We all know about working days that don't turn out the way we expected. We get distracted, don't get enough done, focus on tasks that aren't important, etc. How can you take back control and become more productive and motivated?
A good way is these 10 simple behavior changes that we have collected from entrepreneurship expert Neal Jenson and The New York Times business theme on effective habits in the workplace:
Eat a healthy breakfast. You've obviously heard it a thousand times before, but there is something to the conversation. A healthy breakfast makes you productive and full of energy from the morning. Vary your diet and avoid eating the same thing for lunch every day. Taking care of yourself, your body and your brain gives you a lot of energy and focus during the day.
Start the day with a positive mindset. You can neither change the weather nor the traffic. You can only change your mood.
Happy employees are good employees. Make friends with your colleagues. You already spend most of your day with them, and this makes working life more valuable and increases motivation.
Therefore, also spend time on small talk in the office. It's not a waste of time, it's an investment in well-being. See the positive and valuable in your colleagues and they will respect you more.
Share the good experiences that happen to you. Get them told. Not only will it strengthen your social bonds, it will also force you to notice the positive moments. Smile and always be welcoming. It's contagious, and it will automatically lift your own mood.
Do one thing at a time. Multitasking three tasks at the same time means that none of them are solved effectively. Our brains simply have a natural limit to how many thoughts we can focus on at a time. Avoid mistakes and lapses in concentration by taking one thing at a time. It will also stimulate your creativity.
Whether it's social media, email, working with more than one screen or device, noise from the surroundings or the like. Go if necessary a small walk of five to ten minutes or work concentratedly in intervals of five to fifteen minutes at a time with a few minute break in between.
Avoid skipping actions by involving others in your obligations. It can be a boss or an employee. Maybe the responsibility should be accompanied by consequences and rewards, if that can motivate you.
To-do lists also help against skipping actions. Make e.g. a list before you go home from work, where you write down five goals you want to achieve the next day. In addition, have another list where you write down three personal goals you would like to achieve.
It could be buying a birthday present for your uncle or booking a train ticket for the weekend. Remember to only set realistic goals and avoid letting the list cover the whole week. It just risks making you stressed.
Make each goal concrete, clear and simple: Call the boss about project X, send an email to Y about a new customer, talk to the sales department about Z, etc. If the list becomes too imprecise, it will stress you more than help you. Keep the list short and to the point, and don't spend more than five minutes making it.
Organize your desk. There is no right way, but there are many small changes that can help you on your way to better concentration and motivation. In fact, the work desk can be decisive for whether you get more or less energy at work.
Keep an eye on whether the papers are piling up. Are they the same sheets that have been lying there untouched for a month? In that case, having them on the table is probably more overwhelming than helpful.
Keep the table as free as possible. Have any an inbox for new tasks and an outbox for those you've finished. You can advantageously end each working day by preparing the table for the next day. It gives more peace of mind when you show up to a structured table in the morning.
Technology can take up as much time as it saves you. If there's something you can't make work or understand, ask for help. Otherwise, a lot of time is wasted. In this connection, it is a clear advantage if the company has clear guidelines for use of technology and digital tools.
Your email is a typical time waster. Often the inbox becomes a skip action that robs concentration from more important tasks.
Turn off your email notifications if you are sitting with an important task that requires full concentration. Establish any fixed times when you check and answer emails. During that time, you only work with your emails. Organize your inbox by those that require a quick response and those that can wait.
You can install an app that blocks e.g. email notifications to reduce your stress level during the day and increase your concentration.
Some emails arouse an automatic reluctance in our brains, often because they require us to answer no or make a complicated decision. Therefore, we will easily avoid them. A good tip is to answer these emails with either a phone call or a physical meeting. Here you can explain yourself better without spending a lot of time formulating the perfect email.
Often it can help with a task if you don't work on it for some time. Standing up or walking around sends oxygen to the brain and gives you new energy and concentration. You can e.g. make it a routine to sit and work for twenty minutes, then stand up and work for ten minutes, then move for a few minutes.
This cycle keeps energy levels up. Use e.g. a stopwatch to remind you of the small necessary breaks between work intervals.
Few of our good ideas originate at the work table. Instead, they often come to us when we are doing something completely different. Running, driving, showering, eating lunch, etc.
Take breaks even if you are working on a big and important project. Without creativity and energy, the result will not be optimal. Breaks make you efficient! Disconnection, and even a short nap, gives the brain the opportunity to see new angles and contexts.
Be relaxed and de-stressed. Try to be aware of these things when you sit and work. It will reduce your stress level and increase the brain's ability to be efficient.
Business Backer has, based on research, created a list of tiny changes you might not have thought of that can improve your productivity. You can, for example:
It can take a long time to create new work habits, but small changes can lead to big results. Try yourself out and focus on the measures that work best for you. The most important thing is that you commit to the effort and can see the goal for yourself.
And remember that you are a human being just like everyone else; once in a while you will forget your actions or not have time to think about them, and that is perfectly fine.
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