AdminThe average person spends almost 400 minutes daily scrolling through the internet. Most of the time is spent in an unproductive manner when they could be getting some vital work done.
It is easy to see why so many people struggle to concentrate on a specific topic. You’re only a fingertip away from accessing millions of sites or chatting with friends.
Maybe you lost focus on your work and stumbled across our guide on how to use your time wisely. If so, you are in luck. Below are some expert tips on how to maximize working time when you are at home or in your office!
Set Clear Goals and Prioritize Your Tasks
It is easier to motivate yourself when you have a goal to reach. However, it is vital to have clear ideas in mind. Otherwise, you may fall into the habit of taking shortcuts and not fully completing tasks.
For instance, your goal might be to write and edit 1000 words within the next 3 hours. Rather than continue writing from when you stopped last night.
To help you achieve your goals, you should prioritize your tasks. Make a to-do list, mention everything you need to compete in the future and break them into three groups.
The first should be urgent. Take care of these items before thinking about others or accepting new tasks.
Next are significant items that can wait until later in the day. Finally, inessential jobs are when you are not under time pressure to finish.
Create a Weekly Timetable
Create a weekly timetable to help you manage and stay on top of your goals. Research shows that around 7 out of 10 adults rely on a digital schedule for their day-to-day lives. But if you prefer, you can use a physical copy as your planning tool.
Your timetable should include your goals and your daily jobs. For each one, you must give it a specific time slot.
Breaks are also a critical factor to add to your schedule. If you don’t, you may get overwhelmed with work, which can easily lead to burnout.
Time management apps are a great way to help you stay organized and remind you of upcoming deadlines.
Minimize Your Distractions
In a world full of technology, it may seem challenging to minimize your distractions. But this is the most efficient way to be more productive within a work setting. Over time, you will adjust to this technique, and it will be second nature to you.
To do so, identify potential distractions in your work and take steps to minimize them.
Put your phone in silent mode. Or use apps to block social media and non-essential notifications during work hours.
If possible, try moving to a quiet area away from windows to stop your mind from wandering. Furthermore, creating a clutter-free workspace will help you focus on your tasks.
Experiment With Time Management Techniques
Experiment with various time management methods to find what works best for you. Some popular techniques include:
- Pomodoro Technique, which works for 25 minutes, then taking a 5-minute break
- Time Blocking allocates you specific periods for tasks
- Getting Things Done (GTD) method organizes tasks into actionable categories
- Deep work focuses solely on work tasks and has 0 tolerance for non-essential items
Arguably, the most popular technique is the 80/20, also known by many as the Pareto Analysis. Vilfredo Pareto coined the phrase, and he believes that you complete 80% of your work in only 20% of your day.
Next time you feel productive at work, note whether the tasks you finished were urgent, significant, or inessential.
Everyone’s mind works in different ways. Therefore, you must experiment to see which best suits you.
Avoid Multitasking
It is easy to think doing two duties at once will cut your time in half. However, experts have done lots of research to prove this is untrue.
Switching between two tasks will slow you down. Each time you bounce between two topics, your brain will reset. It will take longer to get back into full concentration mode.
Not only that, but it will affect the quality of your work and cause errors. In return, it can lead to an unhappy boss or disgruntled clients.
So, focus on one task at a time to enhance efficiency and the quality of your work. In addition, set time intervals for concentrated work and reward yourself with breaks.
Learn to Say No and Delegate
Many people in every walk of life struggle to say no, and you might as well. However, this cannot be the case when working at your desk.
If you don’t have the time to do a task, politely decline and explain your situation. This will help you reach the goals on your timetable and help you have a healthy work-life balance.
If you have several issues to accomplish at once, delegate the workload to others on your team. Not only does delegation free up your time, but it also empowers your colleagues by putting trust in them.
Stay Organized With Time Management
Once you put in all the hard work, you must remain organized and use your time wisely. Just because you put in the work in the past doesn’t mean it will stay the same in the future if you let the standard drop.
Don’t forget to keep your workspace tidy and use digital tools to organize files. Implement an efficient filing system that allows you to access information quickly. It should also reduce time wasted searching for essential materials.
A secret time management tip to increase productivity at work is to organize an email plan. In a fast-paced work setting, important details can get lost if not managed properly. Email management helps keep info and lets you refer to past conversations.
You Know How to Use Your Time Wisely
You are not the only person who struggles with productivity and time management at work. But if you’ve made it this far in our guide to being more productive, you know how to use your time wisely.
If you have a good memory, you will remember that the first step for working at your desk is setting goals and prioritizing tasks. Waste none of your valuable time and get on the right road for a productive workday!
Once finished, keep reading our blog to uncover more insider tips to make your life easier day by day!
