5 Ways to Increase Your Productivity | Business 2 Community

People often cite prioritization as a personal area of improvement. This is interesting, because we prioritize every day, every hour and every minute of our lives, so you think we would be good at it by now! At work, we not only have to prioritize OUR goals but we need to keep in mind those of our clients, coworkers and managers. In this post, I want to share with you some of the tricks I use to keep my priorities straight, and to more efficiently get work done.

First, and this is the hardest one, you need to accept that everything is NOT going to get done, at least not when you would ideally like it to. However, if you consider the following tips you will be better suited to meet your goals and the expectations of others.

• Understand the goal ? It is important to realize that your goals may differ from your clients, coworkers and managers. From the outset of a project, make sure to clearly define your goal(s) for all parties, so there is no confusion down the line.
• Create a plan and stick to it ? Following a plan will allow you to be in control of meeting your goals. If you have to work extra hours or meet with a busy coworker, factor that into your plan.
• Don?t multitask - This is a tough one for most of us but multi-tasking is perhaps the biggest detriment to productivity. Harvard Business Review released a study in 2010 that found multitasking can lead to as much as a 40% drop in productivity.
• Be Honest ? If you don?t think it can get done on time then it most likely will not. It is better to address delays as soon as they arise and in the long term, you will gain trust amongst your team.
• Be Realistic ? It is not that you don?t want to complete every task that gets thrown at you but sometimes, you just can?t. Take on only what you can handle; it is worse to commit to something and not get it done than it is to set real expectations that may not be to the liking of your client, coworker, etc.

Most importantly, these tips should help you to meet your goals and expectations without raising your stress level. By understanding the goals of your position and your company at large, you can create a plan that meets these goals. If you are honest, realistic and minimize multi-tasking, sticking to your plan will be reasonable and ultimately fulfilling.

What do you think? What are some tricks that you use to prioritize and achieve your goals? I?d love to know!

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