Tips for improving productivity

yeah, don't come poast on StyleForum. Get back to work! huh, just kidding. we all do it. Seriously, if i find I'm lulling around killing time I get up and go for a quick walk, then I stand at my desk and make/reprioritize my to do list.

I write out my goals, both goals for my own "career", and goals for the job/company I am with at the moment, and I break them down into short (say less than 1 year) and long term (within 5 years).

Then, I try to fit those pieces together so that not only am I growing as a professional, but I am also moving my company / group forward in some way at the same time. For example, I want a particular certification. I have come up with some projects at work that I can do that will utilize that cert. I justify that to my boss, I work on the project and cert, do good work, and when I seek a raise, I now have results that I can use to demonstrate my actual financial value.

By thinking strategically like that, I find I'm much more motivated to get solid work done at work, and not mess around. Occasionally, I do lose focus, we all do, but when I look at my goals, it helps me remember why I'm doing what I'm doing.

Another motivation that I use is that I like having a more clear delineation between work and home. I want my free time to be free time. I make that clear to my boss and my team, and then I proceed to bust my ass at work to make sure that I keep on top of everything and don't need to bring work home all the time. Being an example to my team helps a lot. They know I'm not going to spring some last minute BS on them with weekend work or something as long as they turn in a solid work week.

Finally, cut the dead weight. I hate it when someone is a slacker because it takes me forever to figure out why they screwed up their portion, and then fix it. . . instead of just doing it right the first time, and keeping me informed during the process of any problems. Procrastinating and botching it at the last minute is not acceptable. It also drags down morale of every other employee when they have to carry the weight of a slacker in the team. Get the slacker out, it will demonstrate to good employees that you are committed to them, and they'll turn in a good performance more consistently. That leaves me with more time to be productive, rather than spending it all fixing crap at the last minute.

Pick the low-hanging fruit first - do easy tasks before larger, more complicated ones.

Break big projects into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Give yourself goals and incentives. Stuff like "if I work for 15 minutes straight I can browse SF for five minutes."


I do this as well. When I hit a point where I just can't concentrate, I get up and walk around the office for a few minutes. I'm often surprised at how much it helps.

Sometimes I can be so unproductive it's horrible and noticed it was really hurting my personal life and professional life. I wasn't getting my school work done and it was all accumulating until the end of the night and in turn couldnt spend time with my girlfriend which was effecting my relationship. Now, I use a planner and write down my goals for the day either the night before or first thing in the morning (Ex. 1. send package, 2. cover chapters 3,4 3. buy sisters Bday gift etc). By doing that, I have a solid plan of action for the day and get everything done instead of procrastinating and surfing SF all day. At the end of the day I feel fulfilled that I had a productive day and don't feel I forgot to do something. Good luck.

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that is a LOT of browsing, I hope OP isn't that unproductive...

^^ It was just an example. To be honest, I wasn't really thinking about the details, so the actual amount time spent working vs. browsing was completely arbitrary.

Anyhow, the point is that creating incentives for the successful completion of tasks can be helpful when you're unmotivated.

Think to what Thomas Jefferson said: "Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching". Yes it's simple, if you lose time on social networks or boards, if you watch porn online you hurt yourself and the world is watching that loser you are. The best practical therapy: 1. For an entire week, write down what you are doing every half-hour. 2. At the end of the week, notice what you spend most of your time doing (YOU'LL BE SURPRISED BY BAD RESULTS). 3. Ask yourself how easily you can eliminate timewasting activities. 4. Ask yourself how you can invest more time on the activities that will lead you closer to your goals. 5. Schedule your next week according to what you discover.

Bust your ass for 2 hours straight with ZERO distractions. You get more done in a day if you solely focus your time on one thing instead of starting and stopping throughout the day. It really is that simple.

Just treating symptoms, IMO. As someone who is a major time-waster, a time-waster will always find a new way to waste-time if you take away his old one.

I drink a lot of water, too. But, I think it may actually cut into my productivity since I have to regain focus with each trip to the restroom.

This.

I find that once I get started with working, I usually "get into the zone" and can work very well for hours. But, if I even take a peek at what's on the internet...productivity is all gone.

I write my agenda for the day then start with the easiest stuff first to get into a rythm. after lunch, I get to the substantive stuff.