How can you actually work productively and thereby avoid burdensome stress? There are only 24 hours in a day. Nevertheless, the list of our daily tasks often seems endless. Only one thing can help: productivity. Working productively without being stressed helps you to enjoy your working days more and feel the uplifting feeling of making progress.
In this article, I will therefore give you 10 tips that will help you achieve maximum productivity.
1. create the basis for productive and stress-free work
Imagine you want to drive a car race, but the gearbox is badly worn, the tank is half empty and the steering wheel doesn't really want to turn. Doesn't sound like the ideal conditions for a successful race, does it?
Even if (as I assume) you are not a car, it is just as important for your body to be in good shape so that you can work at full throttle or simply work productively. There are plenty of good Tips to improve work life balance.
If you don't get enough sleep at night, it will be difficult for you to be fully productive and stress-free the next day. If your diet consists mainly of fast food and energy drinks, it's very possible that you won't be able to perform at your best. Enough to sleepyou (at least to some extent) to eat healthily and Regular exercise contribute greatly to keeping your stress levels low and your productivity high.
For example, look at the article Sleep better and Blog about natural health an.
2. divide your day
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
Winston Churchill
A proverb that has a lot of truth in it. Plan is one of your most important allies for productive and stress-free work. The beauty of planning is that it creates Order into the mass of tasks and plans in your head and puts them on paper in a clear form. Once you have done this, you no longer need to spend a lot of your mental energy juggling your tasks mentally. Because your plan will now do that for you.
Once your tasks for the day are clear, prioritize them e.g. from A (crucial), B (moderately important) to C (relatively unimportant).
This way, less important C-tasks don't get in the way of the crucial A-tasks anymore and you have a clear path to get started with the really important things and simply work productively and without stress.
At the same time, you divide up your day and set yourself goals so that you can achieve more in less time. At the end of the day, you can review your daily routine and think about why certain tasks went well and others less well. This will give you valuable insights that will make your future working days even more productive and stress-free.
3. say no for more productive work
Don't take on more than you can carry. Even if it's nice to get more done: It's Better to do four tasks well than five tasks just right while being completely stressed and under pressure. If you are fully booked, don't hesitate to turn down requests or orders. We all only cook with water.
Your superiors, employees and customers will understand. This will save you stress and allow you to tackle your tasks with productivity and significantly less stress.
4. do the difficult tasks first
There are few things that weigh more heavily on us at work than putting off important projects. When you have crucial tasks like a project with approaching deadline or a Important conversation you postpone your work, this causes you stress. This in turn affects your productivity in other tasks.
Therefore: Approach the colossus in a straight line. In most cases, it will turn out to be much smaller than you previously assumed. It can be enormously helpful for you, for example, to divide a large project into many mini-steps.
In the StartUp world, one speaks of the Eat-The-Frog Methodwhich means doing the challenging, stressful tasks first. This allows you to work much more productively.
This way, your brain is less likely to react with excessive demands and your progress on the project remains manageable for you. This in turn means that you will experience the task as much more motivating, as you will have a sense of achievement with the completion of each small mini-step.
5. take breaks for more productivity
Even if it can sometimes be tempting to work non-stop, regular breaks are a good idea. Important counterbalance for your workloadto keep your system in balance. Incorporating breaks into your working day helps you to lower your stress levels and clear your head. Move around during your break. Get some fresh air if you can or open the windows. More oxygen makes you more alert and efficient and allows you to work much more productively.
A short mindfulness meditation can also help you recharge your batteries. Then, when you get back to work, you can complete your tasks more productively and effectively with more energy.
Always articles More energy in everyday life you can find out more about this.
6. eliminate distractions
It's in our nature to get distracted by things. Especially when they are just easy exciting are. Whether it's a new message on your cell phone, an interesting-sounding article or simply the thought of checking the weather forecast for the next few days: all of these can give you the urge to spontaneously reprioritize your tasks.
It's more fun in the short term, but less productive at work in the long term. In addition, following such impulses eats away at your self-efficacy, which is a key component of your self-esteem.
To leave such distractions to the left, the first step is to look at them. To actually become aware of distractions. Every time you realize that you have been distracted - no matter what - write it down, including the time it happened. This will help you to recognize patterns so that you can master these distractions. This will enable you to work more productively in future and avoid stress.
At the same time, create motivation to stay focused. For example, if you can manage to do all of your Workday without social media (unless they are important for your work itself) then reward yourself - for example with a delicious dinner, a movie you've always wanted to see or a much-needed get-together with friends. This will teach your brain to associate distraction-free work with positive emotions, making it easier for you to work in a truly focused and productive way.
7. put e-mails on a leash
Unnecessarily checking your email inbox many times a day can creep up on you as an unseen distraction. When responding to emails is not your primary task, set certain times to read and answer your mails. A good guideline for this is three times a day. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once before you finish work. Therefore, also switch off the push notifications for new, incoming emails.
Also, once you've read an email, don't put off replying to it until later. This only takes up unnecessary space in your mental working memory. Instead, reply immediately.
8. create a working environment for productive work
Your working environment also plays a role in a productive and stress-free workflow. Make it as encouraging as possible. Try as much Daylight as possible at your workplace. If there is no window nearby, you can also use a daylight lamp to help. Regularly to ventilateto have enough oxygen is also not a bad idea.
To find out what an empowering workspace looks like for you, you may need to experiment a little. Perhaps hanging motivational or inspirational phrases in front of your desk will make you more productive and focused. A bit of greenery in the form of plants has also been shown in studies to have a positive effect on mood in the workplace. Or you could place photos of your family, friends or role models in front of you.
Whatever keeps you grounded, happy and motivated will most likely also make you more productive and less stressed.
9. define specific processing times for tasks
Have you ever had the experience of a Deadline for a task and being able to complete it just in time for the deadline? Was it because of the actual scope of the task or because of how you approached it? British sociologist Cyril Northcote Parkinson would have argued strongly for the latter in most cases. According to him, the scope of a task expands in proportion to the amount of time you have to complete it.
If you have 24 hours to complete a project, you will focus purely on the essentials to get the job done. If you have a week to complete the same task, you'll probably spend a lot more time on unnecessary aspects of the task. And if the deadline for that project is a month in the future, you have a whole month to be unproductive in your approach. Because you simply have less reason to be effective at work due to the "overflow" of time. This phenomenon is known as "Parkinson's Law".
To avoid falling victim to it and work productively, set clear time slots for your tasks and projects. This will ensure that you focus on the essentials and achieve your goal effectively.
10. when your work is done, it is done
Set your working hours clear boundaries. When you have finished your work, close all the windows on your computer and consciously end your working day. Leave your work at work. Give your work email inbox and yourself a break until the next working day and have some fun in your free time.
Times of relaxation are just as important for your productivity as your work itself. Only when you are relaxed can you perform at your best in the long term and complete your tasks effectively and stress-free.
Productive work without stress
To this Advice you don't really need much time. Whether you prioritize and plan your working day in advance, send your social media into temporary hibernation or say "no" to a request instead of "yes" so that you can complete the rest of your tasks more effectively: It's often small differences that make all the difference. If you want, you can start today and immediately boost your productivity at work.
You are just looking for a new job with real added value for you, the environment and society? Then take a look at the new sustainable job portal from CareElite. There you will find many job offers for exciting sustainable jobs that will fulfill you in the long term. And if you approach such a job with productivity and effectively make the world more sustainable - all the better!
Best regards,
PS: In theWork & Finance Blogyou will find more valuable tips for a healthy everyday life. Click through to the article, for example When does a job make you happy? and learn more about an exhilarating working day.
Thanks for this great blog. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Bob! 😉
Many greetings,
Christoph