Do you struggle to finish your daily tasks at work?
Maybe you’re overwhelmed with the amount of tasks you have to do. Maybe you only like doing the tasks you enjoy! Being productive at work is vital. It keeps your boss happy, and it prevents tasks rolling into the following day’s/week’s work.
And, we totally understand that it can sometimes be hard to remain motivated at work. So today, we’ve decided to talk about our top three things that will make you more productive at work.
NUMBER ONE: ADOPT THE FIVE MINUTE RULE
This is not a new concept. Based on an idea in the book ‘Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity‘ by David Allen, the Five Minute Rule has been adapted from Allen’s Two Minute Rule. Simply, if a task will take you less than five minutes to complete, do it now. If it will take less than five minutes, it doesn’t need to go on a to-do list. If there’s an email you need to send or a phone call you need to make, do it, instead of putting it on your to do list. It sounds simple and obvious, but try it for a couple of days and you’ll see what a difference it makes. Little tasks at work like printing something, mailing something or making a call can mount up. Get them out of the way with the five minute rule!
NUMBER TWO: THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE
The Pomodoro Technique ensures you are able focus on tasks and tackle them in manageable chunks. With the Pomodoro Technique, you set a timer – ideally 25/30 minutes – and for that period of time, you focus on only ONE task. After the 25 minutes have passed, you take a 5 minute break away from the task. This method of interval tasking ensures distractions are limited and makes tasks more manageable. If you find it hard to concentrate, this is definitely one to try. Make sure you consider your break times at work when planning on using the Pomodoro technique! Try and work your day around your 25/30 minute chunks and see a difference in the levels of your productivity.
NUMBER THREE: ASK FOR HELP
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask for help. Your work might be piling up, while your colleagues might be slipping off for an extra tea break here or there because they’ve finished their tasks. Ask for help so that you can get through the work together, don’t ask for help so that you can land the jobs you don’t want to do on to others. If this is a continuous problem, speak to your manager and discuss your work load. If your workload is too vast, it is no wonder that you are feeling unproductive.
What do you do at work if you’re feeling like you’re not being productive? Have you got any top tips you can share with our readers? Let us know!
