Increase Productivity and Organization in Your Workday

Improve your work productivity with just a few changes to your workspace and how you schedule time spent in the office. If you plan and take advantage of some basic tools, including daily organizers and organization apps, you’ll find you have more focus and energy during the workday. 

Make it Your Own

You may want to have your office reflect more of your personality. Think about making a few easy changes by simply adding pops of color or personal touches to your workspace. Choose productivity tools, such as time tracking, list making, and email organization apps to help keep your inbox clear and your schedule in order. Organize paperwork by project and use file folders and file cabinets whenever possible, so you can always find what you need quickly. Try to clear your desk of everything except the essentials for your day.

Start Your Day Early

If you have trouble staying productive as your day progresses, move your starting time forward by an hour or so. If you get to the office earlier or work from a home office, get to your desk earlier, as it may help boost productivity. Starting earlier is often an opportunity to work with less or even no distractions. Plus, it’s gratifying to accomplish a good amount of work during the earlier part of the day. Use your early hours to focus on your most important or difficult activities, such as landing a new client or making a presentation.  

Use Your Commuting Time

Does your daily commute take a big chunk of time? Here are a few suggestions to make good use of your commute. If you drive and want your time commuting to be your “me” time, pop in an inspiring audiobook into your car’s entertainment system or play music that energizes you. If you’re carpooling or someone else drives you to work, check your phone, make good use of your frequently used mobile apps, or take notes to prepare for the day. Commuting may also be a good time to clear out your email inbox. 

Minimize Meetings and Distractions

If you feel like your day is consumed by meetings that aren’t all that useful or productive, be more selective about the ones you attend. Before you commit to attending a meeting, get an agenda and ask about the goal of the meeting to see whether you can attend only for the part of the meeting that pertains to you. Maybe you can listen in via a video call using your webcam to save the time of traveling to the meeting. If you’re in charge of a meeting, set a start time and end time and stay on track. 

Distractions can pop up on your computer screen, as well. Set up a time to respond to email and turn off all your social media while in the office.

Plan Each Day Ahead of Time

Do you have trouble deciding where to begin when you get to work in the morning? Pull out your organizer each night to look at your to-do list for the next day. Set your day’s priorities, making a note of the office tasks that must be accomplished first. This will help you stay focused from the time your feet hit the floor! Don’t forget to include time for yourself as a priority, whether it’s getting to the gym or taking a walk at lunch to clear your mind.

Take Breaks at the Office

If you often work through lunch and skip your breaks at the office, you need to work a few minutes of personal time into your schedule. If you can, consider leaving the office each day for lunch. Use this time to run non-office-related errands or have lunch with a friend or colleague. Whatever you do, don’t take work with you to lunch. You can treat yourself during your breaks with visits to the social media sites you turned off while working. 

Office organization accessories and productivity tools go a long way toward helping you stay focused and moving in the right direction.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrant the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.