Productivity in a Digital World

In a world where nearly all information is at your fingertips and all it takes is a button-press to converse with someone across the world, it’s easy to become distracted from your priorities. And while the accessibility and interconnectedness of the internet can be a blessing for communication and sharing ideas, it also can be the bane of productivity. Here are some tips to help make the most efficient use of your time through changes in behavior and the adoption of new resources to help you along the way.

Rethink Productivity

  1. Productivity starts at home. If necessary adjust the time you are going to sleep and waking up, so that you rise earlier in the day. Getting up earlier allows you to prepare for the day mentally and helps avoid the panic of rushing through your daily routine. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule helps tremendously to rewire your brain to be more productive earlier in the day.
  2. Focus on a single purpose. Determine your most important priority and make sure everything you do furthers that goal. In conjunction with this, prioritize one key task per day. Start with the most critical job on your to-do list right when you get to work. By focusing the most productive portion of the day on your main goal, you can ensure that no matter what distractions appear throughout the day that you are accomplishing something.
  3. Avoid multitasking. Multitasking can actually make you less productive because your mind has to adjust to each new task and this can have a severe effect on your efficiency. If you have several tasks to accomplish, block your time in 60 or 90 minute periods and dedicate each block to one task.
  4. Block out distractions whenever you can. If possible, avoid checking your email at the start of your day. During work stick to one device at a time. If you’re using a laptop, switch off your smartphone. Removing extra notification sounds lets you stay focused on the task at hand. This can also help at night by letting your brain relax before bed.

Take Advantage of Technology

There are thousands of different applications, programs, and extensions designed to help improve your productivity and efficiency. And while it can be overwhelming trying to find the most effective or appropriate tool for the job, some of the best options are also the simplest.

Strict Workflow is a Google Chrome extension that helps focus your time and remove distractions. It allows you to set timers so that you can block your schedule into times when you are working and breaks. During the breaks, the extension will prevent you from accessing time-wasting sites. The length of the timers and the sites that are blocked can also both be customized to your specific needs.

Timestats is another Chrome extension that can be used for accountability. It logs the amount of time you spend on each website and creates pie charts to present the data. This way you can make a conscious effort to reduce your wasted time.

Todoist is a to-do list application to help you organize your tasks. It allows you to create multiple lists so that you can keep projects separate and lets you prioritize certain tasks so when you come back to a project you know where to start. Todoist also can be synchronized with Google Calendar for added benefit.

Evernote is an application that acts as a storage container for all the notes you take and receive throughout the day. By storing them all in the same digital location you can access and organize all of your data and pull them up anywhere with an internet connection. This can be an especially useful tool for reviewing your week, because you can search specific keywords and find everything about that topic.

The most important tip to increasing productivity, however, is to know yourself. Remember that while these other tips can be helpful as a starting point, they may not be exactly right for you. With any advice, take it into account, but adapt it to fit your personal schedule and lifestyle.

 

2018-12-22T16:34:31-05:00October 27th, 2017|Company Workplace Tips, Johns Eastern News|