Are you waking up early, eating healthy, exercising, and still finding your running to-do list is running away from you? Perhaps you’re organized but need a small motivational boost to overcome those daily productivity hurdles. If you’re looking to form some new habits and create a more productive work space, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few innovative tips for boosting your work productivity, whether you’re working from home or back at the office.
#1 - Turn Number One into Number Two
It’s always tempting to complete your most important, most grueling task first to “just get it out of the way.” However, this can actually hinder your productivity because you end up stalling as you dwell on how much effort is required and how many smaller or less important tasks are piling up while you work. Instead, flip your to-do list inside out and start the day with something small and fun as well as getting those quick little tasks out of the way. This way, you can cross a few items off your list right away and feel like you’ve achieved something early on in the day, motivating you to keep up the momentum for those more arduous demands.
#2 - Abandon Your Productivity Apps
How many productivity apps do you have on your phone right now? When was the last time they really helped you improve your productivity? Realistically, these apps hinder your productivity because they take time away from completing real work while emulating the feeling of productivity without actually achieving it. In fact, they are more of a distraction than anything else.
Do yourself a favor and trade your apps back for a good old-fashioned Google Doc or basic desktop program like Evernote. Not only will this become a one-stop shop for everything you need to get done but it will also ensure your to-do list is synchronized and available to you on all of your devices. Remember that a constructive attitude is more powerful than any computer or mobile application when it comes to creating a productive work space.
#3 - Get Out of Your Inbox
Following the same logic as #2, constantly checking your email can also give you a false sense of being productive when, in fact, the endless back-and-forth repeatedly pulls your attention away from the task at hand. Instead, try checking your email at set intervals, or between large tasks. This way, you can complete any small tasks that have arrived in your inbox right away (avoiding the deferral game and temptation to multitask) and add the larger tasks to your to-do list in priority sequence.
#4 - Prioritize and Do It Now
You should update your to-do list one to three times a day at the most (with the exception of crossing items off). Decide on set intervals for doing this. When you do sit down to update your list, highlight priority items in one color and minor items in another color. If you have time, you should always cross off as many of those small items as possible while you are building your list. Letting secondary items pile up can make you feel overwhelmed and hinder your productivity when each might only take a few minutes to complete. Resist the urge to defer miniscule tasks and do them first, then tackle the more time-consuming items on your list.
If you are concerned about forgetting tasks, keep a notepad by your desk and quickly jot down a reminder. You may find with this revised method that the item doesn’t even make it to your to-do list before it is completed.
#5 - Synthesize Your Workstation
Central to boosting productivity is a productive work space, but what does a productive work space really look like? Well, it starts by going big. Big screen, we mean. According to a recent study commissioned by Apple, a larger screen can boost your productivity by up to 74 percent. Other productivity boosters include a stereo system or headset for playing motivational music and adding a second or elongated monitor to your setup so you can move easily between windows and subtasks.
At BoxAV, we have just the solution. From the double monitor system central to the Home Office in a Box to the Executive Office in a Box’s 34" monitor that combines three screens into one, we’ve got you covered. Every box comes with a headset that will tune you out of the distractions and get you tuned into a space of optimal productivity faster than ever before.
Get in touch with us today to learn more or browse our full collection of offices in a box here.