THE BLOG
The Ultimate Guide to Workplace Productivity
Do you often finish your workday feeling exhausted and like you haven't accomplished anything you planned to? Do you get distracted easily, find yourself procrastinating, and feel like you are drowning in endless to-do lists?

You're not alone.

Research suggests that in an eight-hour workday, the average employee is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes.

Yes, you read that right: you're probably only productive for around three hours a day.

While you can't become productive overnight, there are some habits that you can adopt that will get you on track to becoming focused, less distracted, and entirely more productive.

Fostering some of these habits will get you well on your way to being highly efficient:

1. Use your mind for thinking and not for remembering.
You know that frustrating feeling when you're deep into a task and then an arbitrary thought pops into your head and completely throws you off, causing you to lose your focus? Simply put: distractions ruin productivity. Don't clutter your mind with mental reminders and to-do lists - that's what paper is for.

The productive habit in this situation is to not let these moments take up more thought space than the few seconds it pops into your head and takes you to write it down.

Remembering to buy milk when you go to the grocery store after work may be important to remember later, but at that moment it's wasting valuable thinking space.

The best way to combat this is by keeping a piece of paper or a notepad next to you to jot down any distracting thoughts, reminders, or ideas to deal with later - and then get straight back to work. This way you can give it the attention it deserves at a more appropriate time, while freeing up your mental capacity to focus on the more pressing tasks at hand
2. Work on your most important tasks first thing
Don't put off the hard stuff for "later". We are all familiar with the fact that "later" becomes "tomorrow" which becomes "next week." This cycle continues until you're in full-blown panic mode the day before a deadline.

Knuckle down and work on your most important tasks at the beginning of the day. This way, you're less likely to procrastinate by ticking off the less important to-do's that you have to get through.
3. Use dead time to learn
Instead of listening to music or mindlessly thinking about your day ahead during your morning commute, use that time to learn something new and feed your mind. Put on an audiobook or tune into a podcast - this way you're still being productive without losing time that you could use for something else later in the day.
4. Dedicate time blocks to your to do list
By assigning time blocks or set timings to your to-do lists, you will be able to set realistic expectations for your day plan. It will also help you to allow yourself to get less distracted as you know you only have a certain amount of time to finish a task.

Think of them as mini-deadlines, that you can celebrate as you tick off throughout the day.

5. Exercise. Often, hard, and preferably in the morning!
Even a quick 20 minute workout can boost your mood for up to 12 hours afterwards. A good mood makes for increased motivation which results in productivity! Get those endorphins pumping and you'll be flying through those to-do's like never before.
6. Schedule free time
That's right - actively schedule in your free time. Don't just let it be something you get to if you have a chance - prioritise it!

Instead, plan time in your week that will make you happy and feel excited about life. Maybe that's spending time with friends, family, or your significant other. It could be going for a hike in nature, going out to your favorite restaurant for a lengthy dinner, or just vegging out on the sofa watching Netflix. Whatever floats your boat, schedule time for it and make sure you do it. The happier you are, the easier it will be to be productive in the long run.
7. Use apps to increase organisation and productivity



A simple calendar app can help you map out your month ahead, while apps like Trello help you keep all your to-do's in one place and add team members to relevant project boards.

Software such as TimeDoctor is designed to increase productivity, by keeping you accountable for lost work time and giving you a clear outline of how much of your time goes towards different tasks.

And there you have it.

The benefit of being highly productive is that you are able to achieve more in less time. Once you start incorporating these habits into your daily routine, you'll find yourself with less overwhelming to-do lists and more free times on your hands.