Some people juggle busy schedules and make it look so easy! On the other hand, some people are wrestling workload, burdened by expectations and wondering why they simply aren’t getting their work done.
So what’s the secret for knowing how to be more productive at work? It turns out that highly productive people work hard at forming good habits. Check out 7 top tips here!
1. THEY DON’T PROCRASTINATE
Procrastination is one of those traps that many of us fall into as we lose our focus and then wonder, “what happened to the time?” or “how did I miss that deadline?”
It’s not the same as laziness, because procrastination is an active process of choosing to do one thing over another or putting off making a decision about taking action, for one reason or another.
There are many ways to eliminate distractions and counter procrastination, whether you’re working on a small task or a large project. Consider these strategies:
- Identify what you’re putting off.
- Break down big projects into specific, well-defined tasks.
- Reward yourself for reaching milestones.
- Use deadlines or set time frames to motivate yourself to work on something or get it done.
- Ask for help when you need it.
2. THEY DON’T GO TO EVERY MEETING
By the time most meetings are over, you’ve spent an hour or more on what ended up as only 15 minutes of useful information. Some meetings and conference calls are unavoidable, but you may be able to skip the unnecessary ones.
3. THEY AREN’T DISTURBED BY DIGITAL DISTRACTIONS
Being interrupted robs you of the concentration you need to be productive at work. Just because you have push notifications doesn’t mean you need to respond immediately to every ping. Set up alerts for urgent matters only, and schedule specific times throughout the day to process the rest.
4. THEY AREN’T PERFECTIONISTS
At some point, you have to sign off on the final draft of a project or proposal. No matter how conscientious or talented a person is, they can always refine their work further, but after awhile, there’s negligible improvement for your continued efforts.
5. THEY DON’T OVER-COMMIT
You may want to look like the most dedicated person who says yes to everything, but that’s not the way to be more productive. Instead, it’s a recipe for stress, burnout and even lower quality work. You shouldn’t accept something that comes across your desk if you can’t manage it in a timely manner. Productive people don’t avoid responsibilities, but they know when to say no.
6. THEY DON’T STRETCH THEIR FOCUS
Highly productive people give their full attention to one task at a time instead of trying to cover a number of items at once. The most important thing you need to do should be your top priority at any one time. Let your focus drift, and you might lose sight of that.
7. THEY DON’T GET BURIED
Rest assured that pile of reports you glanced at and filed away for “later” will stay there and grow. Keep on top of your paperwork. For email, don’t glance at it every time you hear a ding, but check your inbox only at certain times of the day. During those times, tackle each message the moment you read it, whether that means sending a quick reply, scheduling a task or deleting
