Harness your productivity by taking note of these eight things:<\/p>\n
2. Take breaks.<\/strong> You know that ache that fills your brain when you\u2019ve been powering through tasks for several hours? This is due to your brain using up glucose. Too many people mistake this for a good feeling, rather than a signal to take a break. Go take a walk, grab something to eat, workout, or meditate \u2013 give your brain some resting time. Achieve more productivity during your workday by making a point to regularly clear your head. You\u2019ll come back recharged and ready to achieve greater efficiency.<\/p>\n 3. Follow the 80\/20 rule.<\/strong> Did you know that only 20 percent of what you do each day produces 80 percent of your results? Eliminate the things that don\u2019t matter during your workday: they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity. For example, on a project, systematically remove tasks until you end up with the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results.<\/p>\n 4. Start your day by focusing on yourself.<\/strong> If you begin your morning by checking your email, it allows others to dictate what you accomplish. Set yourself in the right direction by ignoring your emails and taking the morning to focus on yourself, eat a good breakfast, meditate, or read the news.<\/p>\n 5. Take on harder tasks earlier in the day.<\/strong> Knock out your most challenging work when your brain is most fresh. Save your busy work \u2013 if you have any \u2013 for when your afternoon slump rolls in.<\/p>\n 6. Pick up the phone. <\/strong>The digital world has created poor communication habits. Email is a productivity killer and usually a distraction from tasks that actually matter. For example, people often copy multiple people on emails to get it off their plate \u2013 don’t be a victim of this action. This distracts everyone else by creating noise against the tasks they\u2019re trying to accomplish and is a sign of laziness. If you receive an email where many people are CC’d, do everyone a favor by BCCing them on your reply. If your email chain goes beyond two replies, it\u2019s time to pick up the phone. Increase your productivity by scheduling a call.<\/p>\n 7. Create a system. <\/strong>If you know certain things are ruining your daily productivity, create a system for managing them. Do you check your emails throughout the day? Plan a morning, afternoon, and evening time slot for managing your email. Otherwise, you\u2019ll get distracted from accomplishing more important goals throughout the day.<\/p>\n 8. Don\u2019t confuse productivity with laziness.<\/strong> While no one likes admitting it, sheer laziness is the No. 1 contributor to lost productivity. In fact, a number of time-saving methods \u2013 take meetings and emails for example \u2013 are actually just ways to get out of doing real work. Place your focus on doing the things that matter most as efficiently and effectively as possible.<\/p>\n Remember, less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your secret to productive workdays?<\/p>\n