H Y D A W A Y

By: Jessi Daly

“Am I in the mood for lasagna or chicken parm for dinner tonight? Do I hit the gym or catch up on Interior Design Masters once I get off work?” Yeah, if you’re anything like me, these questions may have crossed your mind a time or two while gazing out your window at work. Chances are, you’re not an Energizer Bunny or some hyper-focused robot or whatever. It can be hard to stay focused during your workdays. That’s why I came up with my top five tips and tricks for increasing your productivity efficiency at work.

1. Wake up earlier. I basically coined the phrase, “10 more minutes”, but I’ve found that hitting the snooze button doesn’t really leave me feeling more rested, it just makes me feel rushed. I’m way more productive person when I have time to shower, eat breakfast, and slowly get ready for the day.
2. Schedule breaks. You may think that productivity means non-stop butt-kicking from 9-5, but not necessarily! When our brains are tired and feel overworked, we may not be producing the quality of work we want. It’s important to schedule breaks and actually take them.
3. Reorganization your desk space. Don’t let a lack of organization create stress and worry throughout your workday. We all know walking into a messy desk at work is beyond a buzzkill.
4. Make a list. And check it twice! Again, if you’re like me, your brain is too scattered sometimes to remember every task at hand. Not to mention, when it’s all jumbled in your head, it can feel like three times as much. Take a second to physically write your ‘to-do’ list out on paper and start dictating which tasks need the most attention first. This will keep you cool, calm, and increase your productivity.
5. Eat a frog! Shoutout to Mark Twain for giving me my weirdest and most amphibious point on this list. Twain once remarked that if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, there’s no way that anything else you have to do for the rest of the day will be as bad by comparison. So, unless eating live frogs is the literal career path you have chosen, don’t actually eat a frog, but… you get the point. Don’t put off the most daunting tasks- do them first thing! Then, the rest of the day is easy sailing.

As you can see by following these few tips you are sure to increase your production efficiency at work. All it takes is a little extra effort of setting yourself up for success. Waking up and following these things can be the difference between moving up in a company, getting that raise, and/or just living a happier, calmer life.

Be sure to check our healthy habits blog section for tips for improving your daily routine.