We all have seen colleagues that came to the office just to be present on time. They lacked the energy, the focus and the will to get things done.
Many times this happens during the morning, however, it's not always the case. The escape to the casual days at work, towards the more productive, well-organized ones can be achieved following some simple tips and tricks constantly. These tips are easy to implement, they produce instant results and will increase the overall productivity in the company.
Struggling with a project, or with some tasks that you can't advance, or you are waiting for some answer from a colleague that is out of the office, well, just check out these methods that we believe it will unlock new ways to get things done:
If you know what you will work on, you will most probably know where to start, what are the most important tasks, who can help and be able to allocate time towards the realization of these tasks.
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” —Earl Nightingale
There are several experts on productivity that mention that you should start with the most difficult goal of the day because your energy, your willpower, your creativity is at the peak in the morning and it flows away during the day. And if you start with the small tasks and then towards the end of the day you would like to approach a challenging task, then you will not have enough concentration power and you will spend more time just trying to reflect on how to tackle the problem.
Nevertheless, there are great apps these days that will help you to set up daily tasks, create daily routines through reminders for mornings or evenings, you can get notifications and notification regarding at a specific time and date. And if you're constantly following the goals not only for one week or one month but for years, amazing things will happen.
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” Steve Jobs, commencement address he gave at Stanford back in 2005.
Time is the most precious resource that we have. Time spent can't be taken back. If your employees are accountable for the way time is used, then productivity will be also increased. Valuing time well will help to get more things done and resist the urge of getting distracted by social media, a must-see clip, or constantly checking the email every 5 minutes. Having training on time management, prioritization, hitting deadlines, could be a solution as well. If you're a manager and you see that a team member is constantly hitting the targets, and understand the importance of time tracking, for sure it needs to be rewarded.
Note: Time tracking apps reiterate the importance of the job, and are indispensable as payroll or accounting or project management.
Moreover, studies point out that business leaders lose momentum if poor performers can continue without repercussion. And this is harming the overall organizational culture and growth of the business.
Meetings are important. Updating the status with the team, getting feedback, brainstorming on new ideas, learning where things are stuck or planning the week are important aspects. However, when the topic at hand is not that important and when you don't have a large team, maybe it would be more efficient just to send an email with all the details, and postpone the meeting for the next week. Additionally, if it only between two team members, you can go for a walk one-on-one meeting. Lastly, we believe that it is important to have days without no meetings and phone-calls, take for example Asana.
You might work on a very challenging project, and you need full attention on this for a very long period to get it right. In the office, although you are around smart and clever colleagues and there is a very social and vibrant atmosphere, many times you will feel that the workday is ending and you haven't got finished anything. Meetings, phone calls, casual interactions and chit-chat, small non-urgent questions from your colleagues can turn upside down your ambitions for the day.
Most of the times it's possible to ask your manager to work from home during a morning or a full day, to be able to advance with the important projects, a valuable customer engagement or analysis that requires a long periods of uninterrupted time.
Note: Working at home can be distractive as well. TV, partners, household churns. This is why an office in a co-working space might be a good option to save you from distractions.
You can look at how inventor Benjamin Franklin was planning his day and learn a lot from his practice. Since each one of us has one smartphone and several other gadgets such a list can be digitized and implemented very well into a calendar app.
“Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject.” Thomas Mann.
Crafting routines in your business that keep your employees productive will result in numerous benefits: accelerated execution, more energy, higher morale, better concentration, lower employee turnover, and more creativity and innovation. Shifting towards a productive work environment can't be implemented overnight. It requires a strategic culture change within your team or department. As a leader, managers or even employee will find that by implementing such tips or business policies you will feel that the effort was worthy.