Best Tips to Increase Productivity in 2021

For many entrepreneurs, countless working hours paired with a permanent online presence and availability, are a normal way of doing business. If your professional life looks something like this then you are probably used to facing long working days that, most of the time, do not end up being as productive as you would like them to be. In most cases, the reality is that leaving tasks half done is not solved by dedicating more time to them, but by making better use of the available hours to achieve the level of performance you need.

Improving productivity at work is one of the most popular business objectives. It is well known that companies want to make the most out of their workers to reduce costs and improve productivity. This is usually easier said than done. There are many pieces that we find in the labor puzzle that needs to fit together perfectly and there are also many factors that can intervene and slow us in doing so.

With technology being everywhere around us and with different working environments, like home offices or online co-working spaces, it is very easy for our productivity to suffer. Therefore, it is essential to identify elements that affect our productivity in a bad way, as well as the conditions that cause it to increase. When identifying these conditions, the most important thing is to know how to implement them in the real work environment.

If you are a person who struggles with maintaining productivity at its best then you are in the right place. Below we show you a small list of habits and tips to keep your productivity always at its peak.

Use Technology as an Advantage

As we all know, technology is everywhere around us and it is impossible to imagine our lives without it. It can be used in many different ways and in many different aspects of our lives. With that said, technology can have a great impact on our productivity. There are plenty of apps and tools that can help us achieve more in less time. So it is not strange that many business people cannot live without such apps anymore. Here we will mention some of our favorite ones.

EasyPDF - This is a great document conversion suite. It is ideal for people who deal with a lot of PDFs on a regular basis and needs quick and easy document conversions. The tool is completely free to use and has no limitations nor ads. It is really worth trying.

Google Drive - For safely storing and accessing your files wherever you are no matter the device you are using there is no better tool than Google Drive. It allows you to store almost any file you can think of and also provides you with the ability to collaborate on the same document with your colleges from different locations and at different times.

Evernote - One of the best and most popular note-taking apps. It allows you to capture any idea and find it later on with an innovative search function. Effortlessly add text, images, audio, scans, PDFs, and documents to your notes. The app can sync across all your devices making your notes accessible wherever you are.

Always Be Positive

Try to always turn negative thoughts into positive ones. We know that it is easier said than done, but believe us, it will do miracles to your productivity. Sometimes the day goes by with its own share of problems. There is nothing you can do about the computer crashing or the customer canceling a large order you have been working on the whole week, but what matters is your reaction to the problem. Only your actions and thoughts - and not the circumstances - can guide you to a way out. The more you manage to grasp disappointments with detachment, the more you will be proud to have gone through the trials.

Be a Copycat

You must be thinking we are crazy, but this is true, you have to be a copycat. Simply find people who are doing it all with a smile on their faces and copy their habits, the way they manage time, etc… You may be asking who are these productive professionals? We all meet them at one point or another in our careers. They are employees who are extremely productive and well organized.

We are thinking about those colleagues who manage the same number of tasks as we, but who arrive and leave offices at a decent hour, who volunteer to help others with new tasks, and the ones who are recognized for the exceptional quality of their work, and are promoted! No, they don’t have magical powers, nor are they under the effect of illegal substances, they are quite simply productive and efficient! Find them and copy them.

Use a 2 Minute Rule

It is very important that you avoid jumping from one task to another when something new arises, which is very common for an entrepreneur who controls different aspects of his business. To avoid this unproductive habit there is a little trick called the “two-minute rule”. How does it work you may ask? Very easy.

If, for example, answering an email or performing any other unforeseen task is going to take you less than two minutes, do it right now. On the other hand, if you think that you are going to need more time, it will be better to write it down on your agenda or notes and leave it for later. In this way, you will avoid feeling that you didn’t do anything despite working hard the whole day.

Take Risks to Boost Productivity

Do not hesitate to take measured risks, and to develop intellectual and mental flexibility. Experience and thorough research are the best ways to learn, move forward, and improve. There is something magical about being in action - people take as much pleasure in leading projects as in bringing them to the finishing stages. Enthusiasm is a powerful fuel that can take you very far. It has the advantage of being easily shared and very contagious!

Use The Ivy Lee Productivity Method

In 1918, productivity consultant Ivy Lee advised Charles Schwab, the president of Bethlehem Steel, to adopt a plan for his employees. When implemented properly, the plan results in a huge jump in work productivity. This old and still successful productivity strategy recommends ending your day by writing down a list of six important things you want to accomplish the next day. Each task should be listed according to its level of importance. Your goal is not to clear those tasks as quickly as possible, but to focus only on completing the first task. And move on to the next task only after you've completed the previous one. It’s that easy, right?

Use The SMART Method

The SMART method allows you to set goals for the upcoming week by writing them down clearly. You may be asking why this acronym? Breaking it down letter by letter we get:

S for Specific - your objectives should be described in a simple, clear, and concise manner.
M for Measurable - you need to be able to see the impact when you have achieved your goals.
A for Achievable - your goals must be achievable to you but also ambitious in order to still give you the challenge and thus the motivation to achieve them.
R for Relevant: goals must make sense and improve the business in some way.
T for Time-bound - you must set yourself time limits in order to avoid putting things off until later and having to do them in a rush.

Do not hesitate to write down different tasks and determine the importance of each of them, so those that you consider being the most urgent can be given priority on your list.

Group Similar Tasks

We are much more productive when we carry out tasks of the same type in a grouped way. As an entrepreneur, it is completely normal that throughout your day you do different types of work, and your productivity will be lower if you have to constantly change tasks. If this happens to you frequently, it is likely that you feel that you are not making as much progress as you would like in your projects despite working all day.

To avoid this and increase productivity, the best advice we can give you is to try to perform the same type of tasks in bulk. For example reserve specific periods of time to make all the calls for the day, answer emails or meet with customers. If you group tasks together to perform them in a row, you will soon find that you focus more easily and progress more in your daily work.

Identify and Eliminate “Time Thieves”

This method is pretty straightforward. We will ask you to make a list of all those elements, events, and individuals that are misusing your time, making you counterproductive. And then we will ask you to eliminate them as much as you can. As we said earlier, new technologies are making our lives easier in many ways, however, there are some apps that can distract us. This perfectly applies to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, and other addicting apps.

Therefore, technological detoxification is a must. There is no need to be drastic, moderate consumption is more than enough. In the book The 4 Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris points out that every day we are overwhelmed with information, which is often the source of all the distractions. He promotes the "Low information diet", a kind of diet that consists of suppressing notifications, newsletters, news feeds, etc. The process will take you a little time in the beginning, but in the end, you will be a winner because the amount of time saved will be remarkable.

Time thieves have many faces and can be human beings as well who at first glance seem harmless. Do you sometimes find yourself in an uncomfortable situation where you are only thinking of a reason to escape the conversation? In that case, you are the one who risks falling behind if you jump on every conversation about the Mets losing the game or the new movie that just came out. You should isolate yourself and take time to finalize certain tasks requiring more concentration and kindly offer that someone to continue the conversation over coffee or a good meal.

What are you waiting for? Implement these habits in your daily routine and lifestyle, starting today. Increase your productivity! Do you know any other tips to boost productivity? Let us know in the comments.