To be more productive, we must take control of 3 key components of our day: time, space and mindset. This has become harder to do in an environment where we are expected to produce at every hour and at any place. Although some people pride themselves on their ability to multitask, so much of our time is wasted by unintentional task-switching. It takes an average of 26 minutes to recover from trivial interruptions. Here are some tips to reclaim that wasted time, use our space most efficiently, and develop a mindset to focus on our most important tasks.
- Schedule your day so that you start out with time for sorting out email, assigning tasks to others, and deleting any unimportant items that are clogging your inbox. If you commute to work, this is an ideal time to complete this task!
- Make sure to schedule breaks during the day so that you don’t burn out and lose focus. How to find the time for these breaks? Intentionally cut back the time of your scheduled meetings, and stick to it.
- Try to work off-site when you need to concentrate without typical office distractions. In your virtual workspace, you can increase productivity and save time by disabling pop-ups and consolidating notifications from apps so that you can go to one place for the information you need.
Focus on what your most important tasks for the day are. Break them down into smaller chunks, and consider using checklists to keep you on track. Finally, don’t get bogged down in endless email threads that get tangled, waste time and leave so much room for error. Walk down the hall, pick up the phone, or instant message so that you know your message has been received clearly!
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Credit: David Lavenda, VP of Project Strategy, Harmon.ie, “10 Simple Productivity Tips for Organizing Your Work Life” http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242359
Until next time,
Yours truly,
Tommy Antonopoulos, Blogger for OfficeTime
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