In a climate where companies are looking to keep their payroll as lean as possible, it’s important to hire the type of people that can be very productive and wear several hats at work. Are you one of those people? Can you be highly productive while keeping your hand in different parts of the organization? Well, if you’re looking to be one of those invaluable people to the organization, here are a few tips for boosting your productivity even when you have to wear different hats.
Time Management
When it comes to how we spend our time each day, it’s easy for it to sneak away without us even realizing it. It’s important that you understand how you spend your time during the day. A good first step is to begin putting your day on your calendar and track how you’ve been operating. If you’re realizing that you’re wasting more time that you think. Plan out your day ahead of time, remove the distractions and stick to your schedule!
Schedule Your Week Not Just Your Day
When it comes to creating our work agenda, it’s best to plan a few days at a time instead of just focusing on one day. This will help you to clearly create a plan of attack for certain tasks and allow you to be freed up from the thought that you have to get it all done in one day. If you can plan a whole week out, do it!
Identify the “Must-Do” Tasks
Sometimes we pride ourselves in having a long list of things to get done. But, when we have too much that we are giving equal attention to, the ball is going to get dropped somewhere. Identify the tasks that must be done today and try to keep that list to 3 to 5 items. Plan another day to work on some of the less significant tasks.
Take Control of Your Email
Email can be very distracting. It’s always alerting you, delivering tasks, reminding you about bills, etc. It’s just begging for you to give it attention and take action on things that don’t matter in the moment. Try turning off your notifications altogether and simply scheduling time to check and respond to emails. Another tip is to not check email first thing in the morning. First, get your thoughts together about how you’re going to attack your day and then check your email when YOU’RE ready. Take control of it. Don’t let it be in control of you.