Tips To Increase Productivity And Efficiency

Tips To Increase Productivity And Efficiency

There are only so many hours in the day and we're all constantly looking for ways to be more productive. However with the constant bombardment of emails and notifications coming in at all times, it can sometimes feel impossible to get anything done. To effectively increase output without expending more time or energy, we want to work smarter, not harder. All it takes is some small steps to increase your efficiency levels and make life a little easier on yourself.

Make Lists
Compiling a list of the most important tasks to complete is an effective way to focus on what really matters. Many benefits come with having this type of structure in your life, including setting up your day for success, getting things done faster, and improving overall productivity. This allows you to prioritize the most important tasks so they can be completed in a timely manner and it also allows you to work at optimal levels since you're able to accomplish all that's necessary efficiently. Lists also help you to get organized which can be highly beneficial because since you can clearly lay out what needs to accomplished according to an order of importance.

Avoid Spam Calls
It's a good idea to avoid spam telephone calls at all costs. Spam calls are a menace and can be very disruptive to your day. Spam phone callers are becoming more and more advanced with their methods but there are ways to identify them as soon as they pop up on your phone. You can set up caller ID and call block for unknown numbers, report spam phone numbers and don't respond to any incoming calls from numbers that aren't familiar or seem suspicious or odd. This effort on your part should ensure that you save yourself from wasting time on unwanted calls. This handy article on reverse phone lookup will provide you with all the necessary information about suspicious callers so that you can block and report them as spam.

Eliminate Distractions
Distractions include the phone, email notifications, text messages and having multiple web browsers open on the desktop. The time you spend responding to these distractions are interruptions that take you away from your work which can lead to a decrease in your productivity. Try turning off your notifications for anything that isn't urgent during work hours and instead schedule an allotted time just for checking email and messages. 

Don't Multitask
If you think you can multitask, you should think again. While it may seem that the ability to multitask can be an important skill for increasing efficiency, the opposite may in fact be true. Research has shown that multitasking is not productive and attempting to do several tasks at once can actually result in lost time and productivity. For optimum productivity, it is best to focus on one task at a time before moving on to your next project.

Use The 80/20 Rule
Use the 80/20 rule to your advantage. Most people complete 80% of their work in 20% of their work day. This 20% of your time is considered your most efficient working hours, so use this method to ensure that you accomplish the most during these hours. As an example, let's say for one week, you worked from 9 AM until 5 PM every day and used a stopwatch or time tracker app to track how much time was spent on each task throughout the day. At the end of the week, tally up what percentage of all tasks were completed during which hours. If it turns out that eight out of ten tasks were completed between 10 AM-12 PM, then schedule your more important meetings during this time frame. Since you have an idea of when you're at your best, you can also use this time to complete your most challenging tasks. By using this method, you should be able to get more done in less time.

There are any number of different ways to increase your productivity. Productivity can be a complex process and there is no "one size fits all" approach. You should keep trying to see which one works best for you. If one strategy doesn't work after a few weeks or months, try another one. It could take some time to discover how you can become more productive each day, but it will be worth it once you do.

This is a contributed post.

1 comment

Jackie Harrison said...

I get a ridiculous amount of spam call and even though I block them also gotten apps it still has not stop.