how to be more productive at work
Maximise your productivity at work by using these tips!
There are a bunch of platforms and apps out there that claim to help you be more productive at work. That’s really cute (and some of them are helpful) but without a productive and clear approach to your work (mindset, friends, mindset), those platforms will just become another thing you have to manage day to day. Cue work overwhelm!
We love working smarter, not harder. We’re in an era where being busy and “hustling” is celebrated - but just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you’re doing things well. Take some notes from our list below and start focusing on doing things well, instead of just trying to do a million things at once and being absolutely wiped at the end of the day.
You need a system for your task list
It’s not enough to just rock up to work and wait for people to tell you what to do each day - you need to create or maintain an organised task list. If there’s little to no structure around your role, take the initiative and set up a task list. There’s no magic system to manage your tasks, but the best task system is the one that works for you. Some people like oldschool workflow systems like pen and paper and a written to do list. Others love workflow apps on their computer or phone. Maybe for you it’s a whiteboard on your desk with tasks wiped off once complete. Perhaps your workplace has software running the show - get familiar. Whatever it is, know what kind of system helps your headspace and work energy.
Know your windows of brilliance
When do you work best during the day - morning, midday-ish, afternoons or night times? Tailor your work day to those times. Courtney from the m3 community said working between 7 - 11am is her sweet spot, as the office is quiet.
Likewise if you’re freshest at the beginning of the week, then see if there’s an option with your manager to work longer days from Monday to Wednesday, giving you half days on Thursdays and Fridays. Charlotte from the m3 community mentioned this works really well for her as she’s freshest at the beginning of the week and can clock off early on Fridays. Whatever you can arrange to suit your windows of genius, do it! If you’re unsure whether your manager will allow this, just ask them politely if it could be a possibility. Frame your decision with how much better you work at X time and see what they say.
Preserve and work with your energy credits
Working well isn’t just about the jobs you have to get done and ticking them off one by one - it’s also about managing your energy. A little while back on my millennial money, Glen James interviewed Vanessa Bennett from Next Evolution Performance all about the concept of energy credits, and how to maximise your energy and flow to perform better.
Here’s the concept: imagine you have 100 energy credits every day. Let’s say your job is depleting those energy credits every day, so come 5pm you’re depleted - no points from that initial 100 are left. Something has got to give with this, because you need energy credits to get home, cook dinner and spend time with your family or head out to do something for fun or your health. At this point finding a job that depletes you less could be the required outcome, or you need to find a solution to reduce the amount of energy it’s taking from you. Maybe you need a shift in your mindset, or a chat with your manager about your role and the energy it’s taking for you to complete your tasks. Whatever you choose, something has to change to preserve your energy credits. Maybe one of your projects could be passed to another member of your team who’s energy isn’t so depleted by the task. Here’s the blog and episode covering everything you need to know about this concept - dig in!
Work in a role that connects with your values and strengths
Ensure that your job is actually something that aligns with your values and strengths! You will always work better in a role that suits you. If you’re trying to flog it out in a job that really doesn’t gel with you, you’re going to find it so tough to be productive. Really assess where you want to be working each day and work in your strengths. Maybe this is the wake up call you needed to quit your job and find a place where you can contribute and contribute well! Check out our blog about how to change careers if that’s something you need to do.
Also check out Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money, written by Glen James and Shelley Johnson! They discuss this idea all throughout the book so invest in your career and grab a copy!
Break big projects into small steps - aim for consistency
We love the concept of habits that James Clear writes about in his book, Atomic Habits (again, another book to borrow from the library). Clear talks about how goals are achieved by focusing on daily, weekly or monthly habits instead of just focusing on the final goal itself. Think - what daily habit could I do to complete Project A? If you’re aiming to complete a report for work that’s BIG, then allocate a time each day to writing a small amount of words. If you can build this habit of a small chunk written each day, then you’ll be making steady progress toward that big final report. Take this approach in all of your projects and start celebrating the small steps towards completion! One step at a time folks.
Remove distractions from your environment
Phones
We probably don’t need to tell you this but unless you need your phone for specific work tasks or for your kids daycare or school to call you, then you can turn it to silent, put it face down on your desk, on the floor or in your bag. Phones are attention suckers - put them away.
People
Likewise we know you have those awesome work buddies who are so much fun to chat with but sometimes their chat about MAFS in the hallways holds up your productivity. Get some awesome noise cancelling headphones to drown out the office conversations and noises, and get you into the work zone. Schedule a lunch time sesh with those guys to catch up on the goss.
Notifications
Thanks to Helena from the m3 community for inspiring this tip - check in on how many devices, apps and platforms are trying to send you notifications on an average day. Turn them off! Stick to the one or two essential notifications you actually need and turn the rest off.
Location
Thanks to Mark from the m3 community for this tip! If working from home means you work in a less distracted way, then see if that’s an option for you. If you have to be onsite for work, look into ways to minimise the influence of things around you - get noise cancelling headphones, noise reducing ear plugs, see if you can move desks to a quieter corner or even work in an empty conference room from time to time (chat with your manager and explain why 😉).
Audio
Jenny, Kat and Paul from the m3 community all mentioned needing to listen to specific things to get in the zone - from hardcore dance tunes, to lo-fi beats, to YouTube documentary channels to podcasts. Whatever audio will keep you in the zone, keep it playing.
Structure your week
Deep work
The concept of “deep work” isn’t new, but it’s effective. If you haven’t checked out Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, then borrow a copy from the library asap! It’s a great read. You will be more productive if you’ve assessed what tasks of yours are simple and frankly a bit mindless, so can be done bam bam bam even with a coworker talking to you (slightly “shallower” tasks). But there will always be other tasks that need you to dig deeper and focus to really complete it to the best of your ability. These tasks take a bigger commitment from you - your time, energy and focus - and you’ll likely need to tune out the rest of the world to get it done.
Little vs big tasks first
Some people simply cannot get their heads in the work zone on the bigger projects if they have a huge pile of smaller, “shallower” tasks that need to get done - figure out if you perform better this way! Maybe you prefer starting on the bigger items on your list before doing the mindless tasks later in the day when your brain is a bit fried. Another strategy here could be to just braindump all of the little tasks that are bugging you onto a list somewhere to come back to them later.
Along that line, Brian Tracy wrote a handy book called Eat That Frog, essentially about how to tackle those tasks that you’re not looking forward to - by getting them done and out of the way first. Been sweating over that wretched email you need to write? Smash it out first thing and remove the feeling of ick for the rest of your work day.
Schedule in a specific time for each task you need to complete
You’ll likely have some tasks that are daily, and others that may be weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Rotate your tasks on specific days or mornings/afternoons according to when you need to continue making progress on that task. You need to adapt this to your working situation so let’s do that!
Step 1: write your list of weekly tasks.
We mean a serious brain dump! Write every little thing down. It could look like:
Check emails
See clients
Phone supplier
Book in next appointments
Write follow up report
Write copy for X
Update X
Clean desk
Meet with X
Step 2: categorise them into daily or weekly tasks
Daily
Check emails
See clients
Book in next appointments
Write follow up report
Weekly
Phone supplier
Write copy for X
Update X
Clean desk
Meet with X
Step 3: allocate time in your weekly schedule
Monday: daily tasks, 1-2 weekly tasks/bigger projects
Tuesday: daily tasks
Wednesday: daily tasks, 1-2 weekly tasks/bigger projects
Thursday: daily tasks
Friday: daily tasks, 1-2 weekly tasks/bigger projects
Then in 2 weeks review how this system has worked for you. Tailor and tweak it to the specifics of your job. Make this structure your own!
You may get even more micro and create a timetable like high school - building 2 hour blocks for certain tasks with breaks in between. Again - this system is yours, and it really needs to be designed around the kind of job you have. Look for ways to make daily and weekly progress on what you have to deliver and do that.
Support your health
It goes without saying that supporting your mental and physical health should be a major priority in your life, and more and more employers are being challenged to support these areas for their employees as well. If you aren’t feeling healthy, you won’t be in a position to work well. If you’re not working well, that could affect your health. There’s a solid loop here that spirals down real quick. If you need support in any area of your health, see your GP asap and get the support you need. Build in healthy habits each day like getting some fresh air and sunshine, moving your body, drinking enough water, giving yourself rest, nutritious food, sleeping enough, time with friends and family, time to be inspired! We don’t live to work, it’s just another part of our life - our health should come first. And both health and our work will benefit when we are maintaining these elements in a healthy blend.
Also it’s worth mentioning to your GP if being focused and completing tasks at work is a major struggle for you - there could be a behavioural issue at play, or perhaps another health condition that you need to factor into how you structure your days. There are so many ways to tweak your work week to suit your role and needs - reach for assistance from health professionals and keep your employer in the loop so you can work together to support you at work.
Rest is productive - take breaks
Only take breaks after you’ve spent the allocated time working on a specific project. Taken the next steps on Project A? Go get a coffee, some fresh air and sunshine. Come back to your next allotted time and task. Megan from the m3 community shared her tip around this idea for using a timer before taking breaks: set a timer for short breaks - 27 minutes on, 3 minutes off.
But this isn’t just about coffee breaks (although, yes please). This is about truly refreshing breaks from your job altogether. Nobody can work productively for 4 years running without a holiday. Take a freakin holiday! Actually go and have some fun away from your desk. Get that ‘out of office’ on and take regular breaks for your mind and body to reset, so that when you come back to work you have a fresh energy to bring to your role. Always wanted to travel to Europe? GO. Keen to fly and spend a week with your friend in another state? GO. Need to go on a meditation retreat in the bush? BOOK IT IN. You need rest.
Figure out when you start to feel burnt out - perhaps you need a night away once a month. Or a week off every 6 months - don’t just consolidate all holiday time for Christmas each year - distribute that holiday time more evenly throughout the year! Rest is productive, so allocate a time for it like all your other tasks.
If you’re looking to build a career you love, check out Glen James and Shell Johnson's book, Sort Your Career Out & Make More Money! It’s the only book you’ll need to build the career you actually want, and make more money in the process. Order your copy!
