How to stop wasting time on useless work sessions
Productivity / / December 23, 2019
1. Spend as little as possible to the meetings
For a week we spend up to four hours in meetings. More than half of that - a waste of time. If you have the opportunity, try to reduce the number of meetings.
- Think about the number of participants. Do not invite colleagues to a meeting just in case. Let them better spend time productively engaged in their work.
- Often a good substitute for the meetings could be talking face to face. It is much simpler to discuss the details of the project with the responsible specialists and then to present the idea to all the staff.
- Before you assign a formal meeting or to attend on him, think carefully about what information you are going to share with colleagues. Most often, the basic information can be reported in some other way, such as a link to a document, write in chat or even just verbally convey a cup of coffee. Then, employees will be able to respond to your information without disrupting your workflow.
2. Change interaction with peers
Of course, cooperation usually helps increase productivity. But not all so simple. According to
polls, Each employee an average of distracting seven times per hour. And 80% of these distractions - small insignificant things.So instead of asking the question, as soon as he comes to your mind, do not rush to distract colleagues. Make a list, and then ask all the time, when an employee is released. In addition, it often happens that after a while we do find an answer to your question or understand that the first three questions just brings us to one big fourth.
If you are distracted, not necessarily to develop a complex system of communication with colleagues. For example, to send a signal "Do Not Disturb" is usually enough to put on the headphones. If this does not work, try to move to another part of the office, where you will not interfere. Most colleagues get used to such signals and will not bother you when you are busy.
3. Reduce the flow of e-mail
The problem is not in itself e-mailAnd how we use it. If before the e-mails contained a large amount of information, they now became more similar to SMS. Typically, the letter is now held from 5 to 43 words - a summary and simple probing questions. Such letters are quickly multiplying in your inbox, threatening to literally drown you in the flow of unread messages.
Before you send an email, think, not whether it is more convenient to use a different method of information transfer.
For example, using a variety of instant messengers, you can quickly send text messages and respond to them without too much formality, which enforces email. But in comments to documents from public access several people at once can leave your suggestions on some project, rather than clutter up their mailboxes their colleagues.
4. Work from home and get enough sleep
Well-rested employee is often six hours will do more than sleepy for all ten. Therefore, the work from home for many becomes an ideal option. And thanks to modern means of communication to employees not necessarily be in the same room to solve a question.
Freed from the need to spend a few hours in the transport, you will be able to sleep, and this is a positive impact on productivity.
Of course, in some areas more closely communicate with colleagues needed, but one or two working days a week, spent at home, will be useful for any profession. This will provide an opportunity to focus on his own project and just sleep. The main thing - to find a weekly rhythm, which will be useful to you and your team.
5. Take frequent breaks
Breaks are important, not less, than the work itself. However, a simple change of activity is often not enough. To recharge, you need to get up from the table every half hour.
For creative people are useful for longer breaks, such as a dinner with friends or a walk. Such a break - what you need to unproductive afternoon It turned into a creative breakthrough.
You do not have a rest if you get distracted for a few minutes every half hour. Preferably several times a day depart from the workplace for at least ten minutes.
Let such interruptions actually reduce the number of working hours, but you'll work more effectively in the rest of the time. Really productive to spend time, you can just resting and recovering.