Effective Ways You Can Use To Improve Efficiency and Productivity In The Office

With the need to manage one's performance and expertise in the business world – especially online – mainstream culture really started to become interested in how the everyday person can learn to utilize their time more effectively, perform better at goal-driven tasks, and get the most out of the business day.

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Through the introduction of popular books, like the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, more people are keen to learn how you can tweak certain behaviors and activities to improve one's efficacy – at home or in the office.

There are many effective ways that you can start introducing into your work life and schedule, and many of these should feel intuitive. Some of them may feel difficult to start, but with some practice and a routine, it will continue to become easier to implement. Here are some easy, effective practices that you can start introducing into your workday if ever you start noticing that you could be more productive.

Make a to-do list

You have likely heard this suggestion since you were a child, but there are many ways to begin prioritizing the tasks you have to get through each day. You can stay traditional, like using a hard-copy diary to write down your daily activities. Or, you could try out a digital platform, such as Trello. With the ability to create completely customizable lists and task boards, Trello offers individuals and teams within your company to organize tasks using collaborative features.

Because Trello is digital too, it is very easy to drag uncompleted tasks to a separate list, or even re-prioritize it on the list it was created on. Managing your own project tasks has never been easier! An additional hack when using task lists is to complete the most challenging items first. This is one reason why being able to re-prioritize the activities is so useful!

Track your time on the job

Project management is essential to the timely completion of any job. However, even in the best of teams, it can be tricky knowing exactly how to track project progress. Managing the various tasks within each project is crucial to the optimal functioning of every team and through apps and websites, this can be integrated very easily. Using creative time-tracking software can help keep track of the time you dedicate towards certain projects and activities!

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Take regular breaks

This overprescribed suggestion is not utilized enough, but for a reason... When one is focused on a work task, you may counter-intuitively feel that taking a break will disrupt your workflow and your focused process. Though this may be true for some, it is proven that most people cannot sustain focused attention very effectively for more than 2 hours in one period.

However, strategies intended to enhance work performance recommend that optimal work time is 25 minutes, after which one is encouraged to take a 5-minute break. What is known as the Pomodoro technique has helped millions of people around the world come to focus very efficiently for the 25 minutes of work. Though it may seem short, it is a great push to challenge yourself to see what can be done in this time. You will definitely be surprised when the 25 minutes is up, but when work is more challenging, this break will be a very welcomed relief! 

Declutter your workspace!

There are many other ways to increase efficacy in the office, with a crucial one to declutter and work in an organized workspace. Minimizing desk and office clutter does a huge job at reducing the distractions – and subsequent stress – available to you, encouraging you to remain focused on the tasks at hand.

The first recommendation is to physically clear your working area of stationary, papers, and files that are not relevant to the tasks you need to focus on. You should also reduce other distractions wherever possible, including disabling unnecessary phone distractions, app notifications, and computer tasks. Unless they are useful for the task you need to get done, they can wait for your break to get attention.

Keep connecting to your purpose

Of course life gets hectic, and a strenuous workload is just another challenge that makes you more grateful for the good times. It is vital that you remain dedicated to a greater purpose – a strong reason for pushing through the hard work.

When work gets tough, it can often be enough motivation to realize what these tasks, project deadlines, and business goals are affirming. Stay focused on the reasons why your business, cash flow, and entrepreneurial vision are important to you, and it will be much easier to keep your eyes on the path forward.

Samuel Daniel

Update 25 February 2021