V7.40: New Quarter, New Productivity Tips

With a new quarter starting today, we thought it’d be a good idea to start it off on a good note. Let’s talk about some tips on maximizing productivity and being the ultimate team player.

We loved this article on Entrepreneur.com with 9 ways to boost your productivity. Not only does it contain great ideas, but it helps put success in perspective. Success doesn’t happen to us, it is something we work incredibly hard towards. Let’s dive into those steps, shall we?

1. “Track your time.” If your manager is a good leader, they won’t be micromanaging you all day. That means that they’re not standing over your shoulder, watching your activity. This is obviously a good thing, but that means they don’t know what you’re doing all day. Most likely, your company has some kind of time carding system. Make sure to be accurate with it and log the time you’re spending on various activities. If your company doesn’t have a dedicated resource, you can find online tools that do the same thing. The most important piece of this is to hold yourself accountable. 
2. “Say yes to ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode.” This is such a great feature on a phone. Yes, it’s mainly used for cutting through the noise when you’re trying to sleep, but it helps immensely at work too. I often forget to turn DND mode off in the morning and I’ll go HOURS at work before I even think of my phone again. It helps with focusing since it takes away the distraction. Productivity and efficiency come when the temptation to check your phone/ respond to messages is removed. 
3. “Give yourself a break.” Everyone needs a break sometimes. Trying to get through the whole day without leaving your desk is practically impossible. You will be much more productive throughout the day if you take a few schedule breaks. I’m talking a nice walk outside or a coffee run. It clears your head and helps you refocus your efforts when it matters. 
4. “Say no to pointless meetings.” Don’t waste your time in meetings that don’t actually require your presence. Of course, you don’t always get to control that, but take the time to build out or read the agenda. If your portion could be covered in an email or if you don’t even have a portion, maybe your time is better spent elsewhere. 
5. “Let others help you.” It is even harder accepting help than one would think. Trust me, I know, but delegation can go a long way. When trying to be uber productive, you might actually take on more than you can handle. That’s not to say you’re not doing great work, it just means that it’s okay to let others help/share the workload. Don’t feel like you have to do it all yourself to prove your worth. Trust your team. 
6. “Focus on the necessities.” Sometimes when you’re too deep in the productivity whole, you start spending your time on small tasks that don’t really matter. Maybe you spend 45 minutes writing an email. Try not to get in your own way. Take time to prioritize and focus on what you really need to get done. Get the mission critical projects out of the way and then you can work through the smaller ones. 
7. “Step away from your desk.” I’ll say it once more with feeling: you need to take time away from your desk. It can be a walk, like we mentioned earlier, or it can be changing your scenery. Make you work remotely for the day. It can get you out of your regularly scheduled work humdrum and help your productivity soar. 
8. “Force optimism so you don’t get overwhelmed.” Rough days happen. That’s inevitable. The way you react will ultimately help you through it. Staying positive in the face of a large workload will help you get it done more effectively and more efficiently. 
9. “Capitalize on your critical hours.” We all know we have times in the day we’re more alert and focused. Spend those hours working on your harder, more demanding tasks.

Seems simple enough, right? Just a few tips and tricks to be more productive and to help be the best teammate you can be. Let us know how they work out for you!