12 Ideas to Increase Productivity At Work

Want to increase your productivity level, but not sure how to start? Here’re 12 most effective ways that will help you achieve more in less time.

Choose the right time

Nearly each one of us has times of the day when we are most effective and times when we tend to drag ourselves. It’s smarter to schedule the most important tasks for your most effective hours of the day.

Toss it

If a task doesn’t really need to be done, just get rid of it altogether or let someone else to take care of it.

Get the bad stuff out of the way

Not all tasks are pleasant. Identify and do the unpleasant ones quickly and as early in the day as possible.

Set a goal each day (or night)

Every morning you should decide what you want to accomplish that day. It can be even better if it is planned the night before. Once you have a sense of direction, you can spend all your focus getting things done.

Eliminate all the distractions

While you’re working, turn off the phone/cell phone, and don’t check your mail. If necessary hang a sign that says, “Do not disturb”. You don’t have to necessarily do this for all your tasks, but at least do it during the more important items.

Increase your speed

This might sound like a cliche, but this can really help. Try doing everything a bit faster. Walk faster, talk faster, type faster, and read faster. There is always scope of improvement.

Set a deadline

Having a specific deadline will really help to focus your time and energy. If a task doesn’t feel necessary or important, chances are that it won’t get done.

Batch similar tasks together

Do all your emailing at one time. Make all your phone calls at another. Open your snail mail during a set block of time. You’ll waste less time by doing your work in this fashion.

Set a timer

Even if a task might take hours, starting will seem easier if you simply give yourself 30 minutes to get as much done as you can. A time limit seems to help many people concentrate and work better too.

Set targets

For example, if you have to make cold-calls for your sales job, tell yourself that you’re not getting up for any reason until you’ve made at least 100 calls. Regardless of what happens, refuse to stop until you hit your target.

Use the Pareto principle

This principle states that 20% of the actions you could take will provide you with 80% of the benefits. So focus on the tasks that will accomplish the most. Unfortunately these are frequently the tasks that are not enjoyable. You might be surprised how little you really have to do if you focus on the critical 20%.

Delegate some of your work

Is there anyone else who can help you? The people around you are resources. When appropriate, use their time and talents wisely to get things done more quickly.