Whether you work from a home office or a conventional office, sometimes staying on task can be a challenge. But what about when you have a deadline? Or when you just keep putting off something that needs to be done?
Here are a few tricks to get the most out of your time.
1. Get out of the office
Sometimes plunking down in the middle of a semi-busy coffee shop can help you get more done than sticking to the quiet of your desk. According to research, when we’re in public we want to look like we have a purpose. This little psychological need can help us stay focused on a task when we’re surrounded by strangers. To learn more about this, check out Lifehacker’s Why Some of Us Get More Done at Coffee Shops.
2. Find out how you spend your time
Before you can fix the problem, you need to admit you have one. Try keeping track of where your time is going. You can do this either manually with a pen and paper, or use a program like RescueTime. Once you know where your time is going, you know where to focus your efforts.
3. Take “coffee breaks”
There are a lot of temptations for procrastination on the internet – YouTube, I’m looking at you. Instead of instantly clicking every funny link sent your way immediately, try treating internet time wasters like a coffee break. Set a time that you’ll indulge, instead of checking everything out the instant you get it.
This is just a quick and dirty list of ways improve your productivity and there are many more great ideas out there. What are some of the tricks you’ve used to keep on track? Let us know in the comments!