Prioritize Your Daily & Weekly Tasks
It’s important to view each day of the workweek as an individual unique journey. At the end of each day, you want to see that you’ve accomplished your daily tasks, and the only way to do this is to prioritize each day of the week. You should set goals for each day and each week in order to gain better control of your overall progress.
At the beginning of each week, prioritize the tasks that need to be completed and lay out a weekly schedule for yourself. Even if you are interrupted by unexpected assignments or emergencies, you’ll know exactly what needs to be done when you return to your desk. Not only will a schedule help keep you organized and focused, you’ll get the satisfaction of checking items off your “to do” list once you complete them!
Take A Break When You Feel Mentally Cluttered
Clearing your head for five or to ten minutes every few hours will allow you to get back to your work with a fresh mindset. This is especially important when working on complicated and important projects. Get up, move around a little bit, and maybe strike up a conversation with a co-worker. The goal is to take your mind off of your work so that you can return with a sense of clarity.
You can take a short walk down the hallway, or go across the street for a cup of coffee. This kind of brief interludes from work can increase your productivity by getting your blood flowing and allowing you to return to your work with fresh eyes.
Eliminate Potential Distractions
Although interruptions during the workday are inevitable, minimize them to the extent possible. If you have a private office, set quite hours and keep your door closed for certain periods of time. Keep away from time-consuming and distractive websites (such as social media sites or entertaining blogs) on both your computer and your phone.
When a co-worker comes to you for a casual chat, don’t be afraid to let him or her know that you’re trying to finish a project, but would be happy to talk later. Just be sure not to shut out any of your superiors.
Avoid Heavy Lunches
A big, heavy lunch will only increase your fatigue level in the afternoon. You don’t want to spend your entire afternoon yawning, right? Instead, eat a light lunch or snack on foods high in protein, fiber and antioxidants throughout the day. Granola and berries will keep you full and focused, while sugary foods and energy drinks keep you going only for a short time, and the inevitable “crash” may turn you into a zombie and ruin your ability to work for the rest of the day.
Keep Your Workspace Clean and Tidy
As the old saying goes, “A cluttered desk is a symptom of a cluttered mind.” The time you spend looking for misplaced documents each day is extra time you could be using to complete your work. A messy desk or office environment won’t do you any favours, no matter how productive you typically are. Set aside some time for a cleaning session once in a while. You’ll be amazed how much easier it is to get things done when you’re working in a pleasant environment.
As the largest career college in Canada with 50 campuses across the country, Academy of Learning College attributes the growth in our success to identifying the gap between the formal education available and the realities of the working world. We fulfill the needs of learners by developing customized programs for each student while meeting the requirements for convenient and effective training at an affordable cost. Browse our program list by province and find the best program that suits your needs!