Have you ever felt unproductive at work? Even though you have tried to start on time and set a list of tasks that must be completed. However, at the end of working hours you still have a long to-do list.
Reported by Forbes, career expert, Ashley Stahl, revealed that the key to being productive at work is good time management. For example, knowing which jobs must be completed first and which can be done later. Apart from that, there are also other strategies to maximize your productivity, including:
Avoid Multitasking
The first strategy you can apply is to avoid multitasking, so you can only focus on one task at a time. At times you may be tempted to do several tasks at one time because they seem quite easy. However, this is actually inefficient.
Because, when you concentrate on more than one task at a time, you tend to spend a lot of time transitioning between tasks. This can also make the quality of your work low because your focus continues to be divided when doing it.
Focus on the Biggest Tasks First
When you first start a job, that's usually where you still have the most energy and the highest level of focus. Therefore, do the tasks with the biggest load first for that day. Only after that can you do other lighter tasks. If you do the opposite, it could be that when doing small tasks you will still think about bigger tasks so it will be difficult for you to focus.
Break Big Projects into Small Tasks
Having a big project might be overwhelming at first. For this reason, you need to break it down into several smaller tasks that you can complete every day. For example, when you are assigned to create a monthly magazine, you can divide each week into idea collection, coverage, processing and editing, and distribution. This way you will feel more productive and motivated to complete tasks optimally and on time.
Find Shortcuts for Frequently Repeated Tasks
If you have a task that is often repeated all the time, you need to create a shortcut or shortcut that can be completed more quickly. For example, if you have to send emails to several people every day, you can create contact groups in email. This way you don't need to type email names one by one anymore when you have to send them to many people or several groups.
Create a time limit for completing each task
Applying a time limit for completing each task can also help increase productivity. For example, if you work as a writer, you can allocate 30 minutes for researching ideas and creating a writing outline, then 3 hours for writing a short piece of writing, and 30 minutes for editing it. You can also apply this allocation to various other types of work,
Limit Unnecessary Interactions
Even though interacting with fellow co-workers or friends via social media is fun and can reduce stress, you need to limit it while working. Because if not, you could become distracted, disrupting your work and reducing your productivity.
You can manage this in various ways, such as using noise canceling headphones , logging out of social media temporarily, choosing a quiet place in the office, and much more.
Take Regular Breaks
Lastly and no less important is don't forget to always take regular breaks. You may have thought that working longer hours would get more work done. However, what is sometimes forgotten is that it will be difficult for someone to work well when they are tired.
Several studies show that taking regular breaks helps concentration and improves mood. Therefore, while working, allocate your time to take regular breaks, for example by taking a walk for five minutes or 15 minutes to enjoy coffee in the afternoon.
Those are seven strategies that you can apply to be more productive at work. When implementing these various strategies, the main key is consistency. Apart from that, continue to learn and develop your abilities so that your productivity also improves.