Having a productive day is different for everyone, some need more coffee while others need a granola bar for a quick breakfast. You need to find what works best to increase your productivity level that will also leave you less to stress over.
Having a productive day starts before the day even happens, it’s recommended to take a moment before you leave work to make a list of priorities for the next day and leave it at your desk. When you come in, you’ll already have a list waiting for you to do as soon as you start working.
Sometimes there are certain tasks you’ll put aside that can be stressful yet important by doing a series of smaller tasks that need to be done to procrastinate from that one task you are avoiding. The best way to deal with these tasks is head-on by starting your day completing the task you’re avoiding, and the rest of the day will seem easy in comparison with less stress.
It seems like everyone can seamlessly multi-task, but some people aren’t too good at juggling multiple tasks at the same time. If you feel overwhelmed with multi-tasking, try single-tasking that will help you focus on one project to completion and move on to the next with ease.
Having a good break balance is essential to have a good productivity flow because spending a long time working can make you tired and less productive. You don’t have to take a long break by doing something simple as getting up to stretch or walk in place for a moment.
The important thing to remember when taking a break is to make sure you don’t spend too much time that can get you in trouble. You can consider the Pomodoro Technique of working for 25 minutes straight then taking a short break that will help you maintain productivity.
If your work environment allows headphones or earbuds to listen to music, this can help keep you motivated or lift your energy level. If you work in an open office space, this can help you block out the distracting noise around you to focus on the task at hand.
Eating lunch at your desk might seem more practical but it’s recommended to use your break time to get away from the desk you sit at nearly all day. You can try having lunch in the break area or cafeteria if you have one, another option is finding a local outdoor area like a park with a picnic table to enjoy the outdoors for a moment.
Checking your email is essential but if you check it but each time you go to check it, you drop the priority on your current task and get you off track. If you work in an industry where emails need to be replied to immediately it’s understandable to check frequently but if you can try to limit checking your email to every half hour.