improving productivity

• keep your workspace clean – uncluttered , organized
• don’t have distractions ( cell phone , tablets ) in reachable range
• turn off audio notifications for all your devices – messages , whatsapp , notifications , facebook , news articles , emails
• dedicate a block of time for emails – when your brain is the least productive – say after lunch – 1 to 1:30 pm
• have a dedicated 1 – 2 hour(s) block of time where you concentrate on a complex task and focus on it completely
• don’t take any breaks to be on the cell phone during this time
• let your team members know you are not to be disturbed in this block of time ( instant message notification – busy or do not disturb )
• you could set an auto email responder – you are not able to answer emails received between 10 am and 12 pm
• clean your mind – write down the ideas, thoughts , to do lists somewhere and use the calendar for appointments
• the cleaner your mind , the lesser the thoughts running through it , the more it can focus on the tasks at hand
• don’t multi-task – studies have shown that the brain takes about 23 minutes to come back to the task at hand
• if you don’t get interrupted in first 40 – 50 seconds of starting your focus time , chances are you will complete a lot in your allocated block of time
• have you noticed how you want to buy from some physical stores in the mall because they have an uncluttered look and a few products ? they are well lit , organized and have a lot of walking room – a few examples are apple , abercombie & fitch , ralph lauren – minimalist – they function on the basis – less is more
• steve jobs , of apple , was known to have workspace designed in white with nothing else to distract the attention.
• when you walk into an apple store , notice the minimalist look – it has since been copied by a lot of other competitors like one plus etc.
• other stores have all sorts of products – they don’t know who they are catering to ..
• ever been to a high end car showroom – mercedes , audi , bmw , jaguar , land rover ? do you notice something similar in all of them – an uncluttered look , straight simple lines , plenty of space to walk around , high ceilings , quiet , well organized , open spaces ? there is a reason for it .. the people who buy these cars have a similar mind – clean , uncluttered , simple , a high ceiling helps them think – it is a sign of no limits or boundaries
• music – if you need to listen to music , listen to something without words – an instrumental song , it also reduces stress , plays quietly in the background – since there are no words , your mind will not sub-consciously pay attention to it
• in a company called sevenly (www.sevenly.org) , there was a tradition – a lamp on each desk . when this lamp was on , the person on that desk should not be disturbed at any cost . the people loved it so much that the lamps were on almost the entire day – the people would have very productive days …
• know your strengths and weaknesses – outsource your weaknesses , work on the things that you are good at and is the most useful use of your time