Secrets For Maximizing Productive Time In Your Day

“So much to do, so little time.”

Do you find yourself thinking this every day at work? If so, then the problem might not be how many hours you have in the workday, but how many of those hours are actually productive. Just think of how many times you’re interrupted in the middle of a project or how often you don’t even get around to starting a task until you’re already mentally exhausted. Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to maximize the amount of productive time you have in a day. What follows are some secret gems that can help you find more productivity instead of trying to pack twenty-six hours into your day!

Make your commute productive

For most of us, our commute is a daily nuisance, something we have to do to get from point A to point B. But if you can swap the car for the commuter rail, you can add a significant amount of productive time to your day. If commuter rail isn’t an option, consider scheduling business calls that don’t require you to look at presentations during your commute or listening to audio books to help advance your career.

Take a lot of breaks

In her article “The secret of the 10% most productive people? Breaking!” Julia Gifford describes a DeskTime study of habits of highly productive employees. The results of the study showed that the most productive people worked for a total of 52 minutes, then took a break of 17 minutes. The reason for this is that no matter how much we want to work for hours on end, we have a limited attention span. That’s why it’s more effective to work in short, focused bursts and let your brain recover in between. If you can’t stick with the 52-17 formula, try to get up for a stretch and a short walk every hour to give your brain a break. 

Work during quiet times

There’s no doubt that interruptions get in the way of productivity. If you have the option of getting into the office early, do so. This will give you the opportunity to work on important tasks without anyone disturbing you. Don’t stop to check emails or social media, as these distractions can quickly get you off track.

Remember: The biggest secret of all is to always bear in mind that maximizing your productive time is about working smarter—not longer.

Source:

https://blog.desktime.com/2014/08/20/the-secret-of-the-10-most-productive-people-breaking/