From mid-day sugar crashes that require our immediate attention to seemingly endless email streams to wade through, there’s always something vying for our attention at work. We found a few productivity hacks that, when practiced regularly and with enthusiasm, can help you have a super productive work day every day.
1. Wait to hit send
If you’ve ever fired off an email to your boss in a knee-jerk effort to dissolve a tense situation, but you’ve instead thrown fire on it, you’ll appreciate this strategy. Fill in the “to” field last thing when you write an email. This productivity hack gives you time to reflect on what you’ve said and decide if that’s the best direction. Google even has the option to delay your email after you’ve hit send, which can be a lifesaver when dealing with a case of email remorse
2. Tidy up your workspace
Multiple stimuli tax the brain, according to a study by Harvard University. The study measured students’ productivity amid varying degrees of clutter. They found students in clutter-free workspaces were 7.5 minutes more productive than students doing the same tasks with clutter around. While that might not seem like much of a gain, think about the time lost searching for a document, which collectively costs businesses around $2.5 million annually. That sounds like a different type of cluttered desktop. Plus, neat areas also lower stress. The brain isn’t as efficient when it has too many stimuli to focus on.
3. Snack clean
While breakroom snacks are staples in American offices, usually it’s day-old donuts or everything bagels. Keep a few healthy snacks at your desk and stay fueled and focused even when the mid-day slump arrives. A solid snack contains protein and fiber to keep your blood sugar stable until your next regular meal. Some snacks you might want to add to your shopping list: raw nuts, dried fruit, air-popped popcorn and seaweed. Pro tip: dark chocolate with cacao is loaded with magnesium, a big-time stress reliever.
4. Delegate work
This is perhaps one of the most difficult productivity hacks to master. When you keep taking on work, it will catch up to you. Hopefully not Office Space-style in a field with a bat bashing a photo copier. But eventually, you’ll become so overwhelmed your health will suffer. Delegating routine tasks will give you more time to enhance your real value, be visionary, develop and demonstrate new skills. For the teammates that pick up the work you’ve given them, it’s motivating to be asked to step up.
5. Automate office supply distribution
Technology greats such as Facebook and HP use Smart Stations®, because those innovative companies know it’s key to keeping productivity high. Smart Stations automate the business of distributing and managing office supplies, so instead of people waiting around to get what they need to do their jobs, they simply swipe and get back to work. Companies have reported increases in productivity as much as 30 percent or more. That’s the kind of ROI that garners raises and employee-of-the year awards.
What productivity hacks keep you motivated and massively productive at work?
