 5 small changes can significantly increase your productivity and blow your boss away by how much you’re able to do in a short period of time!
Have everything ready to go.
Take a look at your calendar for the day to get a gauge of what you need and where you have to go. When we have everything ready, we’re able to be more productive and aren’t frazzled at the last minute. This is anything from pen/paper for an upcoming meeting, notes for a conference call, data to provide your supervisor about a client. Take the first few minutes of work to prepare yourself for the rest of the day as you never know if a meeting will run later than expected.
Get to work early.
Starting your day earlier than other coworkers makes it much easier to get things done. It feels great when you already had your cup of coffee and tackled half of your inbox before your colleagues walk in the door. Give yourself the time to get started early and shut your door if you need. The morning can be more productive than any other point in the day since it’s less likely for crisis to pop up.
If you’re not able to get to the office earlier and have a long commute. You can:
- Check your email
- Dictate your goals into the voice memo function on your phone
- Check your calendar
- Send out meeting invites
Set goals.
The first hour of the day is usually the most productive as you’ll most likely get sucked into meetings, calls, or other work. Take a few moments to get the lay of the land and set your goals and intentions for the day.
- Identify 3 tasks that you need to get done today
- Who do you need to touch base with or need support from? (check their schedules to find a time that lines up)
- What outstanding work from the previous work day/week needs to get done?
- What can you hold off on and would not be considered a priority?
Make your plan of attack to increase productivity.
Make sure you’re creating a plan to get the work done that you’ve identified as important by the end of the day. To do this, you can:
- Block off time on your calendar with an indication of what you’re doing so your colleagues/supervisor knows what you’re working on
- Practice the Pomodoro method by setting a timer and working for 25 minutes, then taking a 5 minute break
- Close your office door (if you have one) or find a quiet space to get your work done without interruption
- Complete like tasks at the same time. When we focus on similar tasks, we’re able to complete more versus task shifting from task to task (answering emails, editing documenting, updating spreadsheets)
- Identify your most productive time of day and focus on tasks that need the most “brain power” then. For your less productive times, focus on “easier” tasks like answering emails
Plan your lunch break.
Some days might be trickier than others to get a full 30-60 minute break for lunch. No matter how much time, it’s still important to know when you can take a break from your busy day. Breaks add to productivity and don’t take away from it. Without taking a real break, your brain will wonder later in the day and what would normally take you 5 minutes could take an hour to process.
What do you do as soon as you get to the office?
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Alissa, I’m all about getting to the office early. Shutting my door and getting through some work before people get there makes me feel really productive and I’m really going to try to take my lunch breaks. Great advice as usual
Me too! I can get so much done before people get to the office and it makes for a much more productive day!
I have tried to get to the office early and start getting things done, however, my bosses do not want me to do that because “I’m not allowed overtime unless it is approved in advance.” I also HAVE to take a lunch break at 12-1, if I can’t make it to lunch then, I have to eat at my desk while working, and loose an hour of pay.
Thank you for sharing Tami. Depending on the roles and organization some of these things may not be feasible. With that said, it might be worth having a conversation with your supervisor if you’re finding that you have more work to do than time allotted and to get a gauge on what their priorities are for your workload.
I’m love your idea of holding off on checking emails. I’m always starting and stopping.
It does make a huge difference when you can just focus after you settle in. Good luck and keep us posted!
Love all the GIFs haha
Thanks Joyce!!
These are some really great tips!
Thank you so much Jennifer
these are such great productivity tips!
Thanks so much Brittany!
Thanks for this! Great little reminder to get my butt into gear this Monday 😉
Haha, of course Gina! We GOT this!
That first one is the hardest for me but I know if I do it I’ll really notice a difference!
It really is hard for sure! Keep us posted on how it’s all going, Kim!
Such great advise! My best productivity is from 6 am to 9 am! I get so much done!
It really is. There are not as many distractions before the “official” work day starts!
Making lists and actually writing them down is so important ( and really not that hard) but I need to work on it! Thanks for the reminder!!
OMG I know Alisha! I sometimes have lists in my head which don’t help at all. Once I put them pen to paper I’m telling myself I’m committed and doing this!
Great advice. I work from home and need to commit to these at home.
Thank you and keep us posted on how you’re doing with it all!
I needed this article! My productivity isn’t so great because I work from home, so these tips will definitely help!
Thank you for the compliment Taylor and I’m so glad it will help you! Keep us posted on how you’re doing!
These are great tips! I work from home and seriously struggle with not checking email first.
It’s so hard Aryn! It took me forever to realize that I would be more productive if I actually settle in first. Thanks again for reading
I needed to read this, like TODAY. Great tips! 🙂
Of course and thank you for reading Rebecca!
haha! what a fun blog post with really great tips! love it!
Thank you so much!
This post is a 400% lifesaver. I am so guilty of spending my first hour or so at the office just totally fucking off.
These are such great tips. Not checking my emails first thing is a hard habit to break. haha
It’s so hard! Keep us posted on how it’s going!
Such lovely advice. Thank you!
These GIFs are fabulous, and the tips are very useful!
I think these are some terrific productivity tips — I’m also a fan of starting the hardest task of the day first, especially when you arrive to a quiet office!
Allie, that’s such a good one!
These are great tips. I will definitely try some of them.
Totally agree with making a plan to increase productivity! Helps me so much when I feel like I’m in control of my day with a plan
So good! I need to start implementing these!
Love it! Thanks for sharing
YESSSSS these are great tips!!!
Great tips! I’m going to start these tomorrow!
great tips for everyone!
Thanks – this is great! I’m going to start doing this, starting tomorrow morning!
Great tips! Definitely need to be better about some of these!
Great tips! I will give it a try tomorrow!
Xoxo,
Gabi
Those are great tips. Thanks for sharing. Email can be a big distraction.
These are some amazing tips!
Oh, my goodness. Some of these are things I know I should do but I’m still so lazy about it. I think holding off on emails until I have a solid list/plan for the day would be hugely helpful. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks so much Eileen! Holding off on emails has helped me out so much. Once I settle in I can get through them much quicker and actually formulate responses as opposed to being half asleep
I honestly should be putting a lot of these into play. I’m pretty much my own worst enemy when it comes to a work life balance. Great post!
It’s so hard for sure!! I still struggle and you’re so not alone in this one
For me, its staying off of social media before I start working or it will suck me in so bad.
Me too Sarah! It’s so easy to get sucked in for what you think is 10 minutes- then its hours…
This is great! Love it!
These are all amazing tips and great ways to increase productivity!! I especially like the tips about not checking your email first thing and taking a real lunch break to give your mind time to refocus!!
Thank you so much and I’m so glad they’re helpful!
These are such great tips!!!
I agree on the no email thing. Technology in general decreases focus and productivity for me, I usually have set blocks of times where I don’t have to look at any incoming calls/emails/texts.
It really is a time suck when we think of how many times a day we stop what we are doing to check it. Thanks for your advice!!
These are great! I’d love to read on productivity tips for people who juggle working at home (with or without kids)!
That’s a great idea for a post. I’m on it!!
Great tips, I will have to try them. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for reading Nicole!
Fantastic advice!
The giant cup of coffee cracked me up! Great read:)
It’s amazing isn’t it.. Haha
Oh my goodness yes to the e-mails! I feel like the second I open my e-mails is the second I lose HOURS of my life lol! I can never seem to get back on track!
It’s crazy how much time I spend on that too! I’m so glad I’m not the only one Amber!
When will your book be out. Great ideas but unfortunately my husbands job is doing the work of 5 people and they expect more. Way way behind in his work along with all of his other coworkers. Not sure if any of your suggestions will help. Boss’s don’t listen so no talking to them.
My book will be out 5/1 and it does address when you feel overworked and how to have a conversation with a supervisor.