20 Productivity & Positivity Hacks for the Workplace

posted in: General 0

Being productive doesn’t just mean working hard, it also means working smart. Productivity is one of the key factors that determine your professional success and happiness. Having the ability to consistently produce high-quality work can lead to career advancement as well as personal development.

Here are 20 Productivity & Positivity Hacks for the Workplace :

Positivity – Attitude is everything! If you don’t think you can do it, why should anybody else? Maintaining a positive attitude will significantly increase your productivity.

Plan – The first step toward being productive is to plan out your day ahead of time. Write down everything you need to do so you can stay on track and know what to focus on next. This removes all uncertainty, and there is less chance of you drifting away and wasting time because you don’t know what you’ll do next.

Start Your Day With a Tough or Easy Task – The way you begin your day determines how the rest of the day will take shape. You can either begin by completing the most difficult task first, making everything else feel easier, or begin by completing the simplest task first, gaining valuable momentum.

A Dedicated Workspace – If you are working from home or remotely, create a dedicated workspace where you’ll go to work and leave once you’re finished. 

Use an Important/Urgent Matrix –  An effective time management tool called Important/Urgent Matrix or Eisenhower Matrix helps prioritize tasks on the basis of how important or urgent they are. The matrix divides tasks into four different quadrants – Important & Urgent, Important & not urgent, Not important & urgent, Not important & not urgent. This method ensures you spend your time effectively as well as efficiently. 

Plants – Placing one of these green-leaved friends on your desk holds all sorts of amazing effects. Studies have shown that they improve concentration and productivity by up to15%, and not just that, plants reduce stress levels, boost your mood,

Light & Air – Studies in neuroscience have been done on the advantages of natural light. In fact, it has been demonstrated that having a view of the outside can improve performance at work. Employees that work near a window do better in terms of remaining on target, engaging more with their work, and displaying greater devotion to their employer. A 15% decrease in absenteeism has been linked to better workplace lighting, including both natural sunshine and artificial light, according to HOK, a multinational design, architecture, and engineering business. Our capacity to assimilate information and come to wise conclusions is also influenced by Fresh Air.

Move – Try to get up and move at least once an hour. A break gives your mind the opportunity it needs to recover from intense concentration.

Hydrate – A 3-4% drop in water intake can lead to a (up to) 50% drop in productivity. Make sure you and your team are drinking enough (no, coffee doesn’t count).

Use Templates – Create templates for routine tasks that are created the same way each time. This saves a lot of time and improves overall productivity.

Group Similar Tasks – Stack similar tasks so you can complete them with the same mindset. This ensures a smooth workflow and helps you get more done in less time.

Avoid Multitasking – It may be tempting to do two things at once, but multitasking does more harm than good. Research shows that about 98% of people aren’t focused on one task, so multitasking makes them less productive.

Use the “One and Done” Rule – Most of us tend to set aside some tasks and think about taking care of those later but they often don’t get done. To avoid this, add each new task to your to-do list so you don’t forget it later.

Eliminate Distractions –  When we get distracted, we waste a lot of time trying to refocus on the task at hand. By removing distractions, you can do more productive work in less time.

Wake Up Early – Get a head start on your day; a lot of work can be done early in the morning when there are fewer distractions than at noon.

Follow Deadlines – Try to complete the task within allocated time. Knowing that deadlines are approaching increases productivity.

Let Go of Perfectionism – Nothing is perfect, so don’t waste time trying to make every task perfect. Once you’ve done enough, move on to the next task.

Learn to mindfully say “No” – Saying “yes” and taking on too much will can harm your mental health and affect the quality of your work. If you find yourself constantly working late or bringing work home with you, then you no longer have a healthy work-life balance. This may also cause you to resent your job and create a negative work environment. Saying “no” mindfully will ensure that when you are asked to do something and don’t have the time, you’ll know how to say it politely and effectively. For example: “Unfortunately, I’m at capacity. I’ll let you know if my schedule frees up.” 

Listen to Productive Music – Music is a great therapy for staying focused and staying productive.

Identify the ‘Why’ Behind Your Job – Ask yourself why you chose your job. Keep these reasons in mind at work to stay motivated to be productive and successful at work.

Sources:
Einstein Marketer
Inc Africa
Simplilearn


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About Lola Govender

My name is Lola Govender. I have been working at L2B for 14 years and am very passionate about our business.

Productivity or Efficiency?

posted in: General 0

Productivity and efficiency are two prominent “buzz” words in the corporate world, and orienting your business around them is definitely a wise strategy.  Both concepts are important driving forces for any project or endeavor: The lack of them can damage the development and the presence of them can increase success.

Despite the fact that the two words are often used, it’s very common for people to get them mixed up or associated with the same concept. If you’re also not sure about the differences between these two concepts, don’t worry, we prepared this infographic with a complete and simple explanation for you, check it out!

Source: Nutcache


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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

Your Essential Guide to Productivity

posted in: Life Lessons 3

How it’s going – 2021

We’ve already completed one month in 2021. How productive have you been so far? I’ve seen so many posts this year with people saying they simply don’t feel motivated or productive at all while using the phrase “February is the new January”. That’s basically the 2021 version of I’ll start next Monday, right?

Let’s Break it Down

Dan S. Kennedy defines productivity as follows:

Enter Your Essential Guide to Productivity: tips with optional further reading links because as we know, “Time is money”. For further motivation (to keep reading), the benefits of productivity include reduced stress, increased engagement and improved self-confidence and who doesn’t want more of all that?

Productivity Tools

Right off the bat lets start with some productivity tools that I use (do you use any of these?):

Trello – for organizing and prioritising projects
Slack – communicate, share files and connect with apps easily
Grammarly – an AI-powered writing assistant that helps with spelling, grammar and more
Google Keep – capture notes and get reminders
Google Docs Editors – Google’s office suite which includes Google Docs, Google Sheets and more
Google Workspace Suite –  collaboration tools like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites and more
Skype / Zoom – video communication and collaboration
AnyDesk / TeamViewer – remote desktop sharing and file transfer
Dropbox – file Storage and Sharing

Productivity Tools are great but in the end, they don’t make you productive they just assist with the process. So what does? One commonality that stands out after research is MINDSET. As we all know the mind is powerful so it’s no surprise that this is the main component for productivity.

Your Essential Guide to Productivity

With only so many hours in the day, you want to use them in the best way right? So, let’s keep it short with 10 Tips:

Start – this one is obvious, to be productive you have to start somewhere
Plan – create a detailed breakdown of how you plan to achieve goals and focus on these
Be Deliberate – be conscious and intentional with your actions
Deadline – set goals with completion dates in mind
Accountability & Tracking – take accountability and track your progress
Workspace – this goes without saying but creating and maintaining a space that assists you without distractions
Take Breaks – breaks help you to de-stress, re-charge and re-focus
Fuel – your body (and brain) needs fuel to perform optimally
Stop Multitasking – according to science multitasking divides your attention and impairs your ability to function optimally
Say No/Delegate – not everything is equally important so prioritize or delegate

In Conclusion

Keep in mind no project or initiative is perfectly planned even though it may seem that way from the outside looking in. Work hard and do your best. Your customers and/or colleagues will tell you where improvements are needed which means you’ll get the opportunity to improve things that actually matter.

In the name of #KeepingitReal and #Authenticity, I personally struggle with taking breaks, not multitasking, saying no/delegating and on top of that I am a perfectionist. If you’re the same, remember you are a work in progress so don’t beat yourself up when you fall short. Get up, dust yourself off and remember consistency is key. Find methods/techniques that work best for you and you’ll see changes.

WATCH The Science of Productivity from AsapSCIENCE on Youtube for a scientific take on Productivity.

Sources/Further Reading:
Personal Productivity eBook
EmpMonitor
Paldesk
DoIT
INC
HeySpace


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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Reach out if you want to talk: L2B, social media, construction, technology, marriage, parenting, popular culture and travel. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

The Effects of Regular Exercise on Productivity

The Effects of Regular Exercise on Productivity

Here at Leads 2 Business, we strive to make sure you get the most out of your service. For many of us, exercise is one way for us to get our minds focused and our work flowing.

As someone who tries to get 1-hour exercise in a day, I know that whether it be a swift walk or a full body work out on returning to my computer, My “brain fog” is clear and I am ready for the rest of the day.

Besides the obvious benefits behind exercise (ie. Weight loss). Taking anywhere between 10-30 minutes out of your day to go for a walk outside, run or gym has its physiological benefits. Royal College of Psychiatrists published an article stating that exercise can help cope with mild depression as it lifts your mood and gives a sense of being in control and In touch with people.

For some people the Word Exercise may make them cringe at the thought of being sweaty and tired, However, you can also exercise to relax, You may be wondering how can exercise be relaxing? Alexander Pope wrote a poem called “An Essay on Man” in the year 1733-1734, saying Strength of Mind is exercise, not rest.” doing things likes Yoga can help you to realize this.

Almost any type of exercise can help your mind think freely and Creatively. Upon speaking to Darren Smit owner of IMF High Performance Centre in Ballito who studied BA spots Science at Stellenbosch and finished his BSC Honours Degree in Biokinetics at the University of Zululand, He told me that the following, “You need to value the importance of your long-term health in order to fully understand the importance of exercise, Most of the time people have a health scare before they find the time to get in the gym or outdoors and move. Regular Movement can help Keep your body at a healthy weight and your mind in a positive place, and Exercising regularly can lower the risk of disease, including type 2 diabetes and High Blood Pressure.” Darren also went on to say that exercising regularly will not only help you but help those that you interact with.

Saying that Some of our Leads 2 business ladies recently did the Spars Women’s Race (see Image above). Many of us have walking Groups that we are part of, and you will often see us walking outside for a breath of fresh air, This helps us to keep our positive attitudes when dealing with subscribers and encouraging others to subscribe as well. Being that our company is web-based and we deal with people mostly over the phone We have to make sure that we are thinking fast and clear in order to give our subscribers that best.

Here are some ways you can incorporate exercise into your day:

  • Stretch – Standing up and stretching your back and legs can increase blood flow and help your posture after you have been sitting at a desk or in a chair for a long period of time.
  • Lose the Chair – Try getting rid of your normal office chair. You may find your back may ache or your shoulders. Try sitting on a medicine ball(Stability Ball). A simple medicine ball instead of a Chair can help your core abdominal muscle and promotes better posture.
  • Take a Break – Get your blood flowing and your legs moving. Whether you stroll to the kitchen for tea or you take a walk outside and take in all the things around you. This will help you clear your mind of what stress you have and help you to refocus on things going on
Get moving today and you will be amazed as to how quickly you can feel and see a difference.

 

Sources:
imovefitness
rcpsych
An Essay on Man – Wikiquote
realsimple
livestrong
pexels

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About Caroline Clark

When I am not at work you will find me spending quality time with my family. You will always find a smile on my face and a snack in my bag.