In this day and age, work can be overwhelming. Between neverending to-do lists and the influx of emails we all receive every day, it can be hard to keep up! We can’t solve all of your work woes, but we can share a few tips on how to structure your workday. A few changes in how to structure your workday can make a huge difference in how much you’re able to accomplish and how you feel doing it. Ready for a few tweaks that will have you on your way to maximum productivity? Let’s do it!
Tip #1: Don’t start your workday in your inbox.
It sounds crazy, we know! Avoid the urge to respond to allllll of the emails in your inbox first thing in the morning. You know how it is. You respond to Karen’s email first thing, she writes back immediately, you respond, etc. All of a sudden, it’s lunch and you haven’t even looked at your to-do list!
Set aside 1-2 blocks of time during your day to focus on your inbox. As a result, you’ll find yourself spending less time in the black hole of Gmail, and more time getting your actual work done! If your job involves more time-sensitive communication, try 3-4 smaller blocks of time instead.
Tip #2: Organize tasks by both priority and how long they’ll take you.
When you look at your to-do list, make a note for each task on how time-sensitive they are and how long they’ll take you. Here’s a fun cheat sheet to follow when organizing your list!
1) Urgent and quick to complete: Do these tasks first!
2) Urgent and requires more work: Spend the bulk of your time on these.
3) Not urgent and quick to complete: Leave these for the end of the workday when you’ve completed all your urgent tasks.
4) Not urgent and requires more work: Work on these as you have time!
Tip #3: Try batching.
You may have heard of the term batching before, but it’s super helpful when it comes to how to structure your workday! Batching just refers to grouping similar tasks together and doing them all at once. Whether it’s responding to submissions or writing Instagram captions, most tasks can be batched! If you do all of these tasks at the same time, you can focus on the project at hand and be more efficient overall.
Tip #4: Take breaks throughout the day.
Who knew that working less could actually make you more productive? Make sure you take real breaks during the day to unwind and refresh. Go on a walk at lunch, or eat lunch in the conference room with your coworkers. Even 30 minutes away from your desk can change your productivity levels drastically! We don’t know about you, but we often come up with our best ideas when we’re not at our computers!
We hope these tips help you figure out how to structure your workday for maximum efficiency! Want more? Here are more tips on how to stay on track from 9-5.