In the workplace, most people want to be productive. You want to be able to finish your work within the day so you don’t have to bring it home or finish the next day.
However, there are a lot of factors that influence the level of productivity that people have in the workplace. Some of these factors are inescapable and cannot be controlled. However, one thing we can control is ourselves.
With that said, it helps to find a reference of sorts that can serve as inspiration. One of the best sources of inspiration you can have is people you’ve worked with who are actually productive.
On that note, below, you can find a list of habits that highly productive people commonly have. You might want to try and develop these habits for yourself.
Focus on things that matter
Within the workday, you may find yourself overwhelmed by a lot of tasks, both big and small.
Although tackling every single task put on your desk will make you busy, it doesn’t equate to your level of productivity at all. Task management allows you to avoid becoming overwhelmed and feeling paralyzed because you’re intimidated by your workload.
To start, you should know which tasks to prioritize finishing first. A common technique to help you identify a task’s priority is to focus first on ones with deadlines that are important, then tasks without a deadline and are still important, then tasks with a deadline and aren’t important, and last, ones that neither have a deadline nor importance.
Follow the 80-20 rule
By prioritizing tasks that matter, you’re developing the habits of focus.
To serve as your guide to how you’re supposed to prioritize things that matter, use the 80-20 rule as reference.
The 80-20 rule means in all of your workload, only about 20% of your tasks create around 80% of the needed results. On the other hand, the remaining 80% of the tasks provide only 20% of the results you want.
Thus, identify which of your tasks will create the most results. Leave the other tasks that give you 20% until the 80% results tasks are completed.
Take short breaks throughout the day
Society at large is under the wrong impression that if someone never takes a break, they are probably very productive. In fact, these people are likely not productive at all. They’re just busy, which doesn’t equate to productivity.
Highly productive people know the true value of taking breaks, so they take them often. Instead of taking long breaks between long hours of work, learn to adopt short 5 to 10 minutes of break time distributed throughout your workday.
The series of breaks improves your mental state, gives you a breather, and allows you to recenter your focus and priorities.
Remove productivity killers
If you want to be more productive people in the workplace, then you must have some self-awareness. This helps you identify the aspects or parts of your workday and your workspace that kills your productivity.
Perhaps you’re prone to zoning out and scrolling over numerous social media posts without realizing it. If this is the case for you, make an effort to block these sites when you’re working so that you don’t get tempted.
Another productivity killer is an untidy workplace. You need to maintain the cleanliness of your desk, especially since you spend most of your workdays there. Keeping a clean office desk and making sure you throw away trash immediately can do wonders for your focus.
Set deadlines and timelines
Some people aren’t motivated by anything other than the impending doom of deadlines. However, not every single task you’re going to encounter at work will have a set deadline. Therefore, you should consider setting up deadlines for yourself.
Sometimes, this isn’t enough. Self-imposed deadlines don’t work for a lot of people, but maybe if you visualize a timeline, you would be better motivated to stick to your deadline.
Your timeline should show you how your deadline for a certain task plays into your time for other tasks. Don’t forget to set up a reward for yourself at the very end of the timeline for better motivation.
Automate processes
An important skill that productive people have is the power to delegate tasks. It takes a form of courage to delegate a task to someone else and trust them enough to be able to accomplish it as well as you would.
On that note, a form of delegation is setting up technology or software to help make processes easier for you. Automating common business operations will make sure that you aren’t spending most of your workday doing repetitive and menial work.
You can even try outsourcing some of your tasks if you are able to do so. If you find yourself spending a solid chunk of your time doing administrative work instead of more meaningful work, then this is a habit that you certainly need to develop and soon.
Wrap up
Taking inspiration from more productive people around you can help you be a better person because others serve as a constant reminder of your goals. Being a more productive person will not only help you in your professional life, but it can also help free up time so you have more time to spend on things outside of work.
About the Author
Raymond Chiu is the Director of Operations for Maid Sailors, the leading office cleaning New York. Maid Sailors take pride in providing outstanding office cleaning services at affordable prices. Maid Sailors helps workplaces transform into spotless places.
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