There’s a saying that goes “procrastination is the thief of time”. The more you delay a task, the longer it takes to complete it.
Even the most dedicated, hard-working individuals face the temptations to put off work from time to time even when they know there’s a deadline approaching. But the truth of the matter is, waiting till the last to accomplish something can really hinder your performance.
At the workplace, procrastination has been said to not just kill personal productivity, but team productivity as well.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how with some simple hacks, you’ll never miss a deadline at work!
1. Project Management Tools
If you have a team and the success of your project depends on your team’s collective productivity, consider investing in a project management tool. This software offers an all-in-one platform for your team to collaborate on and refer to.
Some tools in the software include planning materials such as templates, workflows, and calendars to complex evaluation systems that track and assess your team’s productivity.
There’s an overwhelming number of project management tools to choose from. Luckily for you, Colorlib has shortlisted the best software out there.
2. To-Do Lists
If you’ve never done a to-do list before, you’ll be blown away by how productive you’ll be when you have one. Every morning, create a reasonable list of things you need to get done before you pack your bags, with the most important ones being at the top of the list.
Keyword: Reasonable.
People often put too many things on the list when they know they won’t complete it in time. This defeats the purpose of a to-do list, as it’s supposed to motivate you as you cross off each goal.
The more you have on that list, the more anxious you’ll become as time is running out and you’re only halfway through the list.
3. Time and Reward Yourself
If you really want that tunnel vision focus, then set a time limit to complete a particular goal. And when you do complete it within the set time, reward yourself. The reward should be enough of a reason for you to work your butt off.
Say you’re working on a report. Reward yourself with that chocolate smoothie you’ve been craving for under the condition that you complete the said report in two hours.
Also, keep an accomplishment list. Don’t just forget that you rewarded yourself. Acknowledge it. This reinforces good habits and makes sure you stay motivated in the long run!
4. Create Your Marketing Toolset
Just about any business invests into digital marketing these days. And it is an extremely overwhelming process. Technology can help you streamline your daily tasks. Luckily, there’s no shortage of smart tools that will make your life easier.
SE Ranking offers an all-in-one dashboard helping you organize your digital marketing reports under one roof. To name just a few of those helpful tools, there’s a solid rank tracking solution, backlink analysis, traffic monitoring and competitor analysis tools.
Speaking of competitors, Visualping offers a comprehensive competitor monitoring tool allowing you to keep an eye on their pages without constantly checking their sites.
For launching new campaigns and projects, Namify provides the most productive (and free!) tools allowing you to quickly find domain names and define your branding.
Finally, there’s a solid list of the best WordPress plugins that can make your life easier.
5. Schedule Emails
E-mails are a vital part of work. But if you notice that you immediately stop what you’re doing when an email notification appears, that may increase your overall stress.
According to a study conducted by Gloria Mark, it seems that people perform faster when they are interrupted. However, it comes at a cost. Interrupted people experience much more stress, frustration, and time pressure as they have to put in more effort to compensate for the lost time.
Consider muting your email notifications, and opening them only on set hours of the day. If you can afford to, just once in the morning and once in the evening before you leave.
This will also prevent you from adding more things to your to-do-list which you could have saved for the next day. Likewise, email marketing can also be streamlined by using automation.
6. Listen to Music
Music influences our mental state and productivity. Whether it improves or worsens depends on the type of music.
A study found that music with lyrics significantly affected concentration and attention in a negative manner. On the other hand, instrumental music is much more preferable in an office setting.
Some of the best music for work includes classical music, epic music, and even video game music.
Productivity is key to a successful workflow. Try the above hacks to become more productive!
