Thursday awareness. It’s almost the end of the week and you didn’t achieve all the tasks you wanted to be done. You didn’t even manage to check half of your to do list. Whether you live by the beach in Costa Rica or in a big city, distractions are everywhere.
In fact, the key is to work smarter, not harder. As the saying goes, « it’s not the number of hours you put into work, it is the amount of work you put in those hours ». So, let’s take 2 minutes to read these 3 easy ways to work efficiently.
Minimize interruptions
You have certainly experienced this moment when you are about to find the solution to your problem or the final sentence of your important email, and one of your colleague has decided to list all the series he has watched during his binge-watching weekend. Cordially, you don’t interrupt him. But when he ends spoiling half of the Netflix series, you already forgot what you were doing.
To avoid this kind of situation, you should wear headphones to minimize the risk of audible interruptions. Wearing headphones, is like having a “Do Not Disturb” sign above your head.
Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Slack… Take also 1 minute to customize your notifications and turn them off for a while, that will makes you gain precious minutes of working time.
Choose the best spot
We all have already worked during long hours on uncomfortable seat, in a room too hot or too cold, without making the move the change this discomfort. However, before to start working on anything, you should take a moment to figure out if you are in an optimal environment.
If you work from a coworking space or an internet coffee, pick a spot you can occupy for a while. It’s really important to feel instantly comfortable in the space for setting yourself up to enjoy a sustained period of flow.
Follow the « two-minute rule » & take regular breaks
Answering emails, planning a meeting… « If you have a pending task that can be completed in two minutes, you should do it right away », explains David Allen, author and productivity consultant, in his bestselling book Getting Things Done. This simple rule will definitely help to crush procrastination because completing the task right away takes less time than having to get back to it later.
Finally, take the time to breathe. Taking short breaks between work boosts concentration, creativity and memory. Researchers from the Florida State University have found elite performers who work in intervals of no more than 90 minutes are more productive than those who work 90 minutes-plus.
Here we go again, put more work into your hours, not more hours into your work !
