6 ways to increase your productivity at work

Are you easily distracted at work? Do you feel like you don't have time to manage all your responsibilities? Is it hard for you to say "no" to the different tasks that are proposed to you and then you don't get to execute them all on time?

If the answer to any of these questions has been yes, your productivity may be in jeopardy.

In theory, the more we "produce" in the least amount of time possible, the greater our productivity will be.. We could say that productivity is an easy concept to understand but difficult to achieve. The Spanish situation is the perfect example to illustrate this point: according to Adecco Outsourcing (2022), only 6 out of 10 Spanish companies adhere to policies that improve productivity. Unfortunately, we cannot solve a national or corporate problem in the blink of an eye. What we can do is establish and maintain good habits that help us be more productive.

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Implement good habits: the key to being more productive

A habit is an action that we repeat frequently and automatically without having to think about it.. Every human being has habits that he performs on a daily basis. Much of the population reads the news in the morning, while others watch the news religiously in the afternoon; some tend to take cold showers early, while others prefer a hot bath just before bedtime, and so on.

When we have already internalized these behavior patterns within our routine, they do not suppose a effort or sacrifice on our part, since they have become automatic actions that we do automatically natural. The problem is not in maintaining the habit, but in building it in the first place.

For a long time, there was a belief that, in order to adopt a new habit, we would need to carry out a certain action consciously and repeatedly for a period of no less than 21 days. This theory was born as a result of the observations of Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of the famous book ¨Psycho-Cybernetics¨ (1960), in which he states that his patients took a minimum of 21 days to adopt a change within their routine. The truth is that the creation of habits is not such a simple or exact matter.

The psychologist Phillippa Lally (2010, 2022), for her part, established that, on average, it takes us more than two months to automate a new habit, and the exact number of days depends significantly on the action itself, the person, and the circumstances in which the habit develops. Another finding of this research is that repeating an activity as many times as possible under the same circumstances will make it easier for this action to become a habit.

Thus, To successfully create habits, we must first be disciplined, consistent, and specific.. It will be much easier to internalize a habit that we do every day, at the same time and in the same place, than one that we do from time to time, at different times and in different places.

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What habits could enhance our productivity at work?

Stephen Covey, author of the biggest bestseller in the history of self-help, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" (1989), establishes that creating habits ¨supposes a tremendous process and commitment¨, since it implies an intersection between knowledge (defining and establish ¨what¨ habit we want to implement and ¨why¨), the ability (determine ¨how¨ to achieve it) and the desire (the motivation to run it). If we put this paradigm into practice, our motivation (desire) is to be more productive in the workplace. Next, we present what habits to implement in your work to improve your productivity and why (knowledge), and how to achieve them (ability):

1. Optimize your time

If a juggler doesn't time his timing correctly, he will drop all the balls he managed to keep in the air. Likewise, realistic and specific planning at work is essential. Plan your itinerary and prioritize pending tasks It will ensure that you manage your time correctly. To do this, we recommend that you make a list of all the tasks that you want to finish in your workday. Make this list at the same time every day (either the night before or first thing in the morning). We suggest you always prioritize important tasks due to their urgency and value.

It is important that you manage one activity at a time and determine a realistic amount of time to complete it. Focus on that action and give it your full attention. Eliminate distractions and interruptions. Do you usually check emails constantly? Allocate an hour or several to this task within your daily schedule. Do you have to manage calls or meetings with the team? Schedule them. If you make sure that everything has its time and its place, you will stop feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. There will be no lack of time for anything, as you will give time to everything.

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2. Set goals and deadlines

In order to organize a trip it is essential to know the destination and the date of the trip. Knowing where we are going and when we want to get there is the driving force that motivates us to continue. Many times we manage projects without establishing these parameters. Without defining these factors, it is impossible to know how to prioritize the task. This will cause endless responsibilities to accumulate and will cause a snowball effect in which the workload will grow without being able to stop or reduce it.

For this, we suggest determine the end result we want to achieve for each project, the number of steps to be carried out and the corresponding amount of time for each step, in order to establish a tentative completion date. If we make a correct breakdown of the activity, in objectives and sub-objectives, we organize it correctly and then we are consistent and disciplined when developing each step, we will be able to achieve our goals efficiently.

3. Assertiveness above all

Being assertive implies express ourselves clearly and concisely, firmly but without hostility. According to psychologist John M. Gottman, communicating effectively is extremely difficult in a relationship of any kind. One of the ways we fail to be assertive at work or with the team is when we avoid saying "no" for fear of repercussions or someone's disappointment. We accept request after request and, when we are unable to keep our word, not only not only individual and team productivity suffer, but our credibility and professionalism decreases. Saying no denotes maturity and honesty. Saying no is a complete sentence that doesn't need justifications.

Other ways to be assertive are by being simple and direct when speaking, stating what you need without apologizing, and keeping a check on your emotions. This habit will take a lot of practice and patience, but it will do wonders for boosting your productivity.

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4. Prioritize your well-being

If you don't charge the computer, it will eventually shut down and be unable to perform its functions. In the same way, human beings are rechargeable batteries, and we need disconnection and rest to continue producing results. Routines that promote rest and digital disconnection are of vital importance so that we can be productive in our jobs. For this, we recommend being rigorous when it comes to going to sleep, giving him adequate time (a few 8 hours) respect work breaks and disconnect from work as soon as our working day.

Other activities that promote general well-being (and, therefore, our productivity) are a good diet, physical activity and meditation or relaxation. We recommend that you incorporate these activities into your daily routine and assign them a time and place, to facilitate the automation of the habit.

5. Create physical harmony

If there is chaos in the environment, there is chaos in the mind. Thus, It is extremely important that you maintain a functional and clean space, since it will help you to be more productive and efficient. In this way, you will reduce the probability of misplacing an important document or losing a file with sensitive information.

You won't waste time on a problem, but you can deal with it directly. For this, we recommend that you assign a functional place to everything you consider essential when managing your work. As soon as you stop using it, return it to its place. You can also apply this to your online space: classify the emails you receive and organize the folders on your computer. Leave everything in its place, in its own place.

6. practice self reflection

Achieving results is vital, but even more valuable is reflecting on how we have achieved our goals. Through self-assessment we can determine which habits are not working and which aspects we should continue to improve.. To develop this habit, you could answer the following questions on a weekly basis: ¨Has the final result been as I imagined it to be? What would have changed? What do I want to replicate?¨. By pointing out the positive and the negative, we will refine the methodology that will lead us to success.

In summary, to be more productive we must create habits that enhance our performance. The creation of habits is a process that entails that we be disciplined and constant with our actions in order to automate them. These habits that we have discussed are mere brushstrokes of how you can improve your productivity, but they are sure ways to produce results. Do you dare to implement them?