by Charlotte Gurney
Focus, productivity and happiness has something of a symbiotic relationship, feeding one another so each one can grow. For anyone keen to get more from their role day to day, all three will be essential. Being happier makes us more creative, motivated, more likely to collaborate and more engaged with what we’re doing. So, how can you increase focus, productivity and happiness at work?
Plan out your day - Having a pen and paper to hand or a digital internal planning document can help you to stay organized and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Instead of just writing down a ‘to do’ list or reminders, make this a place where everything is noted and prioritized. This will free up your mind to stop ruminating on the same things, allowing you to focus your mind and energy on getting the work done.
Get to the bottom of procrastination - Often, when we put something off, it’s because we feel like we can’t do it (or do it to the best of our ability). This lack of confidence and self-belief is the enemy of focus and productivity. By attacking these tasks head on, you’ll realize more often than not that you were more than capable of tackling the challenge. Subsequently, if you voice your concerns around a particular task to a team member or manager, they will be able to provide you with additional resources and insights to deal with the task. This in turn makes it a learning experience that will build your confidence the next time a similar situation arises.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? - We are all different when it comes to focus and productivity and unlikely to find ourselves the most effective at the same time of day as everyone else. If you know when in the day that you’re most likely to be in a focused flow, then you can optimize that energy to be more productive. That could be first thing in the morning, before sunrise, at mid-morning or even last thing at night. Find out what works for you and try to adapt accordingly.
Understand the environments in which you are the most productive - Do you work best in an open plan area with plenty of background noise? Or are you someone who needs silence and space to be your most productive? It’s not always going to be possible to create an ideal environment for yourself, but if you know how you function best, you can get as close to this as you can.
Give yourself space to think - It’s very difficult to get clear on what you’re doing next, and how you’re going to achieve it, if your head is full of thoughts, anxieties and plans. So, if you’re keen to be more effective every day, try taking some time out to clear your head. That could be with a daily 10-minute meditation, a walk-in nature or a short run.
Spark joy - We are more productive when we’re happy - in fact, one study found that happier people tend to be 20% more productive. Doing at least one thing every day that brings you joy will improve your overall happiness levels and have a knock-on effect on your focus, productivity and job satisfaction as a result.
Focus and productivity aren’t just aimed at increasing the amount of work you produce, but are also aligned with increasing your happiness and improving your general mindset. This in turn provides you with space to think and understand how you work best within your job role. To find out how Volt can help you on your professional development journey, please visit our ‘Website’ for more information.