Every business wants a productive workplace, but there may be some strategies for boosting productivity that you haven’t considered.
Here are five tips to make the office more productive and help you use your time efficiently.
1. Schedule regular breaks.
Having regular breaks boosts productivity by giving your brain a chance to rest, allowing you to reset and return with new ideas. While some people think that taking breaks means losing valuable working time, taking some time away from the desk can be refreshing, and can put you in the right mindset to get straight back to work when you return.
2. Unify your communication channels.
Having all your business’ communication channels in one place makes it easier to collaborate on documents and discuss ideas. Gamma’s Unified Communications system improves productivity by integrating email, phone and video calls. This makes the process of sharing files and talking through suggestions straightforward and means there’s no need to waste time switching between applications.
3. Minimise distractions.
Removing as many distractions as possible is one of the quickest ways to increase productivity. Switch off personal mobile phones and put them somewhere out of the way, so that you can’t be tempted to reach for them. If you need to concentrate on a particular task, put notifications from emails and other messages on silent. You could also set up an automatic reply to any emails you receive during this time, stating that you are not currently available and will respond when you can.
Make sure everything you will need while you work is within reach, as having to stop to look for something can take you out of the focused mindset that helps you to complete a task.
4. Ask for feedback.
Asking for feedback on an idea, a presentation or another project can give you a new perspective and generate new ideas that you can then use to improve your work. This is much more productive than trying to do everything by yourself, as it means that if you’re not sure what to do next, you can gather suggestions and implement them rather than trying to come up with a solution on your own.
Taking feedback also means that if, for example, some aspects of your presentation weren’t entirely clear or could have been delivered in a more engaging way, you’ll know how to avoid the same issue next time.
5. Set goals.
Setting a series of goals can improve productivity by helping you to stay organised. You could split these goals into different categories based on timeframes, such as daily goals and weekly goals. Having a clear idea of when a particular goal needs to be achieved or a task needs to be completed helps you to use your time efficiently. It also means you can focus on one thing at a time instead of attempting to multitask, which often results in tasks taking longer than they need to and tends to be detrimental to the project you’re working on as a whole.
Make sure that the goals you set are realistic. Trying to get too much done in a short space of time can lead to rushing, which could result in mistakes being made.
