Finding the right blend of productivity, efficiency, and worklife balance can feel practically impossible in today’s world. In any business, productivity is crucial to success. Time is money, and employees need to know how to use their working moments wisely.
For years, business leaders and ambitious professionals have looked for productivity tips to help them accomplish more in a shorter space of time. Recently, however, the quest for greater productivity is being influenced by a rapid change in workplace environments.
With many staff members now working in a remote or hybrid work environment, they need to discover how to be efficient and productive without causing work/life balance problems. After all, when working from home, it’s easy to confuse working extra hours with productivity, increasing the risk of burnout.
Here’s how you can enhance your productivity levels, whether you’re managing a Salesforce team from home or trying to complete tasks in a hybrid workplace.
Master Your To-Do Lists and Stop Multitasking
To-do lists are an important part of an efficient workday, particularly when you’re working remotely. If you’re operating from home one day, it can be difficult to switch your mind from “home” mode into “work” mode. A to-do list helps you focus by showing you which tasks you need to complete first and how much time you should dedicate to each project.
To improve the quality of your to-do lists, write them the night before, so you’re not rushing to figure out which tasks you should prioritize first thing in the morning. Once you have your list, rank your items according to their importance, and design your schedule based on your typical focus levels. For instance, if you’re usually more productive first thing in the morning, it makes sense to tackle complex tasks first.
One important rule to follow when using your to-do lists is to complete one task at a time. While multitasking might feel productive, jumping between different projects means you never really focus on one specific challenge. Studies show that focusing on one thing at a time makes you more efficient and productive.
1. Find the Right Environment for Productivity
Whether you’re working at home or in the office, the right surroundings can make a huge impact on your productivity levels. If you’re in the office and you have trouble concentrating in a busy, talkative environment, ask your boss whether you can work from a different space during periods of focus time. Alternatively, you can alter your schedule to do focus work during moments when the office is less likely to be busy.
If you’re working from home, do your productivity and work/life balance a favour by choosing a dedicated room for work. While sitting on your sofa with your laptop might be comfortable, it also exposes you to many distractions from family members and external factors. There’s also the risk you’ll be tempted to turn on the TV rather than focusing on work.
Having your own dedicated space for work helps you to shut out distractions and enter the right frame of mind for productivity. This strategy also means you can shut your office door at the end of each day, separating your work and personal lives.
2. Take Regular Breaks
We often assume that taking breaks is the opposite of productivity. There’s a common misconception among many tech professionals that the more time you spend in front of a computer, the more productive you are. However, the reality is your brain can only stay focused for so long. Every so often, you may need to take a break to refresh your mind.
Many people in the tech landscape prefer to use the Pomodoro technique for time management. This involves working for 25 minutes and taking a quick break at the end of each work segment. Your breaks will help you avoid the temptation to procrastinate after focusing on work for an extended period of time.
Regular breaks can also be important for health and wellbeing. As a Salesforce professional, you’ll spend a lot of time in front of screens. Quick breaks can help to reduce the risk of headaches and eye pain. Regular breaks also give you an excuse to move, reducing the threats of a sedentary lifestyle. You can even use your breaks to grab a drink of water and improve your health through hydration.
3. Make the Most of your Team
Whether you’re a Salesforce consultant or Salesforce manager, the chances are you have other people around you ready to help you be more productive and accomplish more in your work. The best results happen when teams work efficiently together, so make sure you’re taking full advantage of the people around you.
When you don’t have the skills or knowledge required to complete a task on your own, ask yourself whether you need to outsource that task or delegate it to someone else. If you still need to play a part in the completion of a project, maybe you can schedule a collaboration session with another specialist on your team, so you can both share ideas. This reduces the risk of spending unproductive hours stressing over a task you don’t understand.
Companies can improve the productivity of their entire workforce just by hiring the right employees and managing their team correctly. Hiring a diverse selection of experts ensures you’ll have the skill you need to overcome a range of challenges. Making it easy for staff to communicate and collaborate means they can take the initiative and address problems with the help of their peers, reducing the time wasted in day-to-day operations.
Be More Productive
Being more productive in today’s complex work environment can seem like a difficult challenge. However, with the four steps above, you’ll be able to more effectively use your time, regardless of where your workplace takes you.