Even with perfectly curated workflow processes and time-management strategies, productivity ebbs and flows.
Facing a mountain of tasks can sometimes make it challenging to find motivation. If your usual strategies aren't cutting it, it might be time to shake up your routine.
New productivity strategies can reinvigorate your workflow and help you complete your tasks. Whether you try one or all of them, here are six top productivity strategies.
Scrap to-do lists.
Yes, to-do lists are very helpful visual tools, and crossing off a completed task is exhilarating. But often to-do list items don’t consider all the smaller steps necessary for completion.
Try a ‘first things’ list instead. Take a higher-level important task, such as ‘write cash flow statements’, and break it down into smaller, easily digestible chunks until you get to one simple task that can be done right away. Complete that item ‘first thing’, then work your way down the list.
Map out your attention span and energy levels.
We all have times when we’re revved up and ready to go. It’s hard to work when you’re unmotivated, antsy, or sluggish.
Jot down your average working day from start to finish, — recurring tasks, meetings, ongoing projects, moods, average break times, etc. Note when you’re most alert or most listless. Are more complicated projects better to complete during the morning or the afternoon? When do you feel your creative juices flowing? This ‘map’ can help you pinpoint when certain tasks should be completed to maximize your attention span and energy levels. Maybe answering emails happens as soon as you enter the office in the morning, or maybe it’s an easy task during an afternoon lull.
Set timers.
The Pomodoro Technique is a proven time-management method where you work for a 25-minute period, take a 5-minute break, and repeat for 4 cycles. After that fourth cycle, you take a longer break — upwards of 30 minutes — and then repeat the whole cycle. If your phone is off limits — see No. 5 — you can find a free timer online, or even use a conventional kitchen timer.
If 25 minutes feels like too much for you, switch up the timed work periods to meet you where you are on that day. Try a 10- or 15-minute burst to get started and keep going if you feel focused or take a very quick break. Find your flow and elongate the work periods to maximize your efficiency.
Take a walk.
Movement is invigorating. When your workload feels heavy or your brain feels cloudy, get away from your desk and go for a short walk. It can be around the hallways or around the block, but the break can go a long way towards improving focus and resetting the mood. The change in scenery could help you brainstorm. You’ll return refreshed and ready to tackle the next phase of your project.
Establish firm mobile boundaries.
Smartphones can be a pleasant distraction during a quick break, but one wrong click and you could end up down a time-wasting rabbit hole. Set a boundary that works for you. You could try turning off all notifications or storing your phone in a drawer or different room. If the phone is on your desk, turn it face down to avoid seeing any pop-up notifications.
If those tactics don’t work, you could try adding an elastic band to your phone to be a physical boundary and reminder that the device is off limits. In order to use your mobile, you’d have to navigate around the band.
Start it now, perfect it later.
A project doesn’t have to be completed the same day you start it. It’s OK if you complete it in chunks, as your deadline allows. The aim is simply to get something done now and tinker with it tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be perfect or completed when you stop — that draft report can be very drafty — but when you pick it back up, you’ll have renewed attention and will likely be able to finish it.
Effective productivity tips for professionals
Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or disorganised, try one or two of these strategies to stimulate productivity. Shaking up routines and trying something new could be what it takes to create more efficient workflows.
If you’re looking for more career motivation, be sure to check out the latest helpful hints and tips from our MyFuture site. You can find articles on how to network confidently, how artificial intelligence is transforming the finance profession, how to increase employability, and so much more.
