10 Tips for a Work Less and Play More Day!
There has been a lot of talk about productivity at work, let’s face it how much work do you feel you get done after a full day at the office? Here are 10 tips to supercharge your day and move closer to a work less and play more work day or week.
1. Plan a week in advance
The best way to have a work less and play more work week. Take sometime prior to the start of a new week and look at what you really hope to accomplish for that week. Slot in some time for you to complete those goals.
2. Plan your day
Now that you have a good overview of what you want to accomplish for the week you can plan your day with some real action steps to get it done.
3. Turn off the email
If you really want to get stuff done stop checking your email. Try to set 2 to 3 time slots during the day to check your email. Then check it, deal with priority messages, and use something like labels or reminders to come back to things that will take a little more time.
4. Stop the meetings
Yes that is right, meetings are one of the biggest time sucks in our work day. If you really need to have one keep it to a minimal time and have a clear agenda with the goal of coming to a decision by the end of it. Include only those that really need to be there. Most meetings can be reduced to a 10 minute conversation with the main decision makings talking it out. Jason Fried from 37 Signals has a great talk on Ted Talks about this.
5. Take a break
Plan to get up at least every two hours and do a quick walk or stretch. If you can, a 30 min workout will really get the energy flowing again.
6. Avoid the phone
Try to use more passive ways of communication like email or chat. Then you can be direct with your question and allow the person to respond when they have time. You are not breaking up their day.
7. Work from somewhere other than the office
If your office is a constant source of distraction book some time out and go somewhere else. I find coffee shops great, they have wi-fi and no one bothers me. Creating a virtual office is also a great idea to get out and get more done.
8. Leave the mobile alone
Just like email, if you are busy do not answer the phone or check the text message. It will break up your flow in what you are working on. And it will take at least another 15 minutes to get back to the flow you were at prior to taking the call or text.
9. Reward yourself for getting things done
Make plans for the free time you are going to create by being super productive. Don’t just keep working, we need to play a little bit to get our mind and body recharged.
10. Find your productive time and plan around it
Track when you are the most focused and productive then plan complex tasks and work around this time. A great blog with some planners and tools to help you find your most productive time is Productive Flourishing.
That is our 10 tips to a work less and play more work week. What tips do you have for being super productive?
Photo from Flickr us Christa Watson
