A Dozen Tips for Increasing Productivity: How to Stay on Track in 2019
Every manager wants to become more efficient in his/her personal and professional life. To get this, they need to constantly organize their to-do lists, prioritize what is important and figure out an organizational system that works for them. Here I combine the most important tips on how to increase productivity.
If you want to start your new 2019 year from a clean page and become more successful in the new time span, then this article is right for you!
10 tips on how to become more productive in 2019
Let’s start with the basic and fundamental things. Perhaps, the first piece of advice will seem boring and trivial, but I would advise you to start with reading. A smart book may become an initial conductor to the world of productivity.
Expand your library of productivity books
There are plenty of books and monumental articles about productivity — what to choose?
When it comes to putting all of these books together, it is very difficult to choose between them, with so many good ones out there. Here I’ve picked the 5 best productivity books out there.
- The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.
The crux of this powerful book is that by managing your energy intelligently, you will have a chance to become more productive.
“The Power of Full Engagement” has helped many people at work and at home to balance stress and recovery and sustain high performance. It is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully.
The book also provides a life-changing roadmap to becoming more fully engaged, meaning physically energized, emotionally connected and mentally focused.
2. Getting Results the Agile Way by J.D. Meier and Michael Kropp
The book looks like a set of strategies to simplify your life and get more done. “Getting Results the Agile Way” is readable and insanely practical; the tactics are lightweight and helpful in getting a lot more done without hours of planning.
The authors propose a systematic way to achieve both short- and long-term results in all aspects of your life from work to fun.
3. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
The author of the book focuses on the practical things we can do every day in order to become happier and get more done.
When we are positive, our brains become more creative, energetic, engaged, motivated and productive at work. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology, neuroscience, and management studies.
In his book, Shawn Achor shows us how we can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve our performance and maximize our potential.
4. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
You may say that this book is already a classic, however, it is still relevant today. This book is a great primer on working smarter and outsourcing elements of your work.
Reading this guide you will teach how to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want; how to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist, how to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements” and much more.
5. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Here you’ll learn how habits work, how you can form new habits, and change the ones you already have.
This author explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits. He presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work.
Insightful posts and articles are also powerful. Here’re some great examples:
· How I stay productive as a Product Manager
· Effective Recommendations on How to Be Productive in Project Management
Avoid multitasking
Often product managers want to take care of a few tasks at once, especially if they seem small or easy. But this is the wrong way.
We’re just fooling ourselves when we say we can easily juggle communication, phone calls, presentations, and watching videos. Try to focus on only one task at a time. You will actually end up completing it faster.
Add breaks
Breaks are critical! Do not think that working longer hours means getting more done. Taking regular breaks will help to concentrate and boost your mood. No need to discover continents, just take 5 minutes to walk around your office or spend some time grabbing that mid-afternoon coffee.
Let’s be honest — when we spend more than 8 hours at a desk without moving around, we will notice that we have less energy. Remember that productivity is not measured by the number of hours but by how much you get done without sacrificing your health.
Set proper goals
This is the most cheesy tip but it still works. The concept of SMART goals setting provides us with confidence on the way to success.
Often, seeing a handful of big projects on our calendar can be stressful. Try to break them into smaller tasks. You’ll feel more in control and will be much more productive.
It will keep you on track in your day-to-day and make the bigger projects seem less daunting.
Implement to-do lists and schedule
There are simple and complex tasks. To stay on top of tasks, you may create to-do lists and track them using Google Tasks. They synchronize with Gmail and Google Calendar, and it makes it easier to refer to them while on-the-go. Large tasks can be broken into multiple smaller tasks.
One of the benefits of creating a to-do list is crossing off things when they are done. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. If a plain to-do list looks rather simple, you may choose one of the powerful task management tools and services.
Minimize interruptions
Minimizing interruptions means setting office hours and keeping your door closed for time-sensitive projects. Try to resist the temptation to put in longer hours or pack more into your already-full calendar. Instead, think about ways you can work smarter, not harder.
Delegate
Every manager and specialist need help and should never take on large tasks alone.
You should trust your colleagues in helping you complete work in order to get help. Do not forget to give your colleagues all of the resources that they need (for example, relevant documents or requirement specifications) to reach the best deliverable.
Too introverted people will most likely be doing tasks on their own.
Cancel all unnecessary meetings
We all know about the power and effectiveness of daily standups and collaborative meetings. However, we should remember that time is the most important currency in your life. The time we get at our desk is extremely valuable. Knowing what meetings to refuse is very important for product managers.
Reward yourself
Do not be shy to reward yourself for motivation. It can be the form of a material possession, for example.
Create your own productivity rules
For example, implement the “two-minute rule”. Try to make the most of your working time by filling those gaps with actual tasks.
There is a concept that claims that finding and immediately completing tasks that take 2 minutes or less actually saves you time. Moreover, any goal or habit can be started in under 2 minutes. It doesn’t mean you will be able to complete every task in 2 minutes, however, starting new goals is the first step to accomplishing them.
Another existing rule is about working in 90-minute intervals. There was an interesting research when scientists found proactive performers (athletes, musicians, team players, and so on) who work in intervals of 90 minutes. They are more productive than those who work 90 minutes-plus. The most performing of them tend to work no more than 4.5 hours per day.
Do you have your best work-related productivity secrets? Have you found the secret to maximizing your own productivity in the office? Feel free to share them below.
