10 Tips to Make Your Workday More Productive

How can you get more done with less time and effort? As workloads increase it’s important to not only be efficient, but to ensure what you’re doing is high-priority. Our time management tips can help. 1. Make a daily action list Start the day with a list of the things you want to accomplish. You can group some tasks by category, such as “Email.” Break down large projects into smaller tasks that can be done in a day. 2. Rate your tasks Next, prioritize your list. Use a simple system, for example: 1=today, 2=this week, 3=this month. A “2” on Monday may be promoted to a “1” by Thursday. If an item stays on your list too long, reconsider its importance.

3. Put projects on a schedule

Large projects can be daunting. Break them down into manageable steps. Set-up a master schedule and add the incremental steps to your daily action list.

4. Stop multitasking

Doing two things at once sounds efficient but in reality it takes longer and yields mediocre results. Better to focus your full attention on one thing at a time. Get it done and move on to the next item.

5. Learn when to say "no"

There are so many opportunities in today's workplace, it's easy to overcommit. Be realistic about
your time. Consider your short- and long-term goals when you evaluate new opportunities. Focus
your efforts on the tasks that are most important to your company and to your job satisfaction.

6. Ask for help

You don't have to be the boss to delegate. Most of your co-workers are eager to learn new skills.
When you ask for help, focus on the objective, not the process. Provide guidance as needed, but
give your co-workers the freedom to do things their own way.

7. Keep building your skills

Make time in your schedule to learn new skills or refine your existing ones. Continuous
improvement is a key principle of job satisfaction, advancing your career, and increasing your
productivity in your current role.

8. Leverage technology

New technology provides opportunities to streamline your work. Whether it's as simple as a
keyboard shortcut or a new approach to an old process, little things add up to incremental time
savings. See the free, time-saving tools from Xerox in the box below.

9. Rethink your routine

We all do certain tasks out of habit. Take a few moments to ask yourself if your routine tasks are
still contributing to the success of your group or organization. Is there a more efficient way to get
them done?

10. Write it down

Good ideas can appear anytime. It's a mistake to think you can remember every one. Carry a
notebook so you can jot down good ideas as they occur.

Other related articles:
10 Easy Ways to Make Email More Efficient
10 Tips to Make Email More Productive
10 Tips for More Effective Time Management
Team Building: Simple Techniques That Maximize Productivity