Business Bytes: Don’t be bitter – be better

If you’re like most of us, you’ve probably bitterly stared over at your colleague who seems to be doing ten times more work than you, but working half as hard. Whilst they might not be pouring blood sweat and tears into their work like you are, they have certainly found a smarter way of getting the job done. So how do they do it?

1. Short bursts

If like me, you read that as starbursts, don’t worry, those can also help with productivity.

According to research, resting more can actually boost performance. The study by professor Ericsson shows that the top workers take frequent breaks in between their short bursts of work.

By working in 30 minute bursts, you’ll find an increase in productivity, whilst giving yourself time to breathe as well. Pomotodo is a useful tool to help manage your daily tasks and make you into a productive worker.

2. Make fewer decisions

This tip is simple, but often overlooked by staff. Decision making can be tough and will drain our energy if we are forced to make too many. By giving yourself less decisions over the course of the day, you will be able to retain energy to maintain productivity levels.

The best solution I have for this problem is to automate your life and eliminate all the small and not-so-important decisions. Being organised can massively reduce the daily stress of making our mind up.

3. Structure your procrastination

Avoiding the larger problems in life is natural and trying to fight procrastination can only make it worse. So don’t.

Embrace your inner procrastinator and use this time to work on the little tasks. Once those are out of the way. This will help to build the momentum and the energy you need for the final, most important task.

4. Measure

Imagine you’re trying to lose a couple of pounds, how will you know what progress you’ve made if you fail to get your measuring tape out? It’s exactly the same process with improving productivity. By measuring how much time you spend on each task, you’ll be able to physically see progression over time.

5. Create deadlines – and stick to them

The horrible task that you have been putting off makes all of your other work feel like you’re wading through treacle. Give yourself a deadline and commit to it, and reward yourself when you do manage to stick to it. Success is achieved one completed task at a time.

Once you have implemented tips one to five into your working life and you’ve managed to focus on your own job, the productivity will follow.