How to be more productive right now
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Home Grown by Toni Tiu
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia
You’re at work. You’re just staring at your computer. You feel like your brain is already fried—and your day hasn’t even started yet. Hello, mental block! There are times when you’re so overwhelmed by your workload that you don’t even know where to start. There are also days when you can’t focus on what needs to be done. Here are some tips that will help you get over your slump and take on your tasks ASAP.
You have to learn how to say, “No!” to the tasks that aren’t urgent. Multitasking doesn’t necessarily make you more productive. If seven tennis balls are thrown at you, chances are you’ll only catch one or two. When you’re doing too many tasks at the same time, you’ll only be able to focus on one. If you try to do everything, you only end up not doing anything right. That’s what happens when you spread yourself too thin.
Stop playing computer games at work. Worried over your Café World dishes? Frustrated by the hidden bombs in Minesweeper? You may not realize how much time you waste on these games until your boss asks for that long-overdue report. Playing games during breaks may refresh your mind and entertain you, but you have to know when to ditch them.
Turn down the noise. Switch off the TV or your mobile phone (as long as you’re not expecting work-related calls, of course). If the source of noise is an officemate with a loud voice or the distracting ringing of office phones, wear earplugs or listen to soothing music. Noise reduces work effectiveness, so it’s best to block it out.
Play the right kind of music. Once you’ve dealt with the noise, you can opt to play some mood-boosting music. Does classical music help you focus? Does rock music energize you? Experiment with different types of music and find out which genre works best for you. Find the soundtrack for productivity.
Take a power nap. Feeling drowsy after a heavy lunch? There’s no sense in forcing yourself to work if you can hardly keep your eyes open. A quick nap can boost your energy. Set an alarm that goes off in 15 minutes so you won’t oversleep. Get up as soon as the alarm rings. Resist hitting the snooze button.
Work under a limited time. That kitchen timer at home may be help you maximize your time at the office. Set it for 30 minutes and do as much as you can within that time frame. Sometimes, knowing that your time is limited can push you to work smarter.
Know when to ask for more time. Crunch time pressure can become unbearable and adversely affect your performance. You can try asking for just a little more time. Who knows? You may be granted a 30-minute extension and you’ll be able to come up with better work.
Disconnect from the Internet. Online distractions—such as surfing the Net and checking your e-mails—can cause productivity to drop. Close your browsers and stop checking your inbox every five minutes.
Take advantage of brainstorming sessions. Two heads are better than one—especially when it comes to stimulating creative juices. When you’ve run out of ideas, ask your officemate for suggestions. Brainstorming encourages lateral thinking, which can lead to more inspired solutions.
You can be productive right now. You can start by putting yourself in a productive state of mind. It doesn’t matter which productivity boosting technique you use. Everything will fall into place if you have the right mindset.
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