Ways to Improve Productivity

Simple Tips to Improve Productivity

Gone are the days when people were expected to ‘work hard’ and ‘put in the long hours’. We now live in a world that is fast paced and more efficient than ever, which prizes working smart.

There are countless ways to improve productivity at the workplace, even Apps to keep you focused and productive. So, there’s really no excuse for low productivity and if you want to really get ahead of the game, a good start would be to learn tools from an NLP for effectiveness course.

While most people frown upon stress, there is some goodness in it. Stress when used positively actually boosts productivity. We call this good stress.

Deadlines, targets and personal career goals have the ability to produce an adrenaline rush. This helps us complete tasks and achieve desired outcomes consistently and most of all, stay motivated at work.

When stress gets past manageable levels, we know it becomes counterproductive. Hence it is important to employ self-managements skills and observe levels of stress that you are able to manage, that keep you in the green zone.

One thing for sure, you wouldn’t want to be in a situation where too much stress impacts you to the point of causing low productivity. So, let’s look at how you could leverage ways to improve productivity and perform at an optimum level.

1. Use Technology, Don’t Abuse it
Technology itself is a good thing. It’s hard to imagine life without it, for it provides us with many ways to improve productivity. But technology can be a double-edged sword at the workplace, if abused.

It takes sheer willpower not to check your phone every five minutes or pick it up when there’s a notification. Turning “Notifications” off while you’re at a meeting or writing a proposal for instance, will keep you focused on the work at hand and help you achieve targets efficiently.

You probably already know that it’s absolutely unprofessional to be on social media during working hours, unless you are working in a field that requires its usage.

One of the best self-management skills to practise is being proactive rather than reactive. By having a regime of when to check messages, you avoid being a slave to your phone. People will call you if it’s really important.

Taking your mind outside the traditional box, an NLP for effectiveness course teaches technology of the mind, which when used well produces even more profound results.

2. Make Lists
Making lists of what you need to do saves memory cells. The objective is to save brain cells by not having to go through mental “to do lists”, a small tweak in self-management skills that saves precious time.

There is something to be said for writing things down. When I schedule an activity in my calendar, I do it. If I think about it in my mind, there’s a 50/50 chance that I will complete the task. Why?

Because I don’t forget when the activity is staring me in the face. While at it, I may also re-prioritise as the full to-do list gives me perspective.

Of course, accountability reigns supreme at the end of the day. What a great deal of satisfaction to cross out items as I complete them. I find this to be one of the more motivating ways to improve productivity.

3. Master Your Inbox
An Inbox with thousands of unread emails, with work and personal stuff is a nightmare. A tidy and streamlined Inbox on the other hand will help you stay motivated at work instead of feeling overwhelmed.

Using a separate email address for personal matters is highly recommended. Only subscribing to relevant newsletters or marketing promotions to keep my Inbox tightly managed, helps in the long run.

Further self-management skills like creating folders for different areas of work also help with being well organised and efficient, for the tasks ahead.

4. Utilise Time Efficiently
Productivity is directly linked to how you utilise time efficiently. It’s not only about time management but also about how you use the working hours available to you. You must master the fundamental self-management skills of accountability, initiative and time efficiency in order to be productive and successful.

Do you stay focused for the duration of a task and complete it? Are you allowing colleagues to distract you during working hours? Are you punctual in getting to the office or are you habitually late?

Do you try to do everything yourself or work as a team player? Do you take initiative or wait for instructions? These issues lead to lots of wasted time and are signs of poor self-management skills.

These problems are generally chronic in nature and hamper productivity. You could overhaul your mindset by learning NLP for effectiveness. It would help address these problems and discover more ways to improve productivity.

I have deliberately chosen these four ways as they don’t require any resources other than yourself. Having an innate desire to stay motivated at work will help apply these practices at work.

If you need a little boost to put them into practice, explore an NLP for effectiveness course that will accelerate the entire process internally for you.

For now just get the ball rolling and choose one of the tips I have recommended above. Practise it for a week and observe your progress. Once you have achieved mastery move to the next tip.

Before long you will be seeing results from implementing these simple tips to improve productivity!

Sylvia Fernandes is the Founder & CEO of VIA Frontiers. She is a Master Trainer of NLP who is specialised in corporate applications. She started her business in Sydney in 2002 and has been operating in the Asia Pacific Region ever since. She is currently based in Singapore. She is also the author of Bye Bye Black Cat -- Turn Your Luck Around and Realise Opportunities. Visit VIA Frontiers for more information.