Read emails after you go through your to-do list for the day
Make your to-do list document, or the app you keep your list in the first thing you open. Email is not to be looked at until the to-do list is reviewed and a plan is in place for what tasks you are tackling today! Tell yourself email can wait until you have a plan in place.
Get tough things checked off first
Move difficult conversations or complex tasks to the top of your to-do list. The energy and time you will free up by getting the task you dread the most done will make a huge difference to your day. Instead of constantly thinking you must get to that task, it will be done and you can move on to more rewarding projects.
Plan to discard unnecessary mail before bringing it to your desk
Use the mailroom or your kitchen as the place to read through postal mail. Open it and immediately toss out items you don’t need to take action on or aren’t relevant. Only take back to your desk items that need to be reviewed. If in doubt – toss it!
Put a post-it on your computer screen
Have a pad of post-it notes handy on your desk. Whenever you are interrupted or heading off to a meeting, write on the post-it note what you are working on. When you come back to your desk you will immediately see what you are working on and can get back to the task at hand.
Commit to end one-hour meetings early
Suggest to all attendees that the meeting finishes 10 minutes early. For the competitive meeting go-ers suggest setting a timer with a goal to complete all agenda items before the timer goes off. Having the focus of getting more done in less time will keep the meeting on track.
Start with water not coffee in the morning
To be more productive you need to be alert. A sluggish mind will decrease your productivity. A simple fix is to get water into the body early in the morning. This will jolt the brain into action.
Check in with yourself
Set a timer to go off randomly throughout your day. When it goes off ask yourself, “Is this really a good use of my time?” Look at your to-do list and see if what you are working on is in alignment with what you need to get done today. Keep reminding yourself not to get distracted with busy work and come back to the task at hand.
Shut down programs you don’t need
Look at the software programs or apps you have opened. Are they needed for the task you are working on? Seek out the “X” on those programs on the top right-hand corner of your screen and shut them down. Less clutter on your desktop will add to your productivity.
Wear headphones
Get into the habit of putting your headphones on when you are at your desk. You can listen to soft music to lessen the office noise or your over-active mind. You can just have them on in silence. The added bonus is colleagues who see you with headphones on are less likely to interrupt you! There you have it: nine small changes to implement. They don’t have to be big sweeping modifications to get you achieving more. Small tweaks throughout your day can make a big difference at the end of the week with what you get done. Try it out and enjoy the feeling of ending the week knowing you were super productive!
