6 ways to boost your productivity at work

Do you want to boost your productivity at work? Increasing your productivity at work can result in achieving your KPI’s, improving outcomes for your clients and ultimately, can lead to getting that promotion you want. So here are six ways you can boost your productivity at work.

Set your priorities 

Prioritising your tasks is a great way to be productive. Determine what tasks need to be done first that allows you to complete other tasks. If certain tasks require more lead time or are reliant on the results of another task. Determining what ne

eds to be done first and setting them as priorities is key to a productive and effective outcome.

Some people say to do the most difficult task first and go from there. This method is great when you don't have to rely on any external factors to complete all your given tasks. However, when you need information from someone in order to complete a task and you know it's going to take some time to receive that information you should make that task a priority. That way, while you are waiting for that information you can move on to another task. Sometimes getting a few smaller tasks done first like sending off an email or making a phone call, will actually increase your productivity. 

Give yourself a deadline

Once you've prioritised your tasks you will want to give yourself a deadline. If you don't have a deadline you might drag the task or goal out way longer than it needs to be. Or you will put it off indefinitely. Remember to be realistic with the deadline. Determine exactly what needs to be done to achieve the task and set a realistic deadline from there. 

Focus on the outcome 

We've all made the mistake of getting caught up in the little tasks that don't contribute to our overall goal. The seemingly endless to-do list. Not having enough hours in the day. How can we overcome the tendency to procrastinate by working on things that aren't important? By focusing on your desired outcome. We often become so task driven that we forget how those tasks contribute to the overall outcome. Can you align each of your tasks on your to-do list with a clear outcome or goal? If you can’t then remove or delegate tasks that don’t align.  

Surround yourself with likeminded people

The people around you could be zapping your productivity. They can have a direct impact on your productivity. They may not even intentionally be trying to distract you but they just like to talk. Every office has one or more of them. If you want to be truly productive you need to surround yourselves with people who share the same values or at the very least support your overall goals. If you know a particular colleague of yours doesn't support your goals or zaps your productivity, try to limit your interactions with them. 

Remove distractions

Distraction is something we all face. Some include our phone, social media and emails. Working in an open-plan office can be a cause of distraction for some. Whatever the case, it is important to identify and overcome the source of distractions. Set time limits for when you will check social media, emails and other notifications. A great function I like to make use of is the do not disturb setting on my phone and computer. You can use it when blocking out specific time for deep work where you don't want to be disturbed. If you work in an open-plan office, invest in some noise-cancelling headphones to limit distraction.

Create accountability

If we aren't held accountable for a certain task we can feel unmotivated towards finishing the task or even starting in the first place. If we put the goal on the back burner it will inevitably end up staying there unless there is a strong motivator to bring it forward. Setting up some form of accountability is a great way to increase productivity.

Knowing that someone is going to check in with you to see if you have completed a certain task, provides great motivation to complete it. There are a few ways you can set up accountability, including getting a colleague or friend to hold you accountable toward a particular career goal. By far the best way to create accountability is to hire a coach. A coach is trained to help you get the results you want. They are objective and can identify things that you can’t see. The very things that might be stopping you from achieving your goals.

There you have it, six ways you can boost your productivity. If you would like help to apply these productivity methods in your career, feel free to reach out. I have helped many of my clients to become more productive and reach their goals.

I also have a FREE online course "Productivity for Success". Sign up here