Many people think that the more hours you work, the more that you will accomplish, however, the truth is that productivity is about the quality of time that you put into your job, not quantity. If you spend ten hours a day at the office and find yourself going home without finishing all of your tasks, you may start to ask yourself what’s going wrong.
If you’re ready to take control of your work habits and increase your productivity, then take a look at some of the best ways to get started.
Plan Ahead
One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting their workday is failing to plan ahead. It’s important to set a schedule for yourself of how your day will map out. You may not stick to the schedule perfectly, but having a general framework can help keep you on task.
By creating a plan, you’ll be less likely to scramble as the day goes on. Having an itinerary makes it much easier to transition from task to task seamlessly. A doctor can’t do their best work if they don’t have a clear vision of which patients they’ll see when. The same as a lawyer represents their clients best when they have a clear plan of how they’ll execute the process. Planning is an essential part of being able to live up to your expectations of your best work.
Prioritize
A lot of people waste most of their day going in circles failing to prioritize which tasks they should be getting out of the way first. It’s essential to have a clear list of what falls highest on the list of your to-do’s.
Otherwise, you’ll find yourself running around in circles wondering what to do next. In the world of business, lost time is lost money. Prioritizing what makes the most sense to get done in which order will have a massive impact on your day.
Eliminate Distractions
Everyone has different distractions based on their personality type. Some people are easily attracted to chit chat and conversation while others can’t seem to put their phones down. Whatever is your own personal kryptonite, try to eliminate it from your environment so that you are tempted to stop working.
For some people, it means working in a room alone or hiding their phone in a drawer. Do whatever it takes to stop yourself from giving in.
Set Personal Deadlines
Setting small deadlines for yourself throughout the day can help enormously with getting things done on time.
Aiming for small attainable goals throughout the day will keep you accountable for staying aware of how long you’re taking to get things done and whether you need to start working faster.
