10 Ways to Increase Work Productivity

Do you live a life where you wake up each morning anxious or simply thinking about the work day ahead of you and then return each evening to your home to do even more work while thinking about all of the work you didn’t get done while at work? What about those of you who work for a boss who is somewhat disorganized and who doesn’t necessarily know how to manage that well? If any of these situations sound familiar, it isn’t surprising. There are millions of Americans who go to work each day and are miserable because they are being overworked, underpaid and mismanaged. However, there are some things you can do to improve your work productivity and overall happiness.

10 Ways to Increase Productivity at Work

1. Take a Break:
   • We all need breaks, and research shows that working long hours without a break is not nearly as productive as working in short bursts.
2. Get Rid of Distractions:
   • If you’re a popular person who tends to receive a lot of phone calls, then make sure that your phone is either out of sight or turned off so that it won’t distract you or others around you who may be trying to work. If you work in a small office with several other employees who tend to talk a lot, try talking to them or letting your boss know that the added noise is a distraction that is taking away from your productivity.
3. Use Music to Soothe:
   • If you can’t escape the noises around you, then try to listen to a little bit of soothing music such as classical music or something that doesn’t require too much attention, this way you will be able to continue to work. Research also shows that listening to soothing music can help to relax you (which is always a good thing).
4. Save the Easiest for Last:
   • Whatever task is the most difficult, make sure that you start with that one first. It’ll save you the time of having to worry about it later, plus it will make you feel better to have easier things to look forward to as the day progresses.
5. Learn to Say “No”:
   • Many bosses take advantage of salaried employees by loading them down with work that will never get finished in a 40 hour workweek unless they put in extra, unpaid time outside of work. If you find that your boss is giving you work that falls outside of the general working parameters, let him/her know. You don’t always have to agree with what your boss or another employer tells you. Simply find a polite way to say that you are overloaded with work (i.e. “While I would love to complete this task, my plate is already full. Perhaps we can take something off of my plate so that I can help out; or perhaps we can re-assign it to someone else..”).
6. Figure Out Your “Time of Day”:
   • There are some people who are extremely lucid during the early morning hours and grow less productive as the day wears on. On the other hand, there are those of us who are extremely productive at night. Figure out what kind of person you are and tailor your work around it.
7. Plan out Meals Ahead:
   • You would think that eating would be the easiest and perhaps most basic function. However, many people neglect to prepare meals ahead of time that they can bring with them to work. Therefore, they are tasked with trying to figure out where and when they are going to fit lunch in around their busy afternoons. Save yourself the trouble of eating junk food as well as spending unnecessary money on gas and food by preparing meals ahead of time. It’ll save you an incredible amount of stress (and weight) in the end.
8. Avoid Too Much Multi-Tasking:
   • Many employees feel that the better they are able to multi-task, the more work they are getting done. This is true and false…mostly false. Research has shown that multi-tasking is not as productive as the vast majority of people think. Contrary to popular belief, if you focus on one thing at a time, you will do a much better job and be that much more effective as an employee.
9. Stay Organized:
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   • When you are given what seems like an infinite amount of work, take a deep breath and make a list to help you organize it all. If you have to, invest in a desk planner or some sort of calendar program that you can use to help you keep track of what your daily tasks are. As you are assigned more tasks throughout the day, you should already have a list made for the next day that you can simply add the task to (listed from highest to lowest priority of course).

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