Productivity is listed all over the media as the biggest challenge for UK business.
According to recent figures from the Office of National Statistics, productivity in the UK has failed to increase since 2007. Apparently, it takes a worker in Britain five days to complete a task that an employee in France would complete in four.
KEY FACTS:
- As a whole, labour productivity is slightly lower than in 2007, prior to the economic downturn.
- The estimates from Blue Book 2014 (The ONS publication), show that the absence of productivity growth in the seven years since 2007 is unprecedented in the post-war period.
- Best performing sectors are manufacturing and construction industry
So let’s not moan about it and be productive! Here are some steps to help you increase the productivity in your workplace!
1. Eliminate all distractions! This includes your mobile phone, email notifications, social media buzzer and having multiple web browsers open on the desktop.
2. Complete your most dreaded tasks first thing in the morning. Whichever activity you are dreading the most is probably the one you need to complete first thing in the morning. Once you get it out of the way you can actually have a feel good factor and enjoy the other tasks ahead! Enjoying yourwork is the ultimate way to increase your productivity.
3. Music in the background. Whilst distractions should be avoided, sometimes a bit of music in the background can help you focus.Of course, it doesn’t need to be heavy rock music, but a bit of Beethoven may actually be of benefit and release endorphins to make you more productive.
4. Time of the day. Everyone has a certain time of the day in which they are more productive than others.Some people prefer to work in the morning while others concentrate better in the evenings or night time. Interestingly, the peak time for online libraries is between 2 and 3 am! Once you find out when your prime time is for productivity, you can then optimize your work schedule accordingly.
5. To do list. Write out a to-list each day.I like to plan my day the night before or alternatively first thing in the morning. This way, I can get started on my most important tasks as soon as I’m at my desk. Also, by keeping a notebook and pen on hand at all times, you can write down your thoughts, to-dos, and ideas at any time. The key is to get everything out of your head and onto paper. This way, your subconscious mind won’t be reminding you about it every other second.
6. Outsource as much as possible.This way you won’t be holding to things you are dreading, disliking and fairly speaking- you not very good at! You can then solely focus all your efforts on what you really like and are good at! You’ll find it very time and cost effective in the long run!
7. Tell other people about your goals. You will be instantly held accountable and there will be no excuses. You can find this a good motivating factor on your journey to success as well!
8. Learn keyboard shortcuts. Or create your own keyboard shortcuts with AutoHotKey. Improving your typing skills will save you time as well. It’s said that using keyboard shortcuts saves on average around 30 minutes a day, provided you work on a computer 8 hours a day. This adds up to 2h 30min a week!
9. Take a break.You can’t always be working at optimum productivity! Instead, you should shoot take short regular breaks, look away of your computer or even offer to make drinks for your team!
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