Ever had the feeling of never having time to complete your day's work? If you regularly skip lunch breaks or family commitments just to be able to make some progress in your daily routine work, then you should probably read on. Increased workload is a fact in most offices today. In these troubled times, companies are actively reducing cost so that they are firing (or at least not hiring) people. This means more work for the incumbents. Many employees today have much difficulty in coping with their workload. In this article, we review some of the techniques most people can adopt to increase their productivity at work while having sufficient time to relax and enjoy life.
Tip #1: Plan your Work
Time management buffs have hammered this point often enough. Starting the day with a well structured, concise and clear plan makes two things clear:
(i) You KNOW what to achieve at the end of the day (i.e. how much work you really need to do today)
(ii) You are more or less aware of how much time you need for each activity. In other words, you set a time limit for each task.
Planning involves two interrelated concepts: prioritization and goal setting. Postpone all the non-urgent jobs for the next day. Concentrate on what is essential to get through today and set them as the targets that you have to achieve.
One word of caution: never answer calls or check your email before you have completed your plan. You may never get to see the end of the planning process itself. If you expect a hectic day, come to the office fifteen minutes earlier to have sufficient time for planning.
Tip #2: Work your Plan
Planning without action means nothing. If you do not adhere to your plan, you will end up as crazy as you were without it. Do not allow unnecessary interruptions in your work: unforeseen meetings, friends calling in for a chat, lengthy phone calls…etc. Often, interruptions cannot be avoided. For example, your co-workers, staff or even boss may call on you to solve certain pressing issues. Avoid these meetings (if the issue is not too pressing) until you have completed the first three priorities of the day.
Tip #3: Technology helps!
If you can arrange for meeting with an email instead of the lengthy phone conversation, how much time would you have saved? Technologies like email, faxes, instant messages that avoid face to face contact are great time-saving devices. Making proper use of them is key to productive office work.
Tip #4: Delegation
Not many employees have the privilege of being able to delegate their work to others. But if you are a manager, you can hand over non-essential tasks to subordinates. This frees up your time for more important issues that you have to consider.
Tip #5: Take a Break!
Working incessantly has been known to decrease productivity over time. Micro-breaks (i.e. less than 5 minutes), especially if you are always in front of your computer screen, are very beneficial for your health as well as your productivity. Short intervals for relaxation enable us to sustain the work effort for a longer period.
