Your productivity and efficiency probably declines as your long day goes on you become more stressed, more tired and you try to work harder but the more you do, the more you struggle to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). There are reasons for why this happens and you’ll be amazed of the subtle simple fixes that you can do to prevent this problem from happening and help bring not only your productivity but your positivity up throughout your working day.
Take regular breaks
Your brain works best in short spans with breaks in between. It’s fact. You should take a 5-15 minute break every hour or so to let your brain recharge, boost positivity and performance. Its proven that your brain decides to lose focus after more than an hour of doing something which is part of the reason why halves in sports games generally don’t last longer than an hour, sure being physically tired comes into play but mental tiredness is also a big part of it. Think how late red or yellow cards come in football, it’s usually when a player loses focus and goes for a restless tackle. Its the same with work, after that initial hour you’re not fully focused and you could end up typing/doing something a bit restlessly. So take a break!
Keep your workspace clean
Keeping your workspace clean and tidy does not only make it safer and easier for you to find things. Studies have shown that keeping your office clean and working in a mess-free environment increases productivity. Think about it, you’re less likely to lose things making you much more efficient and you don’t have back of the head thoughts bugging you to tidy your desk every minute so you can get on with your work.
In addition to this, having a clean desk removes the hazard of spilling or dropping things on your work or equipment which could set you back a long way in both expenditure and time. Unclean working environments can also be ridden with bacteria, germs and allergens which could potentially put people out of work, surely this alone emphasizes the need to keep it clean.
Subtle changes in your setup
Believe it or not, investing in subtle changes in your setup can vastly increase your workability and efficiency. Subtle changes such as adding a second monitor alongside your original monitor or using a mechanical keyboard over a standard keyboard can both increase how quickly and easily you go about doing things.
Using a dual monitor setup for web design can improve your design work and coding efficiency exponentially. Often small businesses (and sometimes even large businesses) that want to improve their work efficiency and productivity would opt for a new processor, graphics or hard drive but we would challenge you to consider buying a second monitor or to upgrade some of your smaller optics such as your mouse and keyboard.
It’s important to choose what’s best for you. Choosing an Apple Mac for creative work and design is considered to be the best choice and is often forced upon you however it’s not a must! Work with what you are comfortable with! If you work with something that you’re uncomfortable with you’ll quickly find that you slow down on the workload and become unhappy.
Upgrade to a mechanical keyboard. A mechanical keyboard is a keyboard that is built at a higher quality to a normal keyboard. It is built with springed switches meaning you don’t have to press down the keys as far to type making for quicker, lighter, easier typing. Mechanical keyboards are almost better in every single way and will eventually improve productivity and efficiency once you have got used to the sensitive keys.
Personalize your space
Not only does personalizing your office allow you to make friends and get along with people you work with and express your personality but generally speaking, people tend to be happier and more productive.
Sometimes unexpected changes have a large effect on productivity such as keeping a small plant on your desk or something close to you, in 2014 it was found to have boosted productivity by 15 percent along with increasing workplace satisfaction overall.
Personalization can increase the emotional connection with your work, whilst keeping it organized. Limit your personal items to ones that are particularly meaningful or useful, items that inspire you to be creative and productive, often a good item is a framed photo of family or kids on your desk. Think about it, your family or kids are (or at least should be) one of the biggest motivators for you to work and earn money. It’s not only the emotional side of things but having a personal workspace can improve your mental health massively too, having an open office layout typically have a negative effect employee performance and well being as well as having higher levels of stress.
