5 Ways To Be More Productive At Work (Even While at Home)

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Whether you’re working from home or still stuck in the office, productivity has taken a nosedive in the midst of our new “normal.” Rather than tackling that to-do list first thing in the morning, most of us are looking for distractions and entertainment. Anything to take our minds off of work and the current world events. Unfortunately, no-work equals no-pay. Even if you feel like browsing Instagram feeds for the 5th time before 10:00 AM, there are ways to be more productive, even if you’re working in your pajamas. Let’s explore 5 simple ways to boost your productivity and get to work fast.

 

Plan Your Day Out Ahead of Time

Don’t dive into one task only to find yourself unsure of what to do after. Not knowing what to do next can lead to anxiety, which will inevitably lead to procrastination. Experts recommend always having your day planned out ahead of time. Map out when you want to accomplish each task and set daily goals. You can even reward yourself with little treats throughout the day for reaching certain milestones.

When it comes to planning out your day, go ahead and “swallow the frog.” That means, do all of your hardest tasks first and leave your easier goals for later in the day. Generally speaking, people do better if the hard stuff is out of the way and they have something to look forward to.

 

Cut Out Distractions

Whether you’re working from home or an office, cut out any distraction you can. Strive to set aside a few hours a day where you simply work without losing focus. Leave off the TV or radio, turn your cell phone to silent, and close out any tabs with social media. Prioritize what you want to accomplish first and decide the importance of each task. Classify each task according to urgency and importance. Decide when you will do each task and get to work. As a reward, tell yourself you can scroll through Facebook for 20 minutes after you’ve got the most important tasks checked off your list.

 

Multi-Task With Text-To-Speech

Here’s a hack most people aren’t familiar with: using text-to-speech technology to multi-task. Rather than reading boring emails or documents, put them into a text-to-speech application such as Notevibes and listen to the words out loud while you accomplish other tasks. This allows you to stay on top of your workload, without compromising other important documents, letters, or emails that may need your attention also.

Text-to-speech can also be clutch if you’re trying to write a word document but aren’t sure how it sounds. Simply input your work into the application and hear your words as others will. This can be a great editing tool if you feel you’ve hit a mental wall in terms of how and what to write.

 

Divide and Conquer

Sometimes the very idea of working for 8 hours straight is enough to make you not want to work at all. Instead of looking at the work “day,” block your day off into tiny little work sections. This is especially key if you’re working from home. For example, if you feel most productive in the morning, block out the hours in which you work best and use that time to meet your most important goals. If you’re someone who likes to work for a bit and then clears your head, you might do well with an off/on every hour type of schedule. Of course, if you’re working in an office you may not have that flexibility, but at home, this can be key to staying productive.

 

Utilize Productivity Tools

Still, feeling rather unproductive? There’s no harm in reaching out to technology for a bit of help. There are plenty of tools and applications available to help you accomplish several tasks. Trello is one example of a productivity tool where you can key in tasks and follow up accordingly. You’ll even get reminders if there is work that needs to be done. At the end of the day, do what it takes to get your work done and then go from there. No one needs to be productive 24/7.

 

 

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