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How do you increase productivity at work?

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Justin’s Answer

I have found that the first step to increasing your productivity all begins with organization and planning. Once you have a mental map of your day and the objectives you need to achieve, it makes it possible to increase your (and members of your team) productivity. Some key points that can help you and the team you will manage:

-Keep a running list of the day's goals, mark them off as they are completed
-Know your work calendar and understand what meetings you have the next day(s)
-Plan ahead and block your calendar for personal work time around those future events
-Leave some space in your day/week for the unplanned meeting or training
-(This one is VERY Important) Excessive meetings, calls, and discussion will limit daily/weekly productivity - Do not be afraid to decline or reschedule non-essential meetings/calls. You won't be able to reschedule them all, but the key is to focus on your deliverable and ensure that your schedule accommodates what you need to achieve a high quality work product.

Once you have your work day planned out, it is about breaking large tasks into smaller tasks until completion. There is no one solution to the productivity question as there are an infinite number of factors that can hinder or support your efforts. The best possible solution is the one that works for you, and is repeatable. Over your career you will find that you've used several methods depending on the job, task, and work environment.


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Will’s Answer

Hi Quiana,

Here's my approach:

Steps:
1. Learn your business/work and digital/technology skills
2. Breakdown business processes into sub-processes
3. Evaluate the efforts of digitization and possible business value-added on each sub-process
4. Apply digital skills to automate the low-hanging fruit (low efforts and high business value-added sub-process) or at least partially
5. Repeat 1 - 4 with an infinite learning mindset

Outside the loop, you might also want to explore mature platform-level solutions to streamline your business processes. The gained experience from steps above will position you well in a business liaison role for high-profile digital transformation which is storming almost all industries.

Good luck!
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Sarah’s Answer

This is a great question especially if you are in a finance career path.

I have found that creating a to do list helps me with my production. I write down everything i need to get done for either the day or the week and then number them in the order of importance that I need to get them done in.

Also listening to music helps me keep my mind centered so that i can stay on task.

Just find things that help you concentrate and keep you on track
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Ross’s Answer

Do Your Heavy Lifting When You're at Your Best
Stop Multitasking
Prepare a To-Do List Each Night
Cut Down Your To-Do List
Delegate Properly
Eliminate Distractions
Plan Phone Calls
Break up Work Periods With Exercise
Be Optimistic
Get Enough Sleep
Take Care of Yourself

More info at https://www.thebalancesmb.com/top-ways-to-increase-productivity-2948669
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Iona’s Answer

Hi Quiana,

Being productive at work especially during the pandemic was initially very challenging for me and this is how I went about my day.
I spend 30-40 minutes planning my next day’s work before I sleep so that I don’t get overwhelmed with the next day's tasks.
During the early days of my career, I was introduced to a Matrix to categorize my day’s work which has been super helpful to me and I use it till date. It’s called the Urgent v/s Important matrix.
You draw a square on a sheet of paper and divide it into 4 pieces. The X-axis needs to have 2 fields called Urgent and Not urgent. The Y-axis has fields called Important and Not Important. Based on your tasks, you can just sort it accordingly and see which piece it fits.
The tasks that fall under the Important and Urgent quadrant, I do them immediately by setting the deadline. Then I move on to the not important and urgent quadrant and see if this is something that can be delegated or I’ll have to revisit this later. Then I move on to the next quadrant which is important but not urgent and get it resolved. I find it very rare that my tasks fall under the Not Important and Not Urgent quadrant(perhaps I’ll need to work on this!)
I follow the same matrix for my daily chores too. Other things that I personally found helpful were taking breaks frequently while working, staying hydrated, alternating 1-hour every day to exercising/hobbies, updating my skills relevant to my job by taking up courses, staying up to date on business updates.
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Gavin’s Answer

The key to productivity is prioritizing your workload. Planning your tasks based on their priority each day or each week will lead to increased productivity. Some helpful examples are:

- If you are having issues with managing your time and productivity a suggestion would be to classify your emails or tasks based on their priority so you can mange them in a more productive way. For example you could classify the tasks as "A", "B" or "C" tasks and give each a higher level of priority.

- Try not to get bogged down on one priority task if you are facing challenges. It is important to take a step back at times and just refresh. Maybe even go a tackle some of the smaller tasks while you think about what is needed for the more important tasks.

- It is also a good idea to ring fence your time. If you have deadlines coming up make sure to block book time in your calendar so you can focus and it will act as a reminder. Be selfish with your time and focus on priorities.

All in all, planning is key and it is a must when looking to increase productivity
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Emily’s Answer

Great question! Productivity and time management during the work day is super important. I would say having a physical planner where you are able to write out the main objectives for the day, or appointments/meetings occurring that day on top of using a virtual planner is something that has greatly benefited me. I find that planning my time out on paper and physically writing out my day, gives me a better idea of what my day looks like and what time I have within the day to focus on certain initiatives that might require more time. Planner's are just so useful, even after completing schooling - I can't recommend them enough! I would say also making a routine early on in your role is super helpful as well, since you become more comfortable in the role and know what to expect a bit more from your time each day.
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Jerome’s Answer

Lots of great tips and advice on this post already. Here are my thoughts:
Productivity starts with time management and organization
* Have a clear understanding of the various tasks that need to be completed, along with their respective deadlines. This will enable you to prioritize your responsibilities. I tend to tackle the most urgent/time-consuming tasks first.
*Establish a network of colleagues/peers across different areas of focus, so that you have resources to efficiently tackle projects that may fall outside of your immediate scope
*Create time in your schedule to think "big picture." To elaborate further, sometimes we can get so caught up in the small details and processes of a task that we forget to think about the purpose of whatever it is we are doing. Taking a step back to just think may open opportunities to reevaluate, adjust and find other ways to improve productivity
*During the pandemic, I've also found 5-minute breaks to be super helpful with my own productivity. Quick walks outside heave helped me to re-energize and prevent burnout.
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Gayatri’s Answer

Hi There!
Adopting simple practices and keeping things simple has helped me to improve my productivity at work. There are some great tips shared by our various friends on this post but I would like to share some of the common tips that helped me get through most of my work day productively and produce quality results:
1. Trust the small increments. You can’t expect to change years of working habits overnight. Small changes in how you work can gradually add up to big changes in productivity. Try one tip to start, and keep adding more as you find the strategies that work best for you.
2. Keeping a physical journal. Probably it is still me living in the pen and paper days but I love to check things off my journal once they are complete and that small happiness boosts my spirits to improve my productivity in a way.
3. Having sufficient sleep the night before. This is a no-brainer but a good sleep leads to a brilliant start of the day and nothing rocks like the beautiful start to the day
Take Short Breaks. Taking a short break during working hours increases focus and concentration. After taking a 10-minute break, you can resume your work with more energy and motivation.
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Retika’s Answer

We need to understand our organization and our role requirement in it.

Few points here :

Accept Changes
Learn to Delegate work
Appreciate people and learn from them
Teamwork is key skill.
Take breaks
Talk to people outside your department.
Set realistic goals
Ask questions and be a very patient listener.
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Swati’s Answer

Lots of great tips on this post already! Here is what I do to stay productive:
- Create a to-do list, everyday, by project. I also ensure that I understand the urgency of each task. Once the task is done, I mark is as complete and move on. It is very easy to forget small tasks, and even easier to forget what you did the previous day. These daily to-do lists have been very helpful for me.
- Track what my team is doing as well (as a manager this is important) so I can follow-up with them on status. This also helps me understand how much free time they have.
- Track any external/internal follow ups so I do not forget to schedule meetings or send emails.
- Block working time on my calendar, so I don't always have back-to-back calls
- Put my phone on Do not Disturb mode during the day, so I am not distracted by irrelevant notifications.
- Take frequent breaks to stretch and do something non-work related.
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Debbie’s Answer

There are only so many hours in a day. So when I need to increase productivity and there just isn't the time or additional resources to help I look at what I am already doing. I review all that I do (daily, weekly, monthly, etc) to figure out what is a "nice to have" versus what is a "need to have". For those that are a nice to have you then figure out which of those you can stop doing. It is just another way to prioritize and then something low ends up dropping off. Another approach I have is to review the time I put into something. There are times (with some tasks) that you don't want to let perfection get in the way of good enough. Meaning not everything has to be perfect. Accurate yes, but the amount of time spent making something perfect needs to be weighed out against the benefits of that item as well as that time use on another task.
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Bradley’s Answer

Hi Quiana,

This is a subject that every professional has dealt with throughout their career. I have found that setting goals both on a day to day basis, as well as a long term basis has helped productivity.

Also, trying to cut out any types of distractions during your designated working time. You should take a few minutes every hour to breathe and maybe talk to your coworkers. Other than that, it works best to be completely focused.

Hope this helps!
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Shanta’s Answer

Great question! Here are some of the ways I've noticed increased productivity:
- setting out a list or plan of certain tasks or items you want to achieve throughout the day. Keep it visible where you can glance throughout to see how you're tracking on achieving them. I love writing things in a notepad (oldschool) it gives more power to the words you've written yourself!
- take breaks in between meetings! (Some meetings could even be taken on a walk) to help clear your mind and leave you refreshed to tackle tasks afterwards
- Take a step back (ties in with the second) to tackle a problem with a new lens, sometimes focusing on one thing for too long can make you lose focus of something important. Try to switch in between tasks
- Ask for help when you need it! More hands/minds are better than one for more project-focused work.
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Kristina’s Answer

There are some great responses on this chain with many ideas. Although everyone is different, I hope you are able to find some tips and tricks through these responses that work for you. I figured I would add some input as well. For me, there are a few different focus areas that impact my productivity:

1) Organization - I keep a planner with detailed to-do lists. I make sure it is clear what I need to get done in a particular day, and what I want to get done if I have the time. I list out what meetings I have on my calendar and try to estimate when I will be able to work on each of my other tasks throughout the day. I like to plan this out ahead of time and build on it as items come up. I find it much easier to stay on task and meet my deadlines when I have them planned out like this.

2) Dealing with day-to-day changes - Throughout the day, it is normal for people to reach out asking you to do different things. You will also get emails that require your attention as well as meeting invitations. It is important to take a moment to prioritize once these come in. Sometimes they may be urgent, but many times they can wait until you finish what you are working on. I try to finish one project before moving on whenever possible, but it is important to communicate this. For example, if someone asks me to do something that is not particularly urgent I might tell them I am wrapping something up and will do it later that afternoon, or something along those lines. Jumping around from one thing to another can make it difficult to complete tasks in a timely manner. Therefore, I factor them into my planner based on urgency.

3) Taking breaks - It is important to factor breaks into your work day. For most people, productivity declines over time if you do not stop to take a break. Some people like to take fewer longer breaks, while others take more small breaks throughout the day. I like to get up and move a little every couple hours or if I find myself struggling to stay focused. It might be a short walk or just getting up to make a cup of coffee. Afterwards I notice my productivity drastically improves once I resume my work.
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Nick’s Answer

To echo what other's have said, organization is really one of the most important things. Trying to make sure that you tackle the most important problems first thing in the morning is also a really good strategy. A lot of ties if you let the big problem slip to later in the day, it will keep being delayed. Additionally, Don't worry if it takes some time. You become more productive the more experience you have and you are able to find what works for you.
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Brian’s Answer

Become extremely good at planning, organization, and time management. Write down the most important aspects of your job and break it down by level of importance. Block out part your day on your calendar and focus on only those tasks. Tasks that are not as important should try to be completed right before work or after or during down time in your day. Get comfortable using your calendar and blocking things off.
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