8 Simple Hacks for Being More Productive and Mentally Healthy at Work..

​​1. Start your day in the right way for YOU! 

Does this mean one more hit on the snooze button, doing a workout, taking the dog for a walk or getting some fresh air, meditating and clearing your mind for 10 minutes before your focus on your work? Whatever is the best start for your day for you, do it! 

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2. Stop multitasking, and focus on one task at a time 

While you ultimately may be able to get things done when you juggle projects or tasks, focusing on one at a time may help you be more productive. When we concentrate on more than one activity at a time, we tend to use more of that time just for transitioning between tasks. This can result in some of the tasks remaining incomplete or being done at a lower quality than if each task had been a sole focus 

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3. Set small objectives 

Rather than approach large goals that would require multiple outlets and longer amounts of time to achieve them, consider planning out small objectives throughout your day. Similarly, you may use these short objectives as milestones to measure your progress toward a larger goal 

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4. Time block your schedule - Think time in motion! 

Using time blocks within your day can also help you increase your productivity. With this strategy, you would set a time limit for each of the tasks you work on. You may choose to make a printout of your schedule and highlight the time frames where you want your time blocks to be. 

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5. Limit interruptions – Make ‘Do not disturb’ your friend 

Interruptions can sideline us throughout the day. Even though you may enjoy your relationships with your co-workers, and of course these are important, losing track of time due to long conversations can hinder your workflow and decrease your overall productivity causing you to be stressed. 

Consider using some strategies to limit the number of interruptions during your day. 

You may choose to put yourself on 'Do not disturb' so you’re not distracted by conversations popping up on Teams, close your emails down whilst concentrating on an urgent task, and use noise-cancelling headphones to limit the sounds of office chatter and interaction. Headphones can also be a polite but silent way to let your colleagues know that you need to concentrate on the projects you are working on. 

When implementing strategies to help you increase your work productivity, it is important to be as consistent as you can. Allow yourself to learn ad develop your skills, and you can be certain that your productivity will continue to improve until it becomes a habit. 

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6. Stop worrying!! I promise this gets easier 

Honestly, worrying is a waste of time and energy! Become aware of when you are worrying and how your body and mind feel. When we start to notice the feeling of worry in our bodies, we then connect this to emotions. When we get wrapped up in worry, we then worry about worrying! 

So when you notice you are starting to worry, this is when to take action! Worrying dies down when we are working towards what we are worrying about. Sitting and doing nothing but worrying, makes the worrying worse. Worrying dies when progress is made. 

So the solution is not sitting and worrying, but working towards the problem that’s worrying us. So instead of using the time to worry, take this time to take action. Think about what you can do right now and replace the worry with actions. 

(Sorry about all the ‘worry’ words, just trying to help you not to worry 😉) 

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7. Take your breaks! 

When the pressure is on and you need to get things done, it’s so easy to work through, to keep going, telling yourself I’ll just finish this and then I’ll stop. Then the next thing pops up so you crack on! Before you know it, it’s 4 pm and you can’t even remember having any loo breaks. 

It’s so important to take breaks, to get fresh air where possible, but to move away from our laptops and screen time, making time to not only eat to refuel our bodies and brains but to switch off. Not doing this will just make your day seem harder! 

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8. Ask for help 

If you feel you feel your workload is spiralling out of control, talk to your manager or a colleague. Sometimes just saying things out loud or asking someone else to look at your ‘to-do’ list helps. Even a conversation about how you are feeling will help you feel less overwhelmed, and quite often it’s never as bad as we first think it is. 

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And remember we all have access to the Calm app and I cannot say enough positive things about this gift we have! Whether you want 10 minutes of guided meditation to help clear your mind at any time of the day (turn your phone on silent from calls ad texts, turn down the volume on your laptop and maybe even put an alarm on so you don’t fall asleep) or if you fancy a bedtime story by Camilla Cabello or Jermone Flynn, want to listen to some talks around mental fitness, about frustration with colleagues at work or about people pleasing, there will be something on there for all of you.