When there are certain tasks that need to be done, we often think that we cannot do this by the end of the day. In fact, most people tend to procrastinate whenever a huge pile of work is on their desk. Eventually, you begin to feel the pressure and stress becomes your main antagonist. You end up getting stressed even more because you have to work overtime. There are certain ways to beat the habit of being unproductive. These are the top 5 ways to help you work better.
1. Eliminate Known Distractions
How often do we get annoyed when your neighbor suddenly turns the music loud and you have to get out and tell them to turn it down a notch? This is one of the few things that distract us from working and make us less productive. First, you need to eliminate all the known distractions. Clear the clutter on your office table. Eliminate all sources of known distractions such as the TV, radio, and internet. Turn off the computer if you are distracted with your paperwork. But, there are also a few key items or elements that will make your work more pleasant and productive.
Music is a good source of providing productivity for most employees. Most of the time, the music that they would help them relax and calm their senses making them more in tune with their work.
2. Concentrate on Specific Things
Most of the time, you will have a hard time focusing on what matters especially if you are flooded with tasks and there is a little amount of time to do it. The looming deadline might push you to the brink of insanity. You might try to multitask every little thing that you can but you end up with zero results or haphazard ones that might cost you your job. The first thing that you need to do is to calm down, breathe deeply, then prioritize.
Arrange all of the folders that need to be done within the day by its importance while considering the deadline as well. This way, you get to concentrate on things that truly matter and of utmost importance and work on it immediately rather than do all things at once.
3. Kill Procrastination
The brain processes meaning first before detail. This is why most people tend to procrastinate the task at hand. It is very important to learn how to beat procrastination by putting meaning into the work that you are doing. Most office workers tend to suffer from procrastination because they know that they can do it in time. But, they will utterly fail when the deadline comes. Why? Because they are less productive when they procrastinate. Whenever you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself whether the task at hand is important for you and for others.
If you are in the office, ask yourself if the task will help hasten your promotion or put you in good light with your manager or supervisor. If you are at school, would this task be able to boost your grade or not? By knowing the purpose of your task, you can beat procrastination.
4. Never Be Afraid to Ask for Help
When we want to excel at the work that we do, we try our best to be productive. But, there are certain times that we end up not a hundred percent. It may be because of procrastination but it can sometimes just be a certain disinterest in the task at hand. While you can always find ways to defeat procrastination, the loss of interest at the task might shove your concentration down the drain. You can always approach your supervisor and tell him the entire situation. Tell him that you have been thinking of ways to improve the project but by the time you actually try to advance you hit some dead end.
Ask him to help you understand the big picture of the things that you are doing and what value does this have to do with the entire company. This way, you get to understand your position in the company, get to identify the process that is behind it, know the purpose behind such actions, and all in all, value the result of your work.
5. Time Management
Ever notice someone inside your office walking around with folders and papers always looking busy? These people are busy bees. They are those who are constantly under stress. These are the people who work on weekends and even on vacation. They may look busy but truly they provide mediocre results. Why? They do not have enough time. A truly productive worker knows what to do with their time. They know how to budget their time. They know their time table when it comes to working with a deadline.
People who end up working with their own set of schedules work efficiently but those who try to work everything all at the same time end up working less effectively than others. They eventually end up hurting the company than helping it.
Productivity is a valued resource inside the business world or in any working organization. It is best that the workers are interested and active with their job or else the company will surely suffer for it.