Best Tips to Increase Productivity in 2021
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.
No comments
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.