getting things done Archives

Three Simple Ways to Increase Productivity

December 9, 2014January 13, 2015 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

As individuals, it is our responsibility to do a good job at work. Productivity is a big factor in who is selected for certain assignments as well as who gets promoted up the chain of command. This matters because most of us are looking for new challenges and indeed for more money and benefits. There are some ways to increase your personal productivity at work in a big way.

Prepare The Night Before

A big struggle for many is getting to work in a mood that is conducive to being productive. In a world where there is so much expected of us, getting enough sleep often gets pushed to the back burner. People like to believe that they can push off sleep and that it won’t have an impact on them. Those people are mistaken. Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to work success.

Schedule Yourself Appropriately

Most workers have the misguided notion that they can avoid planning out their days. They think that they can simply tackle tasks as they come along. This is a bad idea to have. Apcevent.com suggests to make “appointments” with your work. Block out time on your calendar daily to work on specific projects or assignments. Start with the end in mind. Once you know how long a task will take, work backwards from the end of your day to see where to best allocate time for that particular task. Set a time every week to stay on top of your documents’ organization, to clean out files and emails before your storage gets unmanageable.

The better categorized your day is, the more that you accomplish throughout the day. digital distraction interruption work productivity bridge between

Lower The Amount Of Interruptions

The number of interruptions that can face a worker are at an all time high. There are the co-workers popping in to say something, the e-mails flying in at a rapid pace, and the websites that are just begging you to take a look at a quick video or article. Minimizing these distractions is a key way to accomplish the things that you have set out for yourself.

Contact us to learn more about how to accomplish tasks you have set out for yourself through the day and increase your productivity at work. We’re curious…which type of interruption at your work is hardest to avoid?

Five Tips to Take Your Productivity to the Next Level

October 3, 2014October 1, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

In life, you want every advantage you can get. One of those advantages comes from your personal level of productivity. These five tips will help you discover a new, higher level of productivity based on your values.

Always add value. Deciding what to do each day can be difficult, doubly so when there are more things to do. Start each day by thinking about which of your tasks adds value to your life and goals. If there is something on the list that doesn’t, cross it off and forget it.
Save your energy. Too often do people put too many tasks on their lists. Save your energy by putting only 3 to 5 things on your list and concentrating on getting those done. Concentrating on fewer tasks actually gives you the energy to see them through to the end.
Do one more task for you. Who said life has to be all about work? After you get your few tasks done, add one more for yourself that aligns with your interests. If you’re doing it right, your interests will overlap your values and it won’t feel like work anyway.
Have a system. According to Natasha Vorompiova, a professional systematizer for corporates and individuals, creating a system for everything can make the difference between running in place and always moving forward. The reason why it works is because you can fall back on the system you’ve created when something inevitably comes up unexpectedly.
Embrace technology when needed. In today’s world technology is front, center, and often on the peripherals of everything we do. Why not make it easier on yourself by using technology which syncs your tasks from one platform to another? Startup entrepreneurs at Insanitek Research and Development highly recommend Zapier for it’s ability to cut across platforms to sync tasks no matter what you are doing.

Productivity should not be a word that saps your energy and creativity. It should be a word that makes you excited to get up in the morning to see what you can do. We can help you with that ➳ contact us. We’re listening!

Four Ways to Increase Your Productivity

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014 Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

Increase your productivity at the office with these easy tips for getting things done at work.

The Labor Department announced that U.S.productivity fell 1.7 percent for the first quarter of 2014, making it a current hot topic in business. While company-wide productivity takes time to see results, here are few things that you can start doing today to improve your own:

Make Lists

Too many ideas and and tasks that need to be completed consumes your thoughts and therefore reduces productivity. Keeping a tool close at hand to write down ideas or to-do list items helps your brain associate that the item has been acknowledged and provides focus. Mobile note-taking or list apps, Google reminders, a personal notebook or even a tried and true paper To-Do list will suffice. Find the method that works for you and watch as your productivity increases.

Prioritize

When confronted with a long to-do list or tackling a project, prioritize the tasks by putting them in order of importance. Remember the old saying that things that are urgent are not always important. Productivity is not just about getting lots of things done quickly. The tasks that are completed need to be important enough to move the task, project, or company ahead on a regular basis.

Delegate

Identify employees’ strengths and use those to your advantage. Assign tasks that others can accomplish more efficiently, as well as tasks that prevent you from focusing on more important things at hand. Delegating ensures that projects are being worked on and moved ahead on schedule, and allows employees to feel a sense of ownership over the success of the company.

Focus

Resist the urge to multi-task. Set a timer for a certain amount of time to work before checking email or making a phone call. These potential time suckers will steal your attention and reduce productivity while working. Hop off the hamster wheel and laser in on the task at hand.

What’s YOUR go to method for tackling the to-do list? Please share in the comments!