Today, maintaining a high level of productivity is vitally important, especially if you’re an entrepreneur or a business owner. You want to get work done in the least amount of time and make sure that the quality of the work remains high. This is easier said than done because there are several things around that can and will distract you.
If you want to increase your productivity and reduce the amount of time it takes for you to finish a task, you need to kick certain habits. Read the following list to understand what you might need to do to increase your overall productivity.
1. Saying Yes to Everything, including More Work
The people who’re bogged down by work are usually those who haven’t learned how to say no yet. It can be difficult to actually refuse a client and in many cases, it’s unwise. However, there’s no benefit of burdening yourself and your team with excess work. You need to learn to refuse. Most clients will understand if you tell them that you just have too much on your hands and won’t be able to work on their project and give it the attention it deserves.
2. Ignoring the Dull Times
You’ll notice that every 1 or 2 hours, your momentum drops and you get distracted or lazy. This drop in productivity is actually very natural and it doesn’t mean that you’re being lazy. Some scientists call it the ultradium rhythm. Most people try to power through it and get to the other side as soon as possible. You’ll actually be better served if you take a 20 minute break instead. In fact, you might even take a nap. Contrary to popular assumption, your productivity would actually increase if you do.
3. Clicking on that Temping Facebook Tab
Today, most people are addicted to social media and almost compulsively check status updates on a regular basis. This can disrupt your concentration and naturally distract you from work. One of the best ways to tackle this is to mute all alerts on your phone and disable social media on your computers.
4. Taking On All Responsibilities
Small business owners have the nasty habit of trying to do everything themselves. Unfortunately, by taking on all responsibilities, you only reduce your productivity. In such cases, you always end up being pressed for time and frustrated, which can hamper your ability to focus or do good quality work. It’s always better to limit the amount of work that you take in and focus on it.
5. Not Taking a Break
This is one of the worst things you can do to compromise your productivity. The human mind is simply not meant to focus 24/7. You need regular breaks and some time to wind down and get away from work. You need to take a break once in a while and make sure that you employees do too.
By kicking these habits, you can easily improve your overall productivity. At first, it might be difficult to achieve but it’s worth the effort.
