7 Easy Ways To Be More Productive During Your Workday

Have you ever gotten to the end of your workday and felt like you've gotten "nothing" done? Do you often feel like you spend too many hours pinging back and forth from one thing to another? Are you frustrated that your "To Do" list never seems to get shorter?

If you're ready to experience a highly productive workday, here's how:

1. Throw out your long "To Do" list. Why? Checking tasks off your list doesn't make you more productive. Truly productive people aren’t focused on doing more things; they make it a point to do fewer things. Take a less-is-more approach to your to-do list by only focusing on accomplishing things that matter.
2. Give yourself a break. Or two or three. When you do work only for several hours, your brain actually uses up too much glucose. Make it a point to take a walk, grab something to eat, or even meditate to give your brain some resting time. You'll actually be more productive if you regularly clear your head. Shoot for 5-10 minute breaks every 50-55 minutes, if possible.
3. Remember the 80/20 rule. This rule states that 20 percent of what you do each day produces 80 percent of your results. So eliminate the things that don’t matter during your workday. For example, analyze a project and remove superficial tasks until you end up with the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results.
4. It's all about you. It's important to start your day by focusing on yourself. Even if you're in the habit of starting your morning by checking your email, that allows others to dictate what you accomplish. Start off on the right foot by ignoring your emails and taking the morning to focus on yourself, eat a good breakfast, meditate or read the news (before going in to work!).
5. Don't sweat the small stuff. When you prioritize you work for the day, make sure you arrange to take on harder tasks earlier. Do your most challenging work when your brain is most fresh, and save the small stuff, or busy work, for when you hit your afternoon slump.
6. Pick up the phone. Email was supposed to make our lives easier and faster, but it's often a productivity killer. For example, people often copy multiple people on emails to get things off their own plates, but this creates "noise" for everyone If your email chain goes beyond two replies, it’s time to pick up the phone. You'll increase your productivity just by making that call.
7. Manage Your Habits. If you know certain things are ruining your daily productivity, create a system for managing them. For example, do you check your emails throughout the day? This can distract you from accomplishing your important goals. Plan a time for each morning, afternoon, and evening to check your mail—and turn off your alerts!

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