The advent of technology and the internet has made it much easier to start a company. As a result, more and more companies and job opportunities are being created every day, resulting in an oversaturated job market, thereby increasing competition amongst companies in the same niche. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how well-prepared and effective your brand is in order to build a large consumer base.
And behind every successful brand is a team of hardworking and dedicated individuals, eager to break the glass ceiling at every level. So how do you achieve what most successful brands have achieved with a dedicated workforce? The solution is born from an increase in productivity. So are you a business owner, a team leader, or a regular employee eager to improve? If so, here are 9 easy ways to improve productivity at the workplace both at the individual and collective levels.
9 simple ways to boost productivity
1. Reduce Distractions
According to a recent survey, about 70% or workers; that’s 3 out of 4 people, admitted to feeling distracted at their jobs on a regular basis. It goes to show that getting distracted is one of the most common happenings in the workplace; however, it differs from person to person. In order words, what might distract you might not work on the next person. The most common distractions in the workplace include movies, games, the occasional chit-chats, social media (Instagram, SnapChat), YouTube videos, just to mention a few.
So the first thing to do in order to increase productivity is to identify your major distractions and make a conscious effort to put them away once working hours begin. It’s essential that you start the initiative because while distractions are entertaining at best, they eat into your working time, and before you know it, you've barely done anything productive at the day’s end. Worse yet, you might even get fired if it continues for an extended period of time.
2. Take Intermittent Breaks
Unlike machines, the human body can only function effectively for only a limited period of time, after which it’s advisable to take a break. That’s because, as easy as it may look, taking breaks is an excellent means to let your mental faculties recover from the prior stress. It’ll also prevent you from making unintentional errors.
3. Set and Meet Deadlines
Setting a deadline is a great way to accomplish your tasks by working within an allowable time frame. It also has merits psychologically as it helps you to stay focused on your task. So start creating and meeting long and short-term deadlines today.
4. Organize Your Work Station
Are you that one person in the office who’s always borrowing or buying office accessories like pens, staplers, markers, etc? Then it’s time you took notice and started organizing your work station. It'll not only save you from misplacing important documents but also help you save money and valuable time as well, especially if you work in your capacity as a secretary.
5. Start Your Day Early
As the old adage goes, the early bird catches the worm. Starting your working hours ahead of your peers is a smart way to increase productivity. You get to meet your deadlines much faster which will increase your trustworthiness in the eyes of your boss, thereby positioning you in line for a promotion.
Moreover, it’s even more effective if you are in a leadership position as it’ll give the sense of normalcy, thus encouraging others to equally start their working hours much earlier. After all, we lead by setting an example.
6. Do one Thing at A time
Oftentimes, taken at face value it seems like a great idea to multi-task due to the false sense that it’ll save time. But upon closer inspection, you realize that it actually does the opposite. Moreover, in doing so, you sacrifice the quality of the task at hand. So, not only do you spend twice as much time as you would, if you performed the tasks independently, but the quality of the work done becomes questionable as well. It goes to show that you are better off doing your office tasks one at a time.
7. Have the Right Working Tools
This is a no brainer because it's literally impossible for employees to do their job effectively with faulty or subpar working tools which adversely affect their productivity. For instance, if your office is filled with old and slow computers, it'll definitely take much longer to complete tasks. Not to mention the psychological effect it’ll have on the morale of employees. To that end, refer to the office manager if you are experiencing any issues with the office equipment and make sure that such unfortunate working conditions are eliminated.
8. Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination: this by-product of laziness is one of the least desirable qualities in a serious working environment. According to a recent study conducted amongst 10,000 employees in the United States, it was discovered that the average worker wastes approximately 2 hours per day doing things that are not related to their jobs. To put things in perspective, procrastinating employees cost their companies a little over $10,000 annually, given that the salary of the average worker is around $39,800 per year.
Hence, the detrimental consequences of procrastination to the overall productivity of a company are obvious. As Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of The United States, rightfully said: “You may delay but time will not”. The time spent procrastinating at the workplace could have been spent doing something worthy of your time. And, although it might seem far-fetched, procrastination could indirectly make a significant contribution to the downfall of a company, so just consider the risks of getting your employment terminated.
9. Encourage Professional Communication Culture
Communication within an organization is a key element of effectiveness. If used reasonably and professionally, communication is an excellent way to resolve an existing problem. In any single piece of literature on leadership, excellent communication skills rank the first place in the list of competencies of an effective leader. They can use communication to build more trustful relationships with the employees and make them perform more effectively at their positions. Everyone wants to be noticed, heard, and appreciated.
By addressing these basic needs of employees, leaders can increase their level of job satisfaction since they would feel that their work is significant and valued.
About the Author: Ben Grant finished his studies last year but is already a true expert in presenting a text in a creative and understandable manner. Now he’s a content manager at Adsy, a guest posting service. Ben is thirsty for knowledge and is always on the lookout for tips to share with his readers. He also helps with reviews on Gear Yoda.