How to Be Productive at Work

Prioritize your assignments., Take a stimulating break., Reduce your multitasking., Cut out digital distractions., Deal with distracting coworkers., Monitor your amount of coffee., Avoid a large lunch.

7 Steps 4 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Prioritize your assignments.

    Complete the most urgent assignment first.

    Don’t put off an important assignment for easier projects.

    If you start to put off a tougher project, you’ll continue to use excuses why not to finish the task at hand.

    Productivity doesn’t always mean completing a large pile of work.

    Completing one project can surmount to a productive day as long as that project was at the top of your to-do list.You’ll feel energized by completing the tougher project and have momentum to stay productive.
  2. Step 2: Take a stimulating break.

    Instead of going to the break room to cruise through your phone on your breaks, take a 5-10 minute walk.

    Go out to get a cup of coffee from across the street.

    Whenever you feel mentally fatigued, you can help stimulate your brain activity by moving your body and by drinking more water.

    Avoid social media during short breaks.

    Even on your break, social media can cause a major distraction from your productivity at work.

    Strike up a chat with a co-worker.

    It is healthy to take a small break every two hours to retain a productive focus. , Many people think they are good at multitasking, but multitasking in the work environment causes more harm than help.

    Many jobs require you to handle multiple projects or assignments at one time, but you aren’t meant to juggle four assignments in an hour's worth of time.

    When you attempt to lend your focus to multiple tasks, your work's quality suffers.

    Focus your attention on one task for around two hours.

    Take a break and then move on to a different assignment.

    You can benefit by breaking up assignments into different time slots.

    Resist the urge to stare at the clock, but instead dedicate your energy to working. , Our culture is wired-into social media and technology.

    Some interruptions in the workplace are unavoidable, but attempt to limit those interruptions for the sake of your productivity.

    Set your phone to silent instead of vibrate.

    Avoid your social media profiles while at work.

    If you boss finds you checking Facebook, it won’t look professional.

    Many people claim they can work better by listening to music.

    Take off the headphones while in the office, unless you truly are getting quality work completed. , Reflect if you have chatty coworkers who may take up a lot of your time.

    Sometimes it is best for you to be honest with this type of coworker by telling them.

    Say your colleague starts chatting you up about the Oscars.

    Instead of nodding along to their banter, say: “Listen Todd, I really need to edit the Horowitz Report.

    Can this wait?” “Cindy, could we talk about this later? I am piled up with files right now.” ”Hey, I just got an idea and I need to get it out before it goes.

    See you at lunch.” , Caffeine is how our society goes to work and operates, but there is a line you don’t want to exceed.

    If you drink too much coffee or energy drinks, you could experience an upset stomach, nervousness, restlessness, and irritability.

    Around 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is considered safe for healthy adults.

    This translates to about four cups of coffee or two energy drinks.Four cups of coffee is too much for some people.

    If you drink coffee too late in the day, it could cause insomnia and result in an unproductive workday. , We cannot stay focused on an empty stomach because of our food is broken down into glucose, or energy for our brain.

    Some foods release glucose at a quicker rate and cause a crashing slump afterwards.

    These are meals to avoid: pasta, bread, cereal, soda, cheeseburgers, and BLTs.

    Instead of eating indulgently, plan out your meal before you get hungry.

    Pack a bag of food that helps your brain like fruits, vegetables, and almonds for snacking at the desk.Eat a light lunch that nourishes you more than it “fills” you.
  3. Step 3: Reduce your multitasking.

  4. Step 4: Cut out digital distractions.

  5. Step 5: Deal with distracting coworkers.

  6. Step 6: Monitor your amount of coffee.

  7. Step 7: Avoid a large lunch.

Detailed Guide

Complete the most urgent assignment first.

Don’t put off an important assignment for easier projects.

If you start to put off a tougher project, you’ll continue to use excuses why not to finish the task at hand.

Productivity doesn’t always mean completing a large pile of work.

Completing one project can surmount to a productive day as long as that project was at the top of your to-do list.You’ll feel energized by completing the tougher project and have momentum to stay productive.

Instead of going to the break room to cruise through your phone on your breaks, take a 5-10 minute walk.

Go out to get a cup of coffee from across the street.

Whenever you feel mentally fatigued, you can help stimulate your brain activity by moving your body and by drinking more water.

Avoid social media during short breaks.

Even on your break, social media can cause a major distraction from your productivity at work.

Strike up a chat with a co-worker.

It is healthy to take a small break every two hours to retain a productive focus. , Many people think they are good at multitasking, but multitasking in the work environment causes more harm than help.

Many jobs require you to handle multiple projects or assignments at one time, but you aren’t meant to juggle four assignments in an hour's worth of time.

When you attempt to lend your focus to multiple tasks, your work's quality suffers.

Focus your attention on one task for around two hours.

Take a break and then move on to a different assignment.

You can benefit by breaking up assignments into different time slots.

Resist the urge to stare at the clock, but instead dedicate your energy to working. , Our culture is wired-into social media and technology.

Some interruptions in the workplace are unavoidable, but attempt to limit those interruptions for the sake of your productivity.

Set your phone to silent instead of vibrate.

Avoid your social media profiles while at work.

If you boss finds you checking Facebook, it won’t look professional.

Many people claim they can work better by listening to music.

Take off the headphones while in the office, unless you truly are getting quality work completed. , Reflect if you have chatty coworkers who may take up a lot of your time.

Sometimes it is best for you to be honest with this type of coworker by telling them.

Say your colleague starts chatting you up about the Oscars.

Instead of nodding along to their banter, say: “Listen Todd, I really need to edit the Horowitz Report.

Can this wait?” “Cindy, could we talk about this later? I am piled up with files right now.” ”Hey, I just got an idea and I need to get it out before it goes.

See you at lunch.” , Caffeine is how our society goes to work and operates, but there is a line you don’t want to exceed.

If you drink too much coffee or energy drinks, you could experience an upset stomach, nervousness, restlessness, and irritability.

Around 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is considered safe for healthy adults.

This translates to about four cups of coffee or two energy drinks.Four cups of coffee is too much for some people.

If you drink coffee too late in the day, it could cause insomnia and result in an unproductive workday. , We cannot stay focused on an empty stomach because of our food is broken down into glucose, or energy for our brain.

Some foods release glucose at a quicker rate and cause a crashing slump afterwards.

These are meals to avoid: pasta, bread, cereal, soda, cheeseburgers, and BLTs.

Instead of eating indulgently, plan out your meal before you get hungry.

Pack a bag of food that helps your brain like fruits, vegetables, and almonds for snacking at the desk.Eat a light lunch that nourishes you more than it “fills” you.

About the Author

K

Karen Simmons

Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.

58 articles
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