Reclaiming Your Time is the Best Productivity Hack

Managing time while still staying productive is becoming a major challenge for everyone, yet millions of working professionals continue to face this problem every day. While balancing home and the workplace is always tedious, finding enough time at the office to meet targets and deadlines can prove to be more challenging than ever. Any working professional, regardless of the industry, needs to find ways to save more time at work and still enhance productivity. When you save time, you increase your productivity.

Below are some effective tricks that can save you more time at your workplace while still hitting the peak of productivity:

Advance Planning

It may sound basic to most working professionals, but when you plan in advance, saving time becomes easier, thus allowing you to utilize that saved time. This applies to everything, starting with the daily commute to getting things done at home in the morning before you leave for your office. In some cases, you may utilize your spare time at home to perform online activities that can help you get started on your next day in the office, such as preparing email drafts and accessing data.

Using Apps

It is incredibly difficult these days to find working professionals who do not use smartphones. You can use apps to save time at your workplace and remain productive throughout the day. Some software has app versions that will keep you updated when you use them. This is true for email services, presentation apps, PDFs and many more. By using apps on your tablet or smartphone, you remain in sync with workplace developments on shared projects even when you are on the move. This eventually helps you stay prepared for the next day’s workload.

Using Cloud Services

When you work on projects or in collaborative setups in an organization, using Cloud services can be extremely helpful in saving time and boosting productivity. Sharing project data and assets in cloud storage makes it simpler for everyone involved to access and update them. The latest cloud services come with backup and encryption features so that the safety of the data is not compromised. All you need is an internet connection and a device to access the services.

Using Reminders

Despite your best efforts, sometimes you may find that you are forgetting certain things at your workplace that may lead to a delay and reduced productivity. You may also have experienced having to spend extra time doing those things, resulting in a decrease in the quality of your work. Using reminders is a smart way to ensure that you do not forget upcoming tasks, because you can wrap them within a stipulated time or deadline. Reminders can be used in a number of different ways, from using sticky notes on the office or cubicle wall to setting software reminders via PC or smartphone.

Habit Alterations

Altering workplace habits can help you extract more time from your work hours resulting in a boost of productivity levels. This can seem small but the benefits will add up in the long run. Getting food at your office cafeteria or ordering take-out saves you time during your lunch hours. Make it a habit to not spend more than a few minutes during the occasional smoking break. Employees tend to find the lure of gossiping or chatting during such breaks irresistible, which can take up a considerable amount of time.

Discipline and professional work habits will reclaim lost time. While different work setups and requirements exist across various organizations, using technology helps to save time. More important, establishing productive work habits and adhering to them will benefit you the most. Staying organized and maintaining a neat and clean work space also helps in boosting productivity levels. The less clutter you have, the more time you save and the more targets you accomplish with ease.

Author: Sam Makad is a marketing consultant at Skyward ERP. He helps small and medium businesses to grow their ROI by providing innovative technology solutions.