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What is Productivity?
Let's talk about productivity. Productivity is a measure of a person's efficiency in completing a task. We frequently believe that productivity is getting more things done each day. Wrong. Productivity is the constant completion of vital tasks. Being productive entails keeping a constant, average speed on a few things rather than going full throttle on everything.
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How to Increase Your Productivity at Work?
Tip 1: Make a To-do list
Having a list of tasks you need to get done allows you to prepare, plan and allot time accordingly. You can use an old-school notepad to maintain this list or utilize technology and digital apps to track your list. Such lists also allow you to have a better look at the priority tasks and prevent anything significant from being missed out.
Tip 2: Deal with one task at a time
While the appeal to tackle more than one task at a time is high, and it may even give the impression of getting a lot done, chances are with divided attention, you will not be able to get done with a lot. It is better to direct all your focus on a single task at a time and produce quality output with higher accuracy.
Tip 3: Implementing the Pomodoro technique
Taking breaks allows you to revitalize and boosts attention which is why the 'Pomodoro' is an effective time management strategy. According to this technique, you must work for twenty-five minutes followed by a five-minute break, and then get back to work for another twenty-five minutes and repeat the cycle. Once you have repeated the cycle a few times, take a slightly longer break. This method is useful for when you have to work long shifts and prevent the mundanity of work from getting to you while overall improving productivity at work.
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Tip 4: Delegate tasks
Task delegation can help you effectively achieve your goals by enhancing teamwork and distributing workload efficiently. This allows everyone to contribute with what they can while preventing one person from being overwhelmed. It also allows everyone to focus on their part of the job and work towards achieving it.
Tip 5: Start off with the most difficult tasks first
Our alertness and energy levels are at their peak right at the start of work. It is essential to use this piece of knowledge to our advantage and get the most complex and hardest part of the work out of the way first. All other more manageable tasks that do not require a lot of cognition can be finished afterward.
Tip 6: Set a time frame for each task
A breakdown of all the work into smaller tasks and a clear timeline set out for each task that needs to be done encourages you to finish off tasks within the stipulated timeframe for each task. Deadlines result in you getting the work done anyway and coming around with any distractions that may otherwise slow down your speed.
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Tip 7: Remove distractions
If you are looking to get work down and make the most of your time, then being organized is the key. It is cardinal to have a conducive work environment that augments one's concentration level. Removal of clutter around the workstation is one way of achieving a clear headspace by lessening anxiety and letting your brain focus on what's necessary. Creating a peaceful surrounding is also important, and you can use noise-canceling headphones to avoid distracting sounds and help you think clearly.
Tip 8: Social Media break
Another important distraction is social media; putting away your phone for a short period of time in between work and then rewarding yourself with a snack break or social media time can be one of the ways you can achieve full concentration while you're working. You can consider turning off notifications or entirely removing certain social media apps when you are working on an important project or task.
Tip 9: Meditation
This is a way to enhance concentration and be present-minded. Guided meditation can help reduce brain fog, help you achieve clarity of thought, and prevent mind-wandering during work, thereby saving time. Over time it can increase your brain power and memory and train your brain to achieve greater focus.
Tip 10: The Two-minute rule
Getting the smaller tasks done boosts your motivation. Therefore it is encouraged that smaller tasks which may ideally take less than two minutes, such as a document submission, quick emails, etc. must be put out of the way first so you can direct the rest of your attention all to the bigger tasks after them.
6 Apps to Improve Your Work Space Productivity
Agenda - Flexible Note Taking
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| Agenda App UI |
Agenda is a fresh take on your conventional notes app. Available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac systems, this app can help you to improve productivity at work by allowing for smooth planning and documentation of projects. In contrast to other apps, Agenda offers you a simultaneous view of the past, present, and future activities, allowing for a holistic approach to your projects and letting you track progress throughout. This app is ideal for people from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions, from business managers to bloggers. It can assist everyone in tracking projects. The app comes with search features to allow for easy location of project notes as well as features to style the documents. It is free, while some premium features may be purchased.
MindNode - Mind Map & Outline
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| MindNode |
MindNode, an app available for Mac and iOS, serves as a tool to assist you in brainstorming ideas and producing mind maps. It lets you break down a complex idea into smaller, organized bits. As a user, you get to add context by means of visual tags and can highlight an idea related to a bigger project to attain focus. This app also lets you sync your shopping lists, deadlines, and other plans with the apple reminders app and keeps you on track when completing tasks.
Ulysses - Writing App
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| Ulysses Screens on devices |
Ulysses is a writing app available for Mac and iOS which makes writing tasks easy for you. It comes with a built-in proofreader making it convenient to edit documents. The app has an effective document management scheme, with all your documents being stored in a unified library and available at all times. It also offers a flexible interface whereby all file formats are available such as PDF, HTML, Word document, or e-book. This app requires a subscription and offers both monthly and annual subscription plans with special discounts for students.
Bgeraser - Automatic Image Editing
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Bgeraser is an online photo editing app for image post-processing. It can remove any undesired elements in a picture, which is best for those who want to make their pictures look better in a faster and easier way. It can help you get rid of some boring editing tasks, such as image background removal, unwanted object removal, and text watermark deletion. Compared with Photoshop or some other comprehensive programs, Bgeraser does not require any editing skills. What’s more, it is free to use! If you are looking for a tool to free your hands from repetitive and boring image editing activity, give it a try.
Forest - Focus on Your Tasks
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| Forest Illustration |
If you are someone who spends too much time on your phone and has a hard time focusing on the task at hand, then Forest is the app for you. This app helps you save time by stopping you from picking up your phone too often, and it achieves this by crediting some amount to your account for the time you stay away from your phone. The real catch is here: the credited amount is then used to plant bushes and trees, which acts as a strong motivation for you not to use your phone too much and collect enough credit in your account to be able to do that. Over time you can unlock achievements and attain extra rewards as well.
Flora - Track Your Habits
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| Flora App Illustration |
Flora is another habit-tracking app that assists you in staying away from your phone by rewarding you with credit for the time spent away from the phone and then using that credit to plant real treats around the globe. It keeps the temptation to check your phone while growing a tree on the app using the threat of killing the tree while regarding you with new trees if you successfully complete your target time. You can also use this app with your friends and be productive together.
Why High Productivity is Important for Us?
Enhanced competitiveness
Higher productivity will result in producing better quality service, which will help you stand out in your customer's eyes and be at the top of their mind as compared to other services,
Increased Engagement
With higher productivity, you are more willing to participate in workplace discussions and activities, keeping you at the forefront of business. An engaged employee can attract more business to the firm as well as keep them motivated to excel in their work.
Higher profitability for the organization
High productivity allows the firm to reap the full benefits of the investment it made into an employee in terms of salary, training, and other fringe benefits. It also drives higher work performance and sales for the company translating into a healthy bottom line for the company.
A positive work culture
Productive employees create a culture conducive to personal and professional growth. They engage more, are more coordinated, and are willing to work towards the organization's success.
Personal satisfaction
At an individual level, productivity brings about a sense of fulfillment in a person when they know they are achieving their true potential. High productivity at work can boost your morale and contribute to a positive self-image.
The Bottom Line
Productivity management is essential for an individual or a business's success. Smoothing out your productivity path can yield immense personal and professional. High productivity can drive your goal attainment, attract better professional opportunities, encourage career development and personal growth, and bring about a sense of fulfillment to one's life. You can improve workspace productivity by using conventional or non-conventional means as long as they work for you and help you achieve your true potential.
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