Boost your productivity with these tips
Understand the enemy
So you think you perform better under a tight deadline? You don’t, according to 2011 research from the City University of New York. Students who procrastinated were also more likely to exhibit poor planning and organisational skills and reduced working memory. Get cracking!
Step 1: Publicise your to-do list
If you tell people you’re planning to do something, you’re more likely to actually do it. Hang a whiteboard with your daily tasks in your office where your colleagues can see. Big project due? Post on Facebook or Twitter that you’re going to tackle it.
Step 2: Cut the slack
Distractions can disrupt your active neural networks. So shut your office door, mute your phone, and switch off your email’s pop-up notifications. Also log out of your Twitter and Facebook accounts. That way you’ll be forced to type in your username and password.
Step 3: Work in bursts
Setting a solid three-hour block to com- plete a project will only burn out your brain. Instead, mark off some checkpoints throughout the project that offer logical stopping points for breaks.
Try these strategies with new projects. The repetition can help your brain create neural networks that are more impervious to distraction and less distractions might mean more promotions.
