Productivity is one of the things we aim in our everyday lives. We want to get more things done at the end of the day. However, we have several things on our plate– career obligations and household chores are the things that keep us busy day by day.
We sometimes ask ourselves why there is a sharp decline in productivity in recent years. It is because of the upsurge of technology? While some think technology is the cause of why we become busier and distracted, the truth is the right use of technology could help you take back your time.
Here are some productivity tips to take back your time with technology:
Table of Contents
Understand How Your Day Will Go
Are you fond of grabbing your phone immediately in the morning to read emails or work-related text messages? Stop right there. That’s a bad habit. Although technology streamlines our work communication, you should have a hold of your time. You need to control your time; do not let it seem to fly by.
Set your daily schedule to work with your time management. Write down your intentions or your gaol of the day. You can use a management tracker app to determine how you spend most of your time. Always accomplish your main priority first before the little tasks.
Spend the first hour of the day to yourself– take of yourself, meditate, do some regular exercise, grab a breakfast, spend mornings with your family. Doing so would give you the energy to fulfill the needed tasks for the day.
Do Not Multitask—delegate Tasks.
As the saying goes, one step at a time. If you think you can get more tasks done when you multitask, you are wrong. The ultimate goal of being productive is to have a focus on accomplishing your priority tasks. Did you know that work hours focused on one task at a time have a higher productivity rate than non-focused ones?
Multitasking gives you more distractions that you cannot seem to move forward with the next task. If you have several tasks to get done by the day, you could delegate easier ones to your staff. Do not take them all. Give them detailed instructions to help them do the task efficiently and to avoid mistakes.
Some apps could help you manage your team– you could use Asana or Teamwork to delegate tasks. Also, you could monitor the progress of each task.
Automate. Use Tools.
The digital work environment has a significant impact on time management. Automate repetitive tasks for your daily core work– you can streamline your shared documents, team communication, emails, and everything in-between to facilitate team collaboration.
Your goal for automation is to ensure meaningful work. It could be as simple as doing notification management to block out distractions. Google Calendar, Gmail, Slack are some of the popular tools most people use for their workplace.
Give Yourself the Benefit of Free Time
At this point, you should acknowledge that productivity and time management is not focused on work, but it is the balance between work and life. You have to give yourself the benefit of tree time to relax, socialize, and rest. Recharging yourself helps you have a clear mind and motivation to become more productive and focused on the upcoming tasks.
Outsource Houseworks
Even though we got free time, personal obligations are waiting for us at home. We have to take care of our family and housework. How can you enjoy your time with a pile of laundry and house cleaning to do?
Laundry is the most stimulating task, but they need to be done almost every day so that we could wear clean clothes. Glady, you can outsource your housework through the Internet. You can quickly look for laundry pickup services or maid services to get your household chores taken care of. You can schedule pick up and delivery for your laundry.
Being productive also means you need time for yourself and take off tasks on the list to accomplish more important tasks.
Final Thoughts
There are several distractions around you when you strive for productivity; it could ruin your perfectly planned schedule. That’s why always start your day to yourself to have the energy to focus on essential tasks. Also, always stick to the goals you have set for the day, and spend lesser time on social media, emails, and entertainment during work hours.
Finish all the important tasks so you could enjoy your free time. Do not be afraid to delegate minimal tasks at work to your colleagues. As well as outsource household chores to service companies to give you more time to relax. After all, the things that could help us to be productive are not always work-related. Sometimes, we have to step aside from personal and career obligations to become more efficient and productive.
