Entrepreneurs are constantly debating whether success results from hard work or luck. Experts believe that it takes a little bit of both – optimization of talent, time, productivity, and fate and fortune – for people to come through. Regardless, most people in the Oklahoma business industry depend on hard work to achieve their goals instead of relying on luck. Unfortunately, these odds toughen up a little more when it comes to business leaders.
Business leaders can’t sit around waiting for destiny to work its way. They have to make things happen regardless of the circumstances and motivate a team to do the same. As a leader, you know that the biggest challenge in working hard is keeping your productivity levels high throughout the day. Here are sixteen productivity tips experts swear by that can help you battle low productivity and maximize your performance:
1. Plan Every Day By Creating A To-Do List
Planning can help business leaders identify their goals. Once you know what needs to be done in a day, you can create strategies to complete the tasks one by one until everything is crossed off the to-do list.
2. Save Time By Investing In Flexible Resources
Business leaders never stop learning and educating themselves to improve what they do. However, work commitments hinder them from enrolling in traditional on-campus MBA programs. To save time and boost productivity, business leaders can enroll in flexible MBA programs online. These degree programs can help you enhance and improve your business skills at your own pace while working full-time in the office.
3. Prioritize Your Goals
Business leaders need to prioritize when dealing with multiple goals and limited time. Establishing priorities boosts productivity by separating tasks in terms of importance. Of course, doing everything yourself can get tricky at times, but prioritizing work can help you ensure that all necessary tasks are completed.
4. Divide Your Day Into Chunks
You can manage your work hours well by dividing your day into chunks. For example, thinking about an 8-hour workday can stress people out. However, changing your perspective by dividing the 8 hours into four chunks of work tasks can help people overcome the day little by little without feeling unmotivated.
5. Take Occasional Breaks During Work
When you take a 5-minute break after every 25 minutes of work, you can recharge your mind and body. This will help you restore your productivity levels regardless of how difficult or stressful the workday is.
6. Tackle The Biggest Challenge First
People begin their day with high motivation and productivity levels. Therefore, it’s good to tackle the most demanding tasks earlier in the day when you are most active. Moreover, getting the most important task out of the way can help you relax your mind to focus on other less challenging assignments.
7. Reward Yourself For Every Great Success
Business leaders need to acknowledge their successes and reward themselves. From convincing a critical client and winning a pitch to reaching your weekly target and hiring a worthy employee, celebrate all your big and small wins.
8. Reflect On Your Progress Weekly
Knowing where you stand currently is essential to knowing how far you’re from achieving your goal. Reflecting on weekly progress can help business leaders understand how much more time and effort they need to attain success. In addition, it helps you mentally and physically prepare yourself for coming to work next week with the ideal level of productivity.
9. Figure Out Your Most Productive Time of The Day
Not everyone works well in the morning. For example, some business leaders are most productive after having their favorite food during lunch break, while others are most productive at night when the world is quiet and asleep. Therefore, observe your productivity levels throughout the day to find your productive time to schedule the most important tasks.
10. Block Distractions To Increase Productivity
You need to set all other commitments aside when working on a highly demanding project. Eliminating possible distractions can help you boost productivity levels by enhancing your focus and concentration.
11. Do Not Waste Time On Unnecessary Tasks
An average worker spends 4.1 hours of their day checking their inbox – replying to emails and chats – which seriously declines their productivity levels. Business leaders can’t waste precious time doing such unnecessary tasks when they can be training employees to work better and making more deals for business expansion.
12. Minimize Hard Work With Automation
Business leaders must try automating as many tasks as possible to save energy and effort. Converting manual labor into machine work using several productivity-boosting apps can help you stay ahead of your game without feeling too exhausted.
13. Do Not Rely On Multitasking
Jumping from one task to another can severely affect your mental, emotional, and physical health. Multitasking is not a good idea when looking to maximize your productivity level. Focusing all your energy and ability on one task at a time can help you achieve excellent results.
14. Beat Your Biggest Enemy – Procrastination
According to several studies, 95% of people are occasional procrastinators. Business leaders can’t waste time procrastinating as it severely decreases productivity levels. Experts advise people to begin doing a task for 25 minutes only to beat procrastination. Individuals always complete the entire task once they’ve gone through 25 minutes of work.
15. Maintain A Work-Life Balance
Business leaders need to maintain a work-life balance to keep their productivity levels. You can do this by setting boundaries (not taking calls after work hours end), normalizing saying no (to unnecessary tasks and favors), delegating tasks (to ask others for help instead of draining yourself), and committing to a routine (separating work hours from social hours).
16. Take Time Out For Yourself
You can’t expect yourself to lead or motivate people when you’re exhausted. Business leaders should sleep well, eat well, and take occasional vacations to unwind and relax. Appreciate the hills, lakes, forests, and Great Plains, or visit museums, art galleries, and scenic gardens to enjoy some me-time.
Conclusion
Today’s competitive landscape has forced business leaders to push themselves beyond boundaries to attain success. It explains why a decline in productivity levels is so common in workplaces these days. The secret to taking every day by storm is moving ahead one step at a time. Relying on the tips mentioned above will help you keep your productivity levels up as you move closer to your goal. While implementing these tips, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Commitment and consistency are the only two things that will help you boost your workplace productivity. Good luck!