Success is greatly impacted by one’s productivity. But as every Marketing Executive knows, it can be quite difficult to sustain productivity all day, every day. Losing your focus at work due to various distractions, interruptions and low energy levels often leads to job dissatisfaction and burnout. In order to help you avoid this trap and boost your productivity at work for the long-run, here are the top 3 productivity mistakes you should stop making immediately:
1. Working too long
without taking a break
Having the ability to work for hours on end would be great, but it is time that you admit to yourself that you are a human being - not a robot. Working straight through the day may create a sense of fulfillment but at the same time, it depletes your cognitive resources, making your output lower quality than it could be.
In order to maintain your sanity and to keep your focus stronger and longer, it is essential for you to get up and take a breather every now and then.
A popular method for enforcing productivity-boosting breaks is the Pomodoro Technique. This method entails choosing a single task to focus on and then setting a timer for 25 minutes while you work on it (without any distractions or multitasking). Then, take a short 5-10 minute break. After about 4 rounds of this, you should take a longer break of 20-30 minutes. Then repeat the process!
During your breaks, you could try doing some physical activities in the office, such as simple yoga stretches, to relieve tensed muscles and to refresh your focus. You could also do some light meditation, get up and walk around, chat with colleagues, or go grab a coffee or tea.
2. Trying to get more
done in less time by
multitasking
You would think that working on multiple tasks at once would help you get them done faster, but unfortunately, that is a myth. Performing multiple tasks simultaneously can actually disrupt focus, and it is much less efficient than it seems.
For example, if you are reading content for your approval, while also checking and responding to emails, your tasks will probably pile-up instead of the other way around. Give your full energy and total concentration to finish one job before moving on to the next.
The mere idea of this can be stress-inducing for marketing executives, as there simply aren’t enough hours in the day (which is why you were multitasking in the first place.) In order to make sure everything gets done efficiently, delegate some of your tasks to members of your team who can handle them.
If this is not an option, then you can partner up with a professional marketing agency to relieve you of some of the work and let you focus on your highest priority tasks.
3. Making unrealistic to-
do lists
Creating a list of tasks that you need to accomplish is a great way to stay organized, but it can also be detrimental to your productivity if you go about it the wrong way. Many people create to-do lists with everything that they need to get done, when realistically it is possible only to accomplish a fraction of them in a day.
Start by prioritizing your huge task list and determine which are the top 3 tasks that must get done first. Write them on a separate piece of paper, and keep it on your desk as you work. Put your long task list away in drawer or somewhere out of sight. Now, the list with the 3 tasks is your official to-do list for the day.
Not only does this method help keep you more focused and productive, but it will also be more satisfying to cross tasks off the list as you accomplish them, since you will feel like you are actually making progress.
When more than 3 tasks on the big list need to be done in one day, follow the advice from point #2, above -- delegate! You can get more done in less time by organizing your to-do list in this efficient way.
Productivity can only be achieved if you keep your balance. So, remember to take regular breaks throughout the day, focus on one task at a time and to not pile too many tasks on your plate in one day. Following these 3 tips is the key to increasing your productivity, being more successful at work, keeping your sanity and avoiding burnout.
To get more useful tips on how you can boost productivity and achieve more in your workday, download our free ebook, “10 Tips for Marketing VPs to Get More Done in Less Time”
