How to be more productive? 12 tips to be more productive

Being efficient at work and in our studies can save us a lot of problems. How to do it?

We live in a very competitive world, and this is reflected in all areas, including personal, but especially in the labor market.

Among the many qualities that are usually demanded and appreciated, one of those that companies take into account the most is the productivity and efficiency of the subject (how much can be done in the shortest possible time). It is a factor that is taken into account not only in hiring but also during the performance of a job. Also, over time this productivity should increase as the person gains experience.

But we can often have doubts about whether we are being sufficiently productive, as well as the intention to improve our efficiency and productivity. How to be more productive? Let's take a look at it throughout this article.

Tips to be more productive

Our productivity and effectiveness whether at work or in any other aspect of our life depends on a large number of factors.

Our motivation is one of them, but it is not the only one.Our ability to organize and concentrate, how we handle the completion of tasks and the ability to accept and react to changes are other of the many elements or factors that influence it. That is why, in order to be more productive and effective, it is useful to take into account the following considerations.

1. What are you going to do today? Plan and organize your day

If we want to increase our productivity, the first thing to do is to get organized, the first thing to do is to get organized.

Although in almost all jobs we must be able to adapt to changes and in some areas plans can change completely from one moment to the next, it is essential to have a clear idea of what we are going to spend our working time on and how we plan to spend it. It can be useful to make a list or a checklist if we need to. In this sense it is essential not to get overwhelmed: it is possible that we will not finish all the tasks we had planned.

We must also bear in mind that there will always be unforeseen eventsSo when planning, it would be a good idea to take into account the possibility of something going wrong, taking longer than planned or other intermediate tasks to be carried out. It is advisable that to our estimate of how long it should take us to do something we add half or at least 20% extra of the estimated time.

2. Learn to prioritize

Beyond being clear about what we are going to do during the day, in order to improve our productivity it will be necessary to be able to prioritize what should be done first: what is more urgent and what is more important (that is why it is so important to organize before and not leave the most important things for the end).

Obviously less urgent and unimportant tasks should be left for later. An exception could be the one that would occur if we get stuck with a task or it depends on others finishing theirs, in which case we can start doing other tasks.In this case, we can start doing other tasks to make the most of the time, if possible simpler ones, so that we gain confidence and take away work for later.

3. Divide the tasks: make the complex simple

Especially when the task to be undertaken includes a large number of elements and is of great complexity, it is convenient to try to separate it into different steps or simpler and shorter subtasks.

In this way we manage to organize ourselves in a way that makes the task to be performed much more manageable and the level of difficulty involved is reduced..

4. Eliminate distractors

With this we do not mean that you completely isolate yourself from the world, but we do mean that you try to block or remove stimuli that may attract your attention when you are busy doing something else..

For example, wear headphones to cancel ambient noise if you work with a computer, remove from the table the things you do not need or work in places where the temperature, light and noise are as far as possible stable and do not generate interruptions. Don't work in front of a TV (unless it's part of your job), put your cell phone aside and don't check your e-mail every five minutes.

5. One thing at a time

It is natural and very common that while we are doing a task we are thinking about how we will do the next one, and even that we try to do several things at the same time. With the possible exception of the simplest ones, it does not usually work: doing several things at once is the best way to do them badly and have to repeat them, besides being able to invest fewer resources in each of the tasks and slow you down.

So the most advisable thing to do (except with automated tasks), is to focus on a single thing at a time so that we can direct all our attention and resources to carry it outThis will undoubtedly allow it to be carried out in a more agile and productive way.

6. Accept your mistakes and learn from them.

We all make mistakes on occasion, as much as it may bother us to admit it. But people who get caught up in them and are unable to accept them will see their productivity greatly diminished. To err is human, and it is an opportunity to learn.

In this sense, it is also worth mentioning that noticing mistakes is good, but if we want to improve our productivity we must also try to find methods to make up for them, otherwise we could fall back into them again and again.

Thus, one way to improve our productivity is first to assess and analyze where we are going wrong or what we are doing wrong. analyze where we are going wrong or which parts of our work are weaker in order to work on them. in order to be able to work on them. It is about learning from experience and being able to act accordingly, without martyring ourselves but assuming our responsibility.

7. Take short breaks

Human beings cannot be constantly focused on a task, since our mental resources are limited. Although it may seem contrary to the idea of increasing productivity, it is advisable to take short breaks of a few minutes from time to time, so that our energy level can be maintained for a longer period of time for a longer period of time by restoring it from time to time.

However, these breaks should be short and not too frequent, and should not be taken when you are fully focused on a task. Approximately a break of five to ten minutes for every hour would be the most convenient..

8. Train your skills and educate yourself

An important point when it comes to increasing productivity is the idea of training one's abilities through various means. Elements such as discipline, reaction capacity, flexibility and willpower can be developed through techniques such as Mindfulness, physical exercise or the practice of cognitive stimulation exercises.

It is also of interest to to be trained on an ongoing basis, learning about the field in which you work.It is also interesting to learn about the field in which we are working, even if we are not required to do so. With this we could learn new techniques or methods that can improve our effectiveness and performance, in addition to being an added value for our company.

9. Recognize and reward yourself

It is important to value and recognize our effort and our work, even if we consider that what we have done is simple. We are not saying that we should exercise narcissism, but we should allow ourselves to feel satisfied with ourselves if we believe that we have given the best of ourselves.

It is also advisable to be able to self-reinforce and reward ourselves either with positive comments, doing pleasant activities for ourselves at the end of the day, or even giving ourselves a treat from time to time.by doing activities that are pleasant for us at the end of the day or even giving ourselves a treat from time to time.

10. Eat and sleep well

A very important point to improve productivity is to eat and sleep properly. Good nutrition and enough sleep can allow us to perform at our best, while lack of sleep, being hungry or not being well nourished will greatly reduce our potential.

11. Disconnect outside of work

Most of us have a stressful life marked by deadlines, goals or time limits, something that can be very difficult to achieve.This may be stimulating for some, but in the long run it can deplete our energy and affect our productivity.

In addition to this, we must remember that we are not only our work, but that work is only one facet of our life.

It is important to be what we are at work, but it is also important to be able to disconnect from it when we are not at the practice/office/workplace. Rest and take care of our personal life and our leisure time (it doesn't hurt to have a hobby) is something necessary that allows us to balance our energies in such a way that we can dispose of them when we are in the work environment, increasing our ability to be productive.

12. Recognize your own limits

Perhaps this is the most counterintuitive element of all those listed in this article, but the truth is that being able to know what our limits are helps us to improve our productivity.

In this sense, first of all recognize what resources we have and how far we can go helps us to plan ourselves, as well as not to take on an excess of tasks and demands that we cannot handle and that in the long run lead to over-saturation, frustration and loss of productivity.

Likewise, the fact of having them localized also allows us to try to train and promote our resources at an adequate pace in order to gradually increase our capacity as much as possible and thus assume more responsibilities without decreasing our productivity.

Bibliographical references:

• Nelson, D. (1980). Frederick W. Taylor and the Rise of Scientific Management. University of Wisconsin Press.