12 proven ways to increase your productivity at work

1. Have a to do list
A to-do list will give you an overview of all the things you need to do. This allows you to prioritize tasks, and avoid missing any work.

2. Complete the easy tasks first
Difficult tasks need more brainpower and take longer to complete. Put these to the end of your list so you’re not distracted by the tasks you need to complete later.

3. Use your most productive time of day for difficult tasks
Another option is to use your most productive time of day to work on difficult tasks. Because your brain thinks better and faster during this time, you may save yourself a lot of time.

4. Give yourself time limits
Giving yourself a time limit for each task. This way you’re less likely to give in to distractions and more likely to feel the urgency to complete your work.

5. Just start
Sometimes we think about the hows and whens and whats of a job so much that we convince ourselves that a job is more complicated than it is. Stop overthinking and over planning and just start! Once completed, look at your work again and refine!

6. Have a routine
When you have a routine, you don’t have to keep figuring out what you need to do. You can just start doing it.

7. Prepare
Having a to-do list is good, but preparing for it is key. Print out your meeting materials at least an hour before. Have all your links open and ready to go for your presentation. Don’t waste your and others’ time with scrambling around for things.

8. Keep learning
Knowing your job better results in two things: you’ll learn more efficient ways to do things and you’ll be able to do more things. Consider enrolling in a course or attending workshops to keep your skills updated.

9. Focus on one task at a time
Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that multitasking is not productive. When you work on multiple things at once you’ll end up distracted, whether consciously or subconsciously. Do one thing at a time to reduce distractions and avoid errors.

10. Keep organized
You don’t want to be rummaging around for a pen or be scrolling through thousands of uncategorized documents in your folders. Invest some time to organize yourself.

11. Avoid heavy lunches
Feeling sleepy after lunch is a common complaint. The best way to prevent this is to avoid foods that make you sleepy and not eat too much at lunch.

12. Take breaks
This may sound contradictory – but when you work without breaks, you’ll end up feeling fatigued. Take a break to refuel and be ready to start your engines again.