Workplace Productivity Hacks

With the warmer weather upon us, it gets even more difficult to stay focused on the tasks at hand during the workday. Earlier in the year we had a few tips for springtime productivity that you are hopefully following already! But we wanted to explore specific hacks that'll help you stay focused when you're in the office, preventing you from getting burnt out or dissatisfied, no matter where you might be working or what your position in the company is.

taken from: TweakYourBiz

Take time on Sunday to plan out the week.

You don't need to be an executive or manager to follow this advice. As CEO Jim Whitehurst explains, spending even 15 minutes organizing your thoughts, mapping major goals for the week, and laying out specific tasks can help eliminate major Monday morning stress. When everyone else is grumbling as they enter the office, you can get started on what you need to do and get ahead.

Throw in some before-work exercise.

While not everyone is a morning person, exercise in the morning is the best way to get energized. You'll burn more fat and use the calories that you eat for breakfast afterward more efficiently, ensuring you don't have a late morning slump. Better yet, you'll also have evenings after work to devote to leisure time with family and friends, creating the work/live separation that will prevent burn out.

Avoid unnecessary meetings.

As Forbes points out, time is your most valuable resource and you have to manage it appropriately. Major office meetings are a must, but avoid smaller meetings that might be less relevant to your schedule. If that's not possible, set aside just two days a week where you complete all less meetings you deeem less important. Working without having to start and stop throughout the day means you'll get through more of that to-do list.

Avoid multitasking at all costs.

Huffington Post has a list of 12 reasons not to do it. We won't go into all of the reasons, but let's just say that a number of scientific studies have shown you actually work more slowly when you multitask. Why is this? Because it takes your brain longer to restart and develop a rhythm as you switch between tasks. Instead of multitasking, spend an hour in the morning browsing through emails, then make outcalls, then focus on other projects at hand, and so on.

taken from: Cotropia Workshops

Ask for help when you need it.

This might seme like an obvious one, but it's something people often feel hesitant to do. Your coworkers will not think less of you if you admit you can't do something at work. We're often thrown difficult situations or clients we've never encountered before. By asking for help, you can better equip yourself to handle a problem, which means everyone in the office will benefit because of it.

These are just some of the suggestions we have to help aid in your productivity at work! Feel free to share any tips or hacks you use to stay focused and happy at work in the comments section below.