How can I get more productive at work?

Productivity is essential, and it serves many purposes. Not only does being productive get the job done, but it can also boost your self-esteem and improve your work environment and atmosphere.  It is hard to be productive when there are multiple distractions around us or you lack the motivation to be effective. An excellent way to prevent those days where you don’t feel up to doing the job or completing the task is by changing your perspective and thinking about what you do daily. Being more organized and creating some structure may be something you need. 

Structure and organization can be beneficial.  It can decrease the likelihood of external noise and distraction.  It could eliminate unnecessary stress and anxiety and clear your mind so you can absorb information that you are required to take in and help you to maintain focus on the task at hand.  Here are some tips that can help with being productive and achieving your goals:

On being Productive and Achieving your Goals

1.     Create a list of daily tasks you would like to complete. These elements stress as you are not carrying it all in your head, trying to remember, and feeling overwhelmed by constantly thinking about everything you must do. It is out of your head, off the mind, on paper, and in front of you where you can actively see it.

2.     Stay committed and focused on completing only one task at a time. You’d be surprised at how accomplished you will feel by doing so.  After completing that task, check it off. When you look at you to do look and see how you are progressing, you can’t help but feel accomplished and motivated to make it to the end.

3.     Use mindfulness to notice the moment you find your mind wandering. Try 5, 4, 3,  2, 1, notice. This will help to bring your mind back in focus.

a.     Five: things you can see

b.     Four: things you can touch

c.     Three: things you can smell

d.     Two: things you can hear

e.     One: thing you can taste

     Don’t get distracted by the noise of external factors. Noise can be anything like:

a.     paying attention to what others are doing or saying – (use noise-canceling headphones)

b.     cluttered surrounding – (clean the area)

c.     disorganized atmosphere – (remove yourself)

4.     Don’t get stuck thinking too much about what should be done or what you need to do. Get out of your head and out of your way. Just do it.  Start. Once you get in the groove, you will find your flow.

5.     Stay in your lane. Your journey is yours. It was uniquely created just for you. Know your gifts, talents, and skill set. More importantly, know your limits.  Everything is not meant for you. You don’t have to say yes to everything, be a part of every activity, and be “in the know” all the time. It is okay to say no, create timelines and deadlines and stick to them. Taking on too much sometimes overwhelms us to the point of not being able to get anything done. Take what is yours and nothing else. You will know when the time is right to add more.

6.     Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. This is not a task of comparing. You do yourself a disservice when you look at what others have and compare it to yours. Always remember the race is not given to the swift nor the strong but to the one that endures until the end.

7.     Always remember there is progress in the process. Each step you take gets you closer to your goal, and you’ve made progress. Don’t minimize the crawl or take baby steps for granted. They are building blocks to strengthen you to walk.  Each phase in the process is necessary and brings you closer to accomplishing your task. Keep going; you are almost there.

8.     Always affirm yourself and believe in what you are doing. Start your day with an affirmation to get you motivated. Feed your mind with uplifting words, food for thought, and words of wisdom, and use positive self-talk throughout the day. Taking a strength-based approach to empower yourself to believe in yourself, no matter the task, mask you as a winner. If you don’t believe in you can, you won’t. But, if you think you can, you will.  Nothing will get in the way of you making it happen. The belief process starts with you.

9.     Faith plays a role in all of this. It is hard to achieve what you don’t believe. Faith believes in what you cannot see and hopes for evidence of the finished product. Believe in the outcome and stay in faith!

10.  Journaling works. Keep a good record of what you are doing, the good, the bad, and the indifferent. Writing out your thoughts and feelings helps to empty what you carry all day, and it serves as a way of processing what you’ve been thinking and problem-solving or coming to a resolution.  Also, the best thing about tracking and or journaling your process is that you get to visually see what you’ve achieved when you look back at where you started.

These non-traditional strategies are taken from the perspective of cognitive behavior and solution-focused thinking. I hope you find these tips to be helpful.