10 Quick Tips to Increase Your Productivity Today

— by taylor (7 min read)

 

According to research, absences from work are increased due to high levels of stress for employees. The average sick days are 4.6 days per a year compared to 2.6 days for those who had low stress. Those who experienced more stress were 50% more unproductive than those with low stress. Don’t be part of the unproductive masses. Instead try these 10 ways to lower stress for you and your co-workers.

Get away from your desk

Whatever you do, learn to walk away from your desk once in awhile. Going for a walk has been shown to increase overall brain function by 4%. Performing at this rate allows you to focus and make better decisions. When a person is walking, it increases your creative output by 60%. Plus, there’s a practice called the 52-17 method where you work 52 minutes and take a break for 17 minutes which is thought to increase productivity overall.

Tweet This: Taking a walk increases creative output by 60%. Try these 10 productivity boosters at work:

 

Bonus: Use the 17 minutes to exercise. Take a walking meeting, grab a Fitdesk or simply climb the stairs in your building.

 

Surround yourself with productive people

Ever heard the phrase, “You become who you surround yourself with”? Well, who you surround yourself with at work is no different. Think of a few people whom you admire by their work and productivity and purposely be around them if you can help it, ask questions and start conversations. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself picking up those positive habits you desire for yourself.

 

Tweet This: In order to remain positive at work, sit near coworkers who emit positive energy, here’s why:

 

Bonus: Find and ask a person you admire to be your mentor. Be sure to give as much as you get in the relationship and you can even make it a reverse mentorship! Learn more about mentoring with these tips!

 

Create accountability

Thanks to Gallup, we’ve heard time and time again about the 31% of employees who are actually engaged at work. The good news is whether you are part of the 69% that aren’t productive or the 31% that are, but want to learn how to stay engaged, accountability can go a long way. A few tips for accountability are 1) giving someone permission to ask you what you’ve gotten done that day. Please be honest with them. 2) Have a performance management system that keeps track of performance goals and progress. 3) Set tangible goals for yourself and keep to it.

 

Tweet This: Take these 3 steps to managing your own performance:

 

Bonus: Plan your week out by the day on the Sunday night before work so you have daily duties to accomplish. This will not only help with stress management but you will have a clear focus for each and every day.

Decorating the office

Who said a little fun in the environment couldn’t help with productivity? Adding pops of colors or live plants in your office could be the very thing your office and staff are missing to give a little extra boost. Color plays a major effect on mood and productivity. A study from Texas A&M University found that plants increased workplace productivity and creative performance by up to 30%. Who would have thought?

 

Tweet This: Incorporate plants into your workplace to boost creativity and performance, like this:

 

Bonus: Can’t redecorate? Bring in a plant. Another study found that even adding some plants puts a dramatic effect on happiness and productivity by 15%.

 

Do 5 Things First

Sometimes it isn’t unusual to come into work and not even know where to start with all that needs to be done. Try out the 5 before 11 rule. Pick 5 things that if you finished them, you would feel productive and accomplished. Getting 5 tasks finished before lunch can set you up for an extremely productive and successful day.

Bonus: Do 5 things before you leave for the day too!

 

Listen to music

According to research, 70% of all office workers work in open office plans. It is shown that you lose more than 66% of your productivity through accidental noise in the office. Listening to music can help you focus and pay less attention to your coworkers chatting, phones ringing, etc.

 

Tweet This: The genre of music you listen to should be matched to your work environment, like this:

 

Bonus: Listening to classical music in a very detailed-oriented environment can increase accuracy by 12%!

 

Clear away distractions

The internet is the main productivity killer for 44% of people, however 52% complain that their cell phone is to blame for most of the distraction. A way to cure this may be an obvious one but doesn’t go left unsaid. Being disciplined with yourself and clearing away distractions will surely improve your work engagement!

Bonus: Download a productivity app that shuts off social networks or put your phone on Do Not Disturb.

 

Out of office habits affect in-office behaviors

What you do outside the office may be to blame what happens at the office every day. Poor diet and exercise may be the culprits to your productivity. Remember to meditate, exercise, eat right, sleep well and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Bonus: Even doing something as small as drinking a lot of water can increase productivity by 14%!

 

Naps

Remember how much you hated those naps you were forced to take as a child. Well, your mother was setting you up for a more productive lifestyle. Taking a nap improves alertness and focus. When NASA tested the napping of their pilots, they found the pilots who took a short 40-minute nap saw their productivity increase by 35%.

 

Tweet This: Should you be asking your boss for a nap break? Probably.

 

Bonus: Google headquarters knows what’s going on, they too saw the value of employees taking some Z’s and actually created “nap rooms”. No wonder they are so successful!

 

Are you even interested?

Are you even interested in what you are doing? Do you feel your job benefits help you? According to research, they found that perceived self-interest is the most important factor in predicting dedication and satisfaction. It accounts for about 75% of personal motivation and accomplishment.

Bonus: Uh hopefully a new gig?

No reason to be disengaged anymore at work, follow these 10 tips to be more productive and you’ll find yourself happier, more accomplished and maybe climbing that corporate ladder faster!

Looking for a long-term strategy to improve productivity? Invest in a performance management system to track and manage your entire team’s performance. We just so happen to be hosting a webcast this week to help you find the best one!

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