7 ways to improve productivity

7 ways to improve productivity, in a post Covid world where working has evolved, adapted and changed. The pandemic brought about new habits and norms, some of which have stuck for good. 

Wherever we work and study, we all could do with upping our productivity from time to time. So here’s a list of things you can do to easily pick up the pace.

1. Manage you space effectively

Well at one time this meant clearing your desk space so that you didn’t drown in a sea of paper. Today in 2022 this means looking up at your laptop and cutting down some of the 105 tabs you have up online. Not only does this give your computer a well earned rest bite and improves loading times, it stops you from attempting to over multitask.

2. Listen to productive music

Another old concept that can be made fresh in 2022. Back in 1940, the BBC played daytime music programmes at a regular tempo to boost productivity in the war effort. And we’ve all heard at school the miracles that Mozart does for your maths. It still works – just updated and with music to your taste.

3. Learn to say no

This one’s easier said than done. But the truth is that unless you’re a machine, you can’t take on every task someone hands you and do it to the highest standard. So get to know when your gauge is full, be brave, and learn the art of politely turning things away and free your mind to focus on the stuff you do best.

4. Use to speech to text technology

Thing is, on an average day in the office (or home office), there are about a quintillion different things you need to write down in a single day: meetings, conversations – you name it. Rather than scribbling all this down and then promptly losing it, why not record your meetings, video calls and notes and have AI cost-effectively transcribe them for you instead? You can then simply edit them yourself, or use JUST: pool of editors to do it for you.  That way it’s all stored neatly, and you’ve saved at least one headache a day.

5. Manage your inbox

This is a biggie. Rather like what we said about having a hundred tabs up at once, the same applies for a thousand unread emails. Get rid of the junk and delete it from your deleted items. Focus on the important stuff, for example things that require action from you – flag it so you don’t lose them in the next batch of insurance adverts or LinkedIn updates. 

6. Use typing tricks

It’s amazing how much time can be wasted copying and pasting stuff on your computer or filling out spreadsheets – and how much time can be saved by using shortcut keys. Use the Shift and Control keys, for instance Control S to save your work. Ten finger touch typing is also an invaluable time saving skill. Take a few minutes a day to do some practice.

7. Look after yourself

This might be the most important of all. At the end of the day, working is so much more productive if you are fit, well and healthy. Do regular exercise, whether it’s jogging round the park or a session on the treadmill. Make sure you get plenty of hours of sleep (and not staring at your phone at 3am). Use the stairs instead of the lift for a change. Because let’s face it, we’re not all moving as much as we should – particularly if your commute is from bedroom to kitchen these days.

A final word

If the above seems somewhat obvious, it’s probably because it is. The less obvious part is putting words into action. But with just a few small changes, you really can give yourself a work productivity boost.