The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that productivity in the workplace grew by 0.3% between 2011 and 2016. Technology and streamlining processes should have increased productivity rates well beyond the 0.3% rate.
So, what gives?
Workers are often swamped with work. And studies show that workers spend 13 hours per week on email. It’s a major problem that needs to be corrected. You can take steps to improve productivity in the workplace and for yourself, too.
How?
1. Time Your Tasks
Time is everything in the workplace. If you’re like most people, you do better when you’re against the clock than when you have all day to complete a task. There is that moment where you can stay focused and get work done.
Maybe it’s the feeling of urgency that pushes people to work faster.
But how do you replicate this feeling? Timing and limiting your time on a specific task seems to work very well for me. I recommend shedding some light on where the time is going. This can be done in a variety of ways:
- Time and log time for each task
- Use software to track time
Rescue Time is a great software package that you can install on your PC to help you track everything you do. When using this program, you’ll know how much time is spent on email, work-related material, social media and everything else.
2. End Multitasking Today
We live in a world of multitasking. Everyone is looking at their phones, checking email, working on projects and doing it all at once. How can you put all of your energy into your work when it’s spread across ten different tasks?
Multitasking will happen, but you need to limit it as much as you can.
If you have a tendency to try and do everything at once, the end result will be that you really don’t get much done. The problem is that multitasking has been proven to lead to lost time. Instead, it’s time to focus on just one task.
Putting all of your time and energy into a single task will boost your productivity.
Next time you need to do something important, sit down, write down how long the task should take, and eliminate all distractions. Put all of your energy and focus into this one task, and see how much more productive you’ll be.
3. Nutrition Can Help, Too
Your nutrition can have a major impact on productivity, too. I am a coffee junkie, but studies suggest that excessive caffeine consumption can lead to a person crashing. This doesn’t mean that moderate coffee consumption isn’t good – it is.
But then there’s also those mistakes that we all make during the day:
- Skipping breakfast
- Skipping lunch
- Carb loading during lunch
- Not drinking enough water
You’ll also have those times when the sugar cravings are so bad that you give in, and then all of a sudden, you’ll crash – quickly.
A steady, healthy diet can boost productivity. Remember to drink the daily recommended amount of water. Supplements can also be added into your diet to enhance your productivity.
- Sleep. If you’re not sleeping, you won’t be nearly as productive as you would be normally. GABA is a great supplement that will help you sleep better at night. GABA provides a calm before bed through neuro-inhibitory transmitters.
- Alertness. Lack of alertness is a productivity killer. L-Theanine is a natural compound that has been shown to enhance alertness without the jitters, shakes or anxiety that caffeine causes you to suffer from.
- Memory. Ginkgo biloba was used intensely in Chinese medicine. Researchers believe that this supplement was given to warriors to help increase their concentration, focus and memory. Ginkgo biloba has also shown potential in field of memory. This potential comes from ginkgo biloba’s ability to increase blood flow in the brain.
If you stay on top of your nutrition, you’ll be able to stay focused for longer and stay on task.
4. Take Appropriate Breaks
There is a stigma that breaks diminish productivity. While this may seem true on the outside, it’s really not the truth. When you’re stuck behind a desk or doing a task all day long, your brain wants something else to do.
It’s difficult to tame your brain and focus on just one task at a time.
Researchers recommend taking breaks if you want to boost your productivity. You can:
- Take exercise breaks. A study found that exercise breaks help enhance the blood in the brain and allows a person to focus on the task at hand. A walk or a session in the gym is recommended.
- Work in 90-minute intervals. If you work for 90 minutes and then take a break, you will enhance your productivity. This is the same routine that some of the world’s top athletes follow to stay productive.
Short breaks during the day have been shown to increase performance. Even if these breaks are 5 minutes long, they allow you to regain focus faster and be productive.
