After our recent blog on monotasking, we thought we’d spark a conversation around some tips to help us improve productivity. At the beginning of anything new, we generally like to think about how we can do things differently this time around. Whether it’s a new year, job, relationship or hobby, we consider why our previous chapter ended and how we can improve with our new opportunity.

Here are some ideas to be more productive.

1. Simplify your space

You can easily be distracted when there’s too much going on in your workspace. Your work environment is vital in how productive and focused you can be.

Regardless of where you’re working, practise reducing outside distractions to focus more easily on the tasks at hand. For example, try noise-cancelling headphones if you’re frequently distracted by noise. If you don’t have a great working chair, try using a lumbar support cushion. Reduce clutter and make sure your desktop is clean and organised.

2. Manage your time strategically

If you’ve developed some bad habits when it comes to procrastinating, you’re not alone. We can all beat procrastination with simple time management strategies. These strategies help us get in the right headspace, reduce procrastination, and increase productivity. The Pomodoro Technique, Pareto Principle, GTD method, and Eat That Frog! Strategy are all great ways to ease into better habits with our time management. A quick Google search on any of them will give you loads of information on implementing them in your schedule.

3. Reduce busywork

Work about work drains productivity. Busywork shows up as unimportant, time-consuming tasks, accidentally duplicating work, or lengthy processes to find information or get approvals. Without clarity on who’s doing what by when, a lot of our time is drained into ineffective tasks.

4. Avoid multitasking

Focus on one task at a time to get into a flow state. As said in our previous blog, we aren’t good at multitasking. When we attempt to do two things at once, our brains process information for both tasks more slowly. As a result, instead of doing one thing well, we ultimately do two things less well.

Before you dive into work, eat a snack, go to the bathroom, and pour yourself a glass of water, so you aren’t distracted by physical discomfort. Listen to calming music if that helps you focus.

Ironically, we can often achieve more by doing less. If you find any of these four productivity tips helpful, try practising them right from today.