…..It should come as no surprise that not all the time at work is spent actually working – but because of distractions and the many different hurdles faced day to day, employees have been found to waste five of the standard eight hours of work, logging only an average of three productive hours per day. Modern technology has provided many different time saving improvements that help accomplish work at a faster pace, yet it seems that it has also provided as many distractions as it has solutions. The good news is all it takes is a handful of simple adjustments that can help optimize time spent at work. Following are five productivity killing habits and suggestions on how to adapt and defeat them once and for all.
- Having An Untidy Workspace – This problem is one that goes back to the world before computers. The most common hurdle an employee faces is their own inability to bring order to their own workspace. This is usually accompanied with the usual spiel about “organized chaos” and how they know where everything is – but the truth is nobody can achieve optimum productivity levels while having a cluttered and disorganized desk. Start your day by placing everything in order, ensuring everything you need is easy to find and within arm’s reach. Before leaving, clean up after yourself and make it easy for you to find what you need the day after. Make this a routine and you will discover how much time you save by not having to spend 5 minutes searching for what you need every time you need it.
- Too Many Meetings – Having meetings makes us look busy – but the truth is holding too many meetings is one of the biggest wastes of time in all workplaces. In many cases, most issues can be easily resolved with a single email, yet some leaders insist on spending the unnecessary time and resources calling together a meeting for it. The best way for managers to ensure they are not wasting too much of everyone’s time on meetings is to first stop calling traditional meetings for every little issue. If communication with a few key people is needed, best to just go see them quickly and informally, and get the information you need quickly. Another way is to have ten minute scrum type meetings at the beginning of the day intended to get people on the same page before starting the day. Of course, some meetings are necessary, and for those that are it is important that agendas are sent out in advance so attendees come ready to discuss. That way, the conversation develops faster and may yield better results than a meeting whose participants came in blind to the topic.
- Getting Lost In Notifications – Some employees respond to every single notification they receive, as they receive it. If you are one of these people, it must be very difficult for you to get through your day’s workload due to the constant stream of notifications popping up from your email addresses and other messaging tools. The solution to this is easy, as most software includes settings that can help. Turn off your notifications for a set period of time every day. You may also set your status to “Offline” or “Do Not Disturb” so people know not to bother you unless it’s extremely important. Then set aside a time everyday for you to go through all your notifications in one go, allowing you to organize your thoughts properly and respond consistently on a daily basis.
- Going On Work Marathons – There are people that believe taking breaks is bad for production, but they couldn’t be more wrong. It is now known that taking regular twenty to thirty minute breaks is one of the best ways to increase productivity while keeping employees feel well-rested and fresh. The important thing is that you must avoid letting these breaks drag on and on into hours of procrastination and laziness. Stick to your schedule and head back in time feeling rejuvenated for another round of work.
- Social Media Addiction – It is so easy to operate a social media account that employees often waste an insane amount of time at work indulging in their Facebook addictions. A person may look busy at work when all they are really doing is posting statuses and commenting on other posts while in the office. It has gotten so bad that back in 2014 it was noted that a large percentage of the time employees wasted during that period was due to social media and other online activities. Whatever the case may be, the office is not the place for social media. One action that can be taken is to limit, or ban altogether, the use of social media in the workplace. You can do this by having IT personnel block network access to these sites and making sure your employees don’t circumvent that using VPNs and other similar applications.
…..Tukko Labs helps businesses by providing expert solutions for cumbersome administrative processes, allowing them to slip the bonds of the back office and concentrate on the most important aspects of operation. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you!
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