If there’s one performance metric that leaders and managers find most crucial, it’s productivity. With technology and the information highway in full use, there are no more excuses not to do more. In addition, competition is fierce, and companies need to level up in every aspect of the business.
Here are amazing productivity hacks that will surely help you reach your goals:
Stop Multitasking
It may seem that multitasking gets more done in shorter periods. On the contrary, it is counterproductive and may result in confusion and even more problems. Doing more than one task at a time or switching from one to another provides false efficiency.
According to Forbes, our brains are programmed to focus on one thing and one thing only. Our brains aren’t capable of performing two or more tasks without compromising quality. So, if you want to boost performance and its quality and efficiency, avoid multitasking at all costs. It will save you more time and energy in the long run.
Work in Short Spurts
Along with focusing on one thing only, the human mind can only concentrate on a task for a limited time. There is no determined length, but the bottom line is, people have shorter attention spans than before. Maintaining focus for a full hour may seem impossible as the mind can only focus on a task for 10 to 20 minutes.
In the late 80s, the Pomodoro Technique was developed and helped businesses boost productivity. This is a time management process that involves working for 25 minutes, followed by a five-minute break. This instills urgency making you work more efficiently using the minimum time allowance.
Take Breaks Often
As mentioned above, taking short breaks in regular intervals help with productivity. This gives everyone’s minds time to refresh and recover from the intensive focusing that they do. An effective way to do this is to free your mind from any mentally taxing task.
You will need to get off the grid as much as possible. Avoid turning to your smartphone on your breaks. Avoid doing anything that requires deep concentration, decision-making, or intense attention. Instead, do some stretching or yoga exercises, deep breathing, or anything that can get your mind and body rejuvenated.
Remove Notifications
Think of your computer or phone as a distraction that results in lessening your productivity. If you can, remove notifications that will fight for your attention when doing your work. These will easily tempt you to look at them, probably respond to them, and keep you off your track.
You can manually remove these notifications or use apps that can help you do it. Schedule a time during your work hours that the notifs are deactivated. Then you can get them to continue sending notifications once your work is done.
Use Less Technology
Being in this digitally dependent world, we tend to turn to apps, websites, and other forms of technology to help us get through a workday. And these tools surely help us get by, however, being entirely reliant on this technology can have a downside, too.
App overload is real and is becoming a struggle for those who have become dependent on them. Instead of making them more productive, the opposite has been seen in studies. In this situation, you can look into the apps you’re using and ditch those that aren’t doing you any good.
Final Thoughts
These productivity hacks do not end here. There are many more that you can do to boost your output. It’s just a matter of finding which one would suit you best. A little research will go a long way in finding the best ones for you. Check out our blog post about time management tips for more information!
