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Are you wondering how to be productive at work and finding it hard to focus? These are the tested and approved methods you need to know about.
When trying to figure out your own work routine that will get your energized and focused, there’s a lot of trial and error while researching the simple hacks that work for you. Luckily, I have compiled some of the scientifically proven methods that will help you develop your own strategies for how to be productive at work.
Whether you’re trying to stay focused when working from home or get more done in the office, these productivity hacks are guaranteed to help you see improvements in the workplace by teaching you how to work effectively and efficiently and how to increase productivity.
After learning these simple yet life-changing hacks on how to be productive at work, you’ll find your life and work to be not only more organized, but also more enjoyable.
This post is all about how to be productive at work and get more done.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
How to be Productive at Work:
1. Your day of work actually begins the night before.
Having a productive work day starts a whole 12 hours before you get to work. If you’re looking to optimize your focus and productivity, you have to get adequate sleep. Performing a night time routine can often help you quickly fall asleep, like doing a skin care regimen, reading a book, and not looking at technology after around 8 or 9 PM.
If you find it hard to sleep, I recommend this White Noise Machine. This tiny speaker is small enough to fit in your palm so you can bring it anywhere, but with 32 levels of volume, you can block out any noisy neighbors or family members who are still awake while you’re trying to sleep.
2. Wake up on the right side of the bed.
Just as important as tending to your night time routine, your morning often dictates how the rest of your day will follow (Just compare how you feel on days you were rushing around to those relaxed mornings where everything fell into place). Like many overlooked productivity habits, just a few tweaks to something seemingly not related to work can make the world of a difference.
Give yourself more time than you need and wake up at a time that gives you ample time to do everything you need to do before committing to work. Waking up can actually be pleasant when you’ve had sufficient rest! However, if that’s not an option, try this Sunrise Alarm Clock that will gently wake you up by producing a soft light that will fade in for 30 minutes leading up to your wake up time — and say goodbye to jarring phone alarms!
3. Make everything you do as convenient as possible.
Go through a day of work and figure out the biggest time and energy killers in your day. Maybe you’re driving to the gym when you already have what you need to workout at home, or maybe you’re spreading yourself too thin and are unable to focus on one particular thing.
Assess your daily tasks and see what can be changed to make it more convenient for you so you’ll have more time and energy left to focus on what matters. Even something as small as continuously heating up your coffee can throw you off track. Optimize your mornings with this Ember Temperature Control Coffee Mug that doesn’t let your coffee get cold and will allow you to use every bit of your morning.
4. Don’t waste time planning…kind of.
This might sound counterintuitive, but there is a such thing as planning too much. Don’t get caught up in the endless loop of thinking ahead when you haven’t delegated any time to getting things done right now. Often times, we know what we need to do and end up using planning as a form of procrastination.
Get down to business by taking no more than 5 minutes to jot down your current tasks. This can serve as a quick reminder and give you some tangible goals. You might even want to try incorporating this into your night routine to help you feel prepared for the next day and fall asleep easier.
Going non-digital with this list can help eliminate distractions, like this Daily Tear-Off Planner Notepad. If you prefer to see your whole week at a glance, try this Weekly Planner Pad.
5. Attack your tasks with a completion time in mind.
Aimlessly doing work with no specific goals in mind can quickly kill your productivity. After deciding what you’re going to do in the point above, give yourself an allotted amount of time to complete the task and move on to the next one. Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion,” so use this to your advantage by adding completion times to tasks that might not have them (You will especially find this law to be true on a day where you need to finish work early and miraculously, you’ve somehow finished much more with significantly less time!).
As always, going non-digital wherever you can eliminates minutes worth of distractions that quickly add up. Try these cute and aesthetically pleasing Cube Timer that are so easy to use and allow you to choose times from 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes.
6. Properly fuel your body throughout the day with food and water.
Never underestimate what improper fuel does to your ability to focus. Avoiding hunger and dehydration in the workplace is essential for not only staying sharp, but also staying enthusiastic and finding work more enjoyable.
To combat this, always keep healthy snacks around and drink more than enough water. Many professionals use a Water Bottle with Time Marker. This bottle has a sleek, frosted design that allows you to see your water level along with the current time of the day, keeping you on pace with staying hydrated.
7. Keep your work station clean and organized.
Now, don’t become obsessed with organization — The goal here is to be productive, after all. However, taking one day to focus on optimizing your work flow will work wonders for your future. Plus, who doesn’t get motivated when they see a clean and organized desk?
This can include digitally “cleaning” the files on your computer, or physically cleaning your workspace. The most important part of being organized is knowing exactly where everything is so you don’t have to waste time looking for it. Organize papers and miscellaneous items with a cute Rose Gold 4 Tier Desk Organizer and never lose a cable again with this Cable Organizer. Your future self will thank you!
8. Add in the little things that make your routine more enjoyable.
This might sound obvious, but try to do things you genuinely enjoy — or do things in a way that you makes you enjoy it more. If you’re not a fan of some of the methods listed here, then don’t do them. Only you know what is truly enjoyable for yourself and therefore easy to maintain as a productivity habit.
If you love the comfort of working from home, this Portable Lap Desk with Pillow Cushion makes it extremely convenient to work from anywhere in your house when you need a break from your desk. By spicing up your daily routine by moving to a new place, it can feel a lot more enjoyable on those days you just want to work from the couch — or your bed!
9. Have the future in mind, but don’t let it waste your time.
Whether it’s important dates for your work tasks or personal life, you will need to be aware of certain future events. Instead of wasting time filling out a giant, chunky planner, this sleek Perpetual Calendar makes it extremely easy to see every date at a glance with no fuss. Working professionals love this calendar because it’s extremely minimal and allows you to instantly see all of the information you need.
This post was all about how to be productive at work and get more done in the workplace.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.