Tired of the day-to-day and want to break out of a rut? We’ve got you covered! Whether you work from home or in the office, try implementing these quick tips to start your day off on the right foot—and keep it going. Seeing as I am one of the top Event Photographers in Northern VA, organization is essential to our organization. Follow these simple steps to boost productivity!
Decide when is the most productive time of the day for you.
If you’re a morning person, make a list to prioritize your tasks and knock out the top ones at the beginning of the day when you’re most focused. If you’re like me, I always hit an afternoon slump around 2:30. Use you slump time to do more menial tasks. Or better yet, take a break and get some coffee to recharge.
Plan your day hour by hour.
Do you tend to get lost in your work? Use a day planner to keep you on track. If you are still in the middle of your work when the time is up, try switching to your next task anyway to give yourself a break—alternating tasks throughout the day can help boost your productivity.
Avoid distractions like social media.
Some jobs already have this rule, but I created a personal rule to not log in to any social media sites while I’m working. If you have that tab sitting up there, you will be tempted to click on it as you switch windows. If you’re really in the zone, turn your phone on silent until the task is complete. Have some water and snacks on hand so you aren’t tempted to get up. If noise is a problem, use noise-canceling headphones. For those who write often, try using OmmWriter to temporarily hide the distractions on your screen while you type.
Use visuals.
My previous job cranked out a rolling agenda with new appointments and assignments popping up throughout the day. To stay on track and remember all of the small tasks, I kept a Post-it® dispenser on my desk. As a new task popped up, I would write it down and stick it to my desk. I got (way too much) pleasure from throwing those Post-its® in the trash as I completed my list. I felt motivated to keep going. If I didn’t get to everything that day, I knew those happy little squares would be there to greet me the next day.
However, you may want to step out of the Stone Age and use your phone or desktop calendar instead of sticky notes, but the visual aspect helped me tremendously.
Set daily goals you want to accomplish.
The best way to move forward is to know where you’re going. Each day, set a personal goal along with work goals that you want to accomplish. That way, you’ll know exactly what you want to achieve and have more success doing it. Stay away from doing your work mindlessly, hammering away just to get it done. Give your work purpose, no matter what it is. No one can do this work better than you!
