7 Simple Strategies to Cut Your Workday in Half

We all want to know that we’re doing our best to be successful, but too often we find ourselves becoming less productive even if we’re working longer hours.

There’s finally some good news! A new study finds that being productive really is more about working smarter, not harder.

Here are seven strategies that can help you create more time for yourself and leave work early:

1. Come a little early, leave a lot early.

Early morning, when everything is quiet and your energy is high, is a great time for productivity. Many people report they can leave two hours early if they add an hour at the beginning of the day.

2. Stay focused and deliberate.

Learn to ignore what is distracting; there is no need to respond to everything. Don’t check your email, don’t check your phone, tune out the news, nothing is as important as the task at hand. Treat your focused time like money and be careful with that resource.

3. Look at your priorities.

We all tend to gravitate to tasks that are enjoyable and easy, but efficiency says to start with the most important. Make it urgent and get it out of the way. Then you can do the more pleasant work.

4. Say no to multitasking.

When you try to do 10 things at once, you end up doing none of them well. Multitasking slows you down and prevents you from processing and retaining information. Often, you’ll have to go back and reread or redo something. Instead, do one task at a time, stay present, and do it well. Multitasking goes to the “bad strategies” list.

5. Manage interruptions.

Every interruption means you have to spend time regaining focus. If you can, limit your accessibility. Schedule open-door office hours when people can come to you with questions and issues. Protect your focus for the rest of your time.

6. Tame your email.

Most of us spend an enormous amount of time checking and answering email. But there are things you can do to make it far less time-consuming and distracting, just simple strategies:

Schedule specific times to check and respond to email. Ideally during your less productive time. Let people know your schedule and when to expect a response. Create “urgent” and “read later” folders to process email. Turn off notifications. Delete or archive things you won’t need. Keep your email program closed to eliminate the temptation to check in throughout the day.

7. Get organized.

Organization is a powerful tool in the list of your strategies to find more time in your day. It plays an important role in how much you accomplish. Even if you have to invest a few hours in getting organized, it will pay off quickly.

The most productive people create systems to help them stay on top of everything. Any system that works for you can get the job done.

Read more

Categorised in: Did you know, VoiceMailTel