When someone asks if you enjoy your job, do you find yourself admitting it’s the least enjoyable aspect of your life? Does the thought of getting up on Mondays and heading to the office fill you with dread? If this all feels eerily familiar, you need to ask yourself an even tougher question: Are you productive? It’s easier to look elsewhere when apportioning blame for a lack of job satisfaction, but the answer can often be uncomfortably close to home; you may not be enjoying you job because you’re not productive enough.
We all work to earn, but a recent survey carried out by dairy brand Anchor Cheddar laid bare the reality that money doesn’t necessarily make us happy. It therefore stands to reason that while increasing your earnings may have a detrimental affect on your happiness, being productive will only ever make you feel better. Happily, there are many ways to boost your work productivity and I’d like to let you in on the secrets of the best…
Do a brain dump
You’ll be glad to hear I’m not suggesting you carry out a surgical procedure here. Nope, a brain dump is simply a task which involves you sitting down with a notebook (digital or traditional) and unloading the contents of your brain. Think of everything you need to do at work – all the tasks, projects and jobs you want to get done. Leave them in your brain, and many will never be tackled. Get them down if you want to get them done.
Create a to-do list
That great big list of stuff you want to do needs a bit of work itself. Start arranging your tasks into to-do lists. If appropriate, categorise them and grade them in terms of importance. Keep your to-do list by your side always and enjoy the process of ticking off completed jobs. You’ll be surprised by how quickly your to-do list will become your personal bible and as important as the air you breath.
Find a productivity tool
So, you’ve got a huge list of things you need to achieve… but what next? The world we live in is awash with software built to help us be more productive. I’d immediately recommend Trello, which enables you to group tasks, collate notes, add attachment and interact with colleagues. If you’re still not sure, I’d recommend reading this review.
Be organised
Your desk looks a mess, doesn’t it? We’ve all been there, but tidying it up and organising your working environment will boost your work productivity. Working in a mess is akin to neglecting the brain dump task; you’ll feel refreshed and able to concentrate on the next priority (rather than all of them at once) if you clear your desk and keep it that way.
Set goals
You won’t achieve anything without a goal. Go back to that to-do list you made earlier and link tasks to achievable goals. Set yourself realistic timescales and stick to them. A goal could be sending an email or building a self-driving car – whatever it is, you’ll boost your productivity and job satisfaction by clearly defining what you want to achieve. There’s no better feeling than scoring a goal – ask Wayne Rooney.
Be positive
If you’ve followed the steps above, there’s only one thing left to do, and it’s an easy one – be positive. If you’ve set realistic timescales for your goals and you’re confident you’ve emptied your mind of all the pertinent tasks in your life, you’ll achieve them. Be positive, get motivated and become more productive at work!
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This guest post was written by Kristine Rana. If you would also like to have your post published on Bizzvenue, click here.
