What does being productive mean to you? For most, I believe it means getting your work done in an efficient manner and without any hiccups. But that’s easier said than done, right? After all, it’s easy to get distracted at work. But don’t stress too much. We all fall for it every once in a while. That’s why I wanted to create this list of simple productivity tips.

To be honest, there are quite a few articles out there that try and tackle this topic. And to remain honest, they’re all pretty much the same. All of them tell you to limit internet surfing, avoid social media, and to take a deep breath when things seem a little overwhelming. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are times and places for all of those tips, but what do they really accomplish at the end of the day? They basically tell you what not to do, more or less. Don’t take a long lunch break, don’t drink too much coffee, and don’t freak out. Sound familiar? Well, we’re going to try our best to avoid productivity tips like that. 

Without further ado, here’s a list of productivity tips that are actually useful.

Learn to say “no”

Let’s be real here, we’re all guilty of saying yes, even when we don’t need to. In a working environment, you want to please the people you’re working for. We’re all after that next big promotion.

Surprisingly, this can be a bad thing. This isn’t to say that you should say no to everything, but being productive often means saying no to less important tasks.

learn-to-say-no

True, there will be plenty of times when you have no choice but to say yes. I’m sure many of you find yourselves multitasking on a daily basis. But the takeaway is to start saying no when you can. Not in a rude way, mind you, but in a.. “I already have a lot on my plate” way. It’s hard to focus when you’re worried about multiple tasks at one time. You even may consider implementing a time tracking app to support your words with data. These apps offer comprehensive reports on how you allocate your time, ensuring transparency and open communication.

Take a break

I know it kind of sends counter-intuitive to take a break when you’re trying to be productive, but hear me out. This is a productivity tip that a few people talk about, but I want to elaborate on it here.

Breaks are important. Very important. in fact, work breaks been proven to improve brain function. As hard as you may work, and as much as you can get done.. You can’t continue on like that forever. Much like the battery in your phone, you need to be recharged.

If that means stepping away from work for a few minutes, hours, or even days, it’ll be worth it. Now, I’m not saying to drop your coffee mug and sprint out the door right now. What I am saying is that taking a step back is way healthier for your brain and mental health than powering through a task or series of tasks simply because you need to get them done. This means that you should leave the work stuff at work, too. No more taking your laptop home every night. Instead, take your time to relax and make sure you get a restful night’s sleep. The work will be there tomorrow, trust me.

Keep yourself organized

Again, this one kind of seems generic, but I’m going to split this topic open and talk about it in smaller chunks. So, let’s start with what we all know: Keeping your space organized.

Again, this one kind of seems generic, but I’m going to split this topic open and talk about it in smaller chunks. So, let’s start with what we all know: Keeping your space organized.

  • Keeping your space organized

I think we can all agree that a messy desk, folder, or office is just not productive. We can list reasons why it’s not a good idea to keep an unorganized work space all day, but if you’re easily distracted by objects lying around, find it hard to move your mouse amongst the ocean of sticky notes, or just have so much going on around you that it’s hard to focus, then it’s time for some cleaning.

  • Keeping your computer organized

If you deal with any amount of documents or files then you already know how stressful it is to have a messy computer. Possibly the biggest productivity tip anyone can give you is to organize your computer files in such a way that you can easily find them. 

Let me stress the “easily” part. If you cannot go into your computer and find your desired file with just a few clicks, then it’s time to organize. Seriously, it takes 5 seconds to drop something in the correct folder.

  • Keep your projects organized

Nothing is worse than getting so twisted up with your schedules and projects that you confuse projects. This sort of practice can literally kill a project, and we most certainly don’t want that.

Keeping projects and work environments organized is something we’re passionate about here at Flipsnack. In fact, we designed our platform to help you do the same.

Workspaces

There aren’t many productivity tips out there to help you with this, but with our workspaces feature, you can keep each project separate from the rest. If you’re working on multiple projects with multiple clients, then you can have a workspace designated for each one. This will also help you in allotting and keeping track of work allotted to your team which will help you in improving your workforce productivity. It will allow you to give specific access to people and keep each project in its own environment. To get better results, you can also integrate a project management workflow software to enhance your productivity.

I know, it sounds simple. That’s because it is. We’ve found that doing it this way keeps anyone that’s using our platform way more productive and organized, especially while creating a publication like a magazine.

Create a to-do list

It may seem a little rudimentary, but you would be surprised at how effective creating a simple to-do list can be. Think about how many times you’ve gone to the grocery store with a list. How productive was it? 

The truth is, unless you have a set schedule with outlined objectives, it’s incredibly easy to get off track. One might say that it’s even inevitable.

to-do-list

The beauty of a to-do list is that you can not only keep track of what you need to do, but you can use them to plan ahead, and keep track of what’s already been done. No more losing your mind over what you need to do for that day, and no more second guessing if something has been done or not.

It’s simple, but highly effective. If you’re not using this productivity tip, you might want to give it a shot.

Dedicate 2 peak hours to each day

Typically speaking, there are a few hours per day where we know we’ll be busy. This could be the last two hours of the work day, the hours before lunch, or even as soon as we open our laptops.

One of the best productivity tips anyone can give you is to dedicate your 2 peak hours to working hard. In other words, focus exclusively on what you’re trying to accomplish.

This might sound super easy. For some it is, but for others, it takes a lot of practice and routine to get used to something like this. 

Here’s what I do. Everyday after lunch, I do 2 things. The first thing I do is drink my second coffee of the day (don’t worry, it’s a small one). The second and definitely most important thing I do is assess what needs the most attention, and then do it.

2-hours

Surprisingly, I can accomplish a lot during this time. There are many times where my team and I have done enough work for several days just within those few hours. Why? Because we intentionally focus. Trust me, it will definitely boost your productivity.

The conclusion

For each person, being productive might mean something slightly different. For an agency or freelancer, being productive might mean the difference between completing a project and completely missing a deadline.

The conclusion to this article is a simple one: use your time wisely. The productivity tips above are good ones to follow. With that said, however, there are plenty more productivity tips out there to follow. Remember that brand awareness in modern times is strongly influenced by social media, so if you want to learn more about this, look at how some of the best social media marketing agencies operate.

Just like anything else, you will have to find a way to make these tips routine in order for them to work properly. But, let’s not get discouraged here. Once you find that perfect routine, you will notice a dramatic difference in your agency workflow.

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