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6 Untold Secrets to Increase Your Productivity Levels

By: SmallBizClub

 

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Wondering why some workers are able to churn out gargantuan amounts of work, day after day, without ever feeling tired, while you can’t stop complaining about the work load? There might have been times when you felt a certain urge to ask them what was the key to their miraculous abilities.

However, if you follow the example of successful entrepreneurs and influencers, these secrets can all be yours.

No matter which part of world you are in, there is one thing in common between you and all other professionals: the number of hours in a day. Whether you are working in a billion dollar enterprise or bootstrapping a startup, it’s all about how you use your time that defines your productivity. In order to remain ultra-motivated and productive, you have to develop the right habits, manage tasks, set the right goals, and handle distractions in a better manner.

Although the process might be painstakingly slow as old habits die hard, in the end when you are heaped with praise and attention from your boss or the industry, all your efforts will be totally worth it. Here are 6 productivity hacks that will put you on top of your work.

1. Do NOT add too many tasks to your plate simultaneously

Although it sounds contradictory, the truth is most people would give their best only if they were focused on one task instead of multitasking. Research suggests that the higher number of cognitive tasks we attempt at the same time, the lesser our performance. In other terms, having too many tasks on your plate at the same time not only reduces efficiency but also increases the failure rate. This is precisely why multitasking is actually not the smartest thing for white collar professionals.

For instance, during a meeting, most of us are tempted to do a mail check, or complete our pending tasks which do not require much mental application. Although you might be thinking that you are making good use of time, this split focus makes these meetings less productive. Most psychologists will tell you that there is no such thing as multitasking, and it in fact stands against everything that requires focus and concentration.

2. Make a to-do list

Creating a to-do list of all the tasks that require your attention a day in advance can be of great help for those who constantly forget their schedule. However, to ensure this activity is really helpful there are two minor improvements that you can include. The first one is to prioritize your tasks in the order of their importance. The second is to keep your list as realistic as possible.

Along with tasks, also write the estimated time that each task would take so that you do not clutter your table with more than you can handle.  Assigning realistic timelines to tasks will automatically force you to prioritize.

3. Organize your mailbox

Technology definitely makes it easier to accomplish a number of tasks; communication is one of them. Mail is the lifeblood of communication in most organizations. It must not take more than a couple of minutes to go through a communication mail and if it’s taking more than that, the first thing that you need to set right is your mailbox. Keep your emails to the point and write only when necessary.  Make necessary folders and organize your emails in them.

4. Minimize time spent in meetings

Meetings are the necessary evil that corporate organizations are still finding hard to get over. Mark Cuban, the billionaire CEO of HDNet and owner of the Dallas Mavericks thinks “meetings are a waste of time unless you are closing a deal.”

According to Renault and Nissan CEO Carlon Ghosn, “keeping the length and number of meetings definite is the perfect solution.” While talking to Fortune magazine he said, “The maximum is one hour and 30 minutes. Fifty percent of the time is for the presentation, 50 percent is for discussion.” Most subjects can be handled well within this time frame. There are other topics which require only 15 minutes. Your meeting time shouldn’t be a slave to predefined calendar.

5. Breaks should be short and constructive

It has been proved time and again that employees who take short breaks at work exhibit better decision making and productivity, as compared to those who slog for long continuous durations of time. Short 15-minutes breaks can help you realign your mind to the task’s requirements, in case you have reached a threshold. Taking a break will recharge your senses, and you will be able to look at things with a completely different perspective when you get back. This helps all the more when you are stuck on a problem. Work sessions of short lengths (about 90 minutes) followed by a 10-15 minutes break are found to be more productive than a continuous 8-hour work cycle.

6. Feel confident

Confidence is an essential ingredient of a successful professional. Anyone who needs to make decisions, take risks and set priorities should be a confident individual. Productivity will automatically follow a confident mindset.

Author: Saurabh Tyagi is a writer, social media enthusiast and a keen observer of latest job trends. He is currently associated with Naukri.com, a leading online recruitment company in India. When he is not writing, you will find him brushing his knowledge about the latest jobs and digital marketing news. You can follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter

Published: November 30, 2016
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