- One of the main challenges of being an effective employee is finding ways to stay productive and happy at the same time.
- But the trick isn’t to work harder. Instead, what you should focus on is finding ways to work smarter.
- In this guide, we go over 5 habits of highly productive people, which you should make a point of adopting in 2018.
With 2018 fast approaching, it’s time to bring out the usual set of New Year’s resolutions. Aside from promising to eat healthy and save more, why not try to make yourself more productive at work?
And contrary to what you might think, being productive isn’t a matter of working harder, it’s about working smarter and using your time wisely. Listed below are five workplace productivity habits to set you up for success in 2018.
1. Stay on Top of Your Commitments
Instead of committing your tasks, projects, and ideas to memory write them down, whether on a planner, your Notes app on your phone, or email. Every time someone gives you a task or project, don’t just hold it in your head—write it down somewhere safe and accessible.
This is especially useful if you’re someone who experiences anxiety just by thinking of all your to-dos. In fact, when you have a checklist of tasks, checking off each to-do can be stress relieving in itself.
2. Triage Your To-Dos
Aside from writing down tasks and projects, it’s also important to triage your to-dos so you can clarify which item on your list needs immediate action. This allows you to use your time more efficiently by prioritizing tasks that need your attention right away and defer (not procrastinate) those that can wait.
3. Get Easy Tasks Out of the Way
Aside from urgency, consider the relative ease of completing a task when triaging your to-dos. If you can do something in two minutes or less, then by all means, do those right away instead of letting them pile up and take up more time and space than they should.
4. Evaluate Yourself Once a Week
Productive employees routinely spend time each week to evaluate their work and align their list of tasks with their priorities and overall career goals. During these evaluations, ask yourself: Is this task relevant to my goal of prioritizing urgent tasks? Does it help me reach my career goals? Is it beneficial to my personal growth?
5. Find Time to Recharge
As much as you value your work and ability to stay productive and driven, it’s also important to give yourself some “me time” to unplug from work and recharge your batteries. Motivation is not an infinite resource. Put yourself through the daily grind long enough, and you’ll eventually burn out.
“Me time” is something that depends on what gives you personal satisfaction. It can be spending a day off to read a book, going for a run, or hiking in the woods. Whatever the case, make sure you commit to your personal time and shut out your work life, even if it’s just for one day.
For more career insights and ideas, be sure to follow this blog. If you’re hunting for a job and need a push in the right direction, talk to the tech recruitment specialists of The Crevalle Group. Call our offices today to learn more about how our services can help you.