We’re all familiar with the feeling of wishing there was more time in the day. It’d be amazing to blast through a list of tasks, ticking them off as you go – but we all know that this is sometimes not the case. Becoming more productive is easier when you know how. It’s about working smarter, not harder. So; we’ve put together a 5 step plan to help you improve your productivity.
1. Manage your workload efficiently with a work OS
To-do lists can become very overwhelming, and often are not as effective as they could be. Your workload should be organised in a place where you can centralise your tasks and resources, monitor your progress, and map out what you are doing when you are doing it. It’s important that you have this, not only to motivate you but also to give you a structure to your day. If you have your tasks planned and ready to be actioned, there’s a far higher chance of you completing them quicker and more efficiently.
See our work OS in action with one of the team.
A lot of our team joined us loving the traditional paper-and-pen style to-do list. However, since discovering our work OS, they’ve never looked back. A work OS (or a work operating system) is a place for you to work from, in an organised, collaborative way. A work OS is completely customisable, so it can fit your role – for example, our marketing team use dates and timelines within their work OS to plan out content. Our renewals team use statuses to categorise the progress of a renewal.
Although it is flexible and interchangeable for everyone, every work OS caters for the same goal – improving productivity. For you multitaskers, a work OS lets you record exactly every detail of your task’s progress, so you can pick back up right where you left off.
2. Take regular breaks
Although this may be second on our list for improved productivity, it’s in no way a lesser priority.
Taking regular breaks from your work is crucial. It may sound counteractive, but actually, taking breaks will work wonders for your productivity.
You can make sure that you’re managing your time efficiently with a work OS. The time tracker column within a work OS allows you to record exactly how long you’ve been working for, so you can then make sure to take a reasonable break once you’re worked for a specific amount of time. You can also use hour columns in a work OS so that you can map out your day from start to finish – making sure to include regular breaks.
When you’re sat at your desk for hours on end, it can quickly tire you out and eventually leads to lower quality work at a lesser quantity. After you finish a task – go and get yourself a cup of tea, a biscuit, or get some fresh air. When you come back to your workspace, you’ll feel refreshed, recuperated, and ready to go.
3. Collaborate and communicate using a work OS
The phrase ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ is probably one that we’ve all heard way too many times. But, you have to admit – it’s true. And it’s the same for tasks – if you collaborate with colleagues, you’re much more likely to complete your tasks faster and at a higher standard. Collaboration may seem difficult, especially when your team may be remote. That’s why we provide tools to facilitate and improve collaboration and communication for teams worldwide – in turn, massively increasing their productivity.
Did you know? Online collaboration tools and digital workplaces facilitate increased productivity by up to 30%. (From GoRemotely)
Are you looking to achieve that extra 30% in your workplace? No problem – we’re here to help. With a work OS, you can share your tasks and workload with the relevant people. You can assign different sub-tasks to people or teams, ensuring that each person knows exactly what to do, and when. You’re even able to communicate directly on each item or task with a work OS, so all communication is relevant and in one place – rather than wasting time by scrolling through long email chains. Using a work OS is so easy and visual – it makes improving productivity effortless.
Our VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone system caters for improved productivity through extensive features and functionalities, at a fraction of major retailers’ price.
For example – when you integrate it with CRM, it’ll automatically log your call against the related record (this can be a contact, lead, or account). This means that you can speed up and automate your usually-manual processes that eat into your time and negatively impact productivity.
4. Use a work OS to set and track achievable and realistic goals
The key to productivity is breaking your workload down into smaller, more manageable chunks. These should be targets that you can complete in a shorter time, that ultimately contribute to your overall goal. These smaller tasks will motivate you. Looking at a significant workload can sometimes seem intimidating and daunting, and so when you’re able to tick through each chunk of the main task, it’ll encourage you to keep going.
You can use a work OS to ensure that your goals are realistic. You can set deadlines for each task within your work OS, of which email notifications can be sent to remind you when they’re getting nearer or passing, which will help with your time management and organisation.
Start a free trial of a work OS now.
5. Create a healthy work-life balance
In such a fast-paced world, having a healthy work-life balance can be difficult. It’s even trickier when you’re working at home, so it’s important that you have boundaries you stick to separate your working time and your time.
It may be tempting to continue working through the evening, as you’ll be completing more tasks, but it’s crucial that you log-off when you’re supposed to. This will help prevent burnout and ensure that you’re producing your best work, always. You can organise these in a work OS by using the various column types and timelines to map out your day, ensuring that you’re sticking to your structure. Your work OS will give you a view of what work-related tasks you need to do, but also when you need to balance that out.
These 5 steps and a powerful work OS system will help you to improve your productivity organically, without the typical increase in stress and pressure. Our work OS provides seamless organisation and collaboration. Using a work OS will enable you and your team to complete tasks at a higher quality, quantity, and velocity.
Try it for yourself – start a free work OS trial.
