There’s nothing worse than having a super busy week at work but feeling like you got nothing actually done.
As workloads seem to only increase it’s never been more important to make sure you have the most productive week possible. Because there’s no better feeling than walking out the door on a Friday feeling like you’ve actually accomplished stuff, right?
I spoke with whimn about the key things you can do to maximise your productivity – you can read my 5 tips here.
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There’s nothing worse than having a super busy week at work but feeling like you got nothing actually done.
As workloads seem to only increase it’s never been more important to make sure you have the most productive week possible. Because there’s no better feeling than walking out the door on a Friday feeling like you’ve actually accomplished stuff right?
Michelle Gibbings, managing director of Change Meridian, a consulting firm which specialises in helping workplaces get the best results, let whimn in on the key things you can do to achieve maximise your productivity.
Here are her tips.
1. Be structured
“Each day map out your day and you do it in time blocks,” Gibbings advises.
While she says this type of structure might make creative types run for the hills, they can still benefit from time blocking by dedicating set time to “free thinking” or creativity.
You can structure your day, dedicating 30 minutes or 45 minutes to each task but she says never allocate more than 60 minutes to one particular job.
“It [time blocking] forces you to actually get something done,” she explains saying that you can often get something finished quicker than you expected.
During that time block your phone should be off, along with emails, so that you are distraction free. But Gibbings says allocating a time block solely to dealing with emails is also important.
And the magic ingredient in all of this, tick off each task when you do it. “When you tick it off it releases dopamine in your brain and it gives you that feeling of accomplishment,” she says.
2. Choose the right tools
Ah, technology. We do love it but when it comes to work there’s a million different programs we can use with our colleagues. Evernote, Google Drive, Excel spreadsheets, the list is endless.
But Gibbings says to make sure they fit the purpose.
“Be clear about why you’re using it and what value it’s going to add otherwise it just becomes another thing that you need to do and maintain that doesn’t necessarily add any value to how productive you are.”
3. Be clear on delegation
When working in a team environment working together is crucial.
“What you want to be able to do is work out who is best equipped to do a particular task and so being really clear on roles and responsibilities and who needs to do what,” Gibbings said.
“Often when people are unproductive in a team environment it’s usually due to a lack of clarity around who needs to get what done by when.”
This she says is when certain tools, she mentions ones such as asana and trello, can come in handy to make a team progress plan. This way everyone can see exactly what they’re accountable for.
4. Get enough sleep
Yes we’ve all heard this one before but Gibbings said she really can’t stress the importance of being well rested.
“When you’re tired you just don’t function as effectively,” she says.
“I often say to people it’s the equivalent of turning up to work drunk…there’s a reason why they use sleep deprivation as form of torture.”
Everyone will have their own sleep needs and so if six hours is all you need to function well then make sure you aim for that every night. Have a regular bedtime and a regular rise and shine time – routine is key.
5. Organise your day according to key times
We’ve all been there. As the day drags on so too does our enthusiasm. Trying to finish that mammoth report at 4pm when our brain has well and truly left the building is torture.
“So do the really complex, thinking, creative and challenging tasks in the morning and do some of the easier tasks in the afternoon,” Gibbings says. Simple as that.
Now go out and smash it.