“Productivity” We corporate people hear this word every now
and then. We are always asked to push towards giving more productivity. But simple
it looks; productivity is a hard nut to crack. Productivity is not about working
complete 8 hours of the day without taking any breaks. Or stretching your day
beyond regular 8 hours and making other envious. Productivity is giving our
best in working hours. Having said that, I also believe in having a few extra
hours where we can think about just us. But the question is from where those
extra hours will come?
With best of my understanding and experience of 8 years in IT sector, I have a suggestion. Start your morning on the productive note and by the end of the day, you’ll have at least an hour for yourself. And this absolutely doesn’t mean skipping those short coffee and tea breaks. You can take them and still can enjoy a productive day.
Rule 1. Don’t check your email until it’s necessary: Many of
us have a habit of checking email as they
get up in the morning. Every notification, every attachment and every meeting
request we try to check and respond and ultimately we end up getting late for office.
Checking emails frequently is the biggest reason for losing focus and getting bored
with the office. So do yourself a favor, don’t even look at your phone in the
morning hours. If needed, you can jot
down a TODO list in your diary and can start your work after reaching office.
Rule 2. Start with trickiest task first thing in the morning:
In the morning we generally have a clear
and light head so our creative bones work faster. This means eat that frog
first which is giving you the biggest challenge. If during the day, you feel that you have
given enough mind over something and it’s still not done, leave it for next
morning. You can, of course, discuss this
with your boss if the task can wait till next morning. And if he is not
agreeing then you can’t delay it. Keep on breaking it. The Boss is always right
(you know that)!
Rule 3. Exercise is important: This we often ignore. It’s a
kind of habit which is easy to cultivate and even easier to ignore. A daily morning
workout is not only good for your body, but also for your mind.
It helps relieve the stress points and gives energies in return. If not
much then for 10 minutes every day. Get that heart beat racing and fight the
day with full power! It boosts your creativity and keeps you fit!
Rule 4: No facebook,
twitter or other social media till you complete 3 hours of work: The minutes you open your eyes in the
morning, you pick your phone and facebooking gets on. You fear that today might
be your friend’s birthday or even your anniversary and facebook can save a lot
of your blood. So you check facebook/twitter
updates and your work starts right from there. While wishing everyone and commenting on political stuff, you don’t
realize that you have only 30 minutes to get ready for office. So don’t get
into a loop and set a deadline for yourself. Unless you get at least 3 hours (or at least 2 hours) of work in, do not even think about going near that
notification!
Rule 5: Make your
TODOs the night before: Maintaining a diary is always assumed good. It’s
the best way to ensure you are on track. Just spend 15 minutes every night to
write down things which you are about to target next day. Be it work or other
stuff like phone bill payment or calling a relative. No fumbling around then and
you can get straight to business next day.
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