Productivity in the workplace determines how successful and how smoothly the business operates on a day-to-day basis. It might sound like a small thing but at the end of the day, productivity can also impact your work performance in either a negative or a positive way. Below are ways in which you can increase your productivity at work:

• Minimize distractions: you might be thinking: there are zero distractions around me or even on my desk at the office/home. Think again. Your mobile device is a big distraction within a normal working environment. Think about it this way: how many hours a day do you spend picking up your phone and scrolling through social media? An hour a day? 2-3 hours? All the time? Already these numbers should be having you question exactly how much time you should be spending on work which you are being paid to do. If you need to send someone a message, do so first thing in the morning and then put your phone away so that you can focus solely on completing your tasks for the day.
• Create a to-do list: this might sound like a real old-school thing to do and you are probably thinking but why should I write down what I need to do when I already know what I need to do? Studies have shown that you get a lot more tasks and additional items done when you can physically see what you need to do for the day. In addition to being able to see the overall completed results, you will also have the satisfaction of having completed all of your work for the day. Don’t mock it until you try it. There is nothing more rewarding than leaving work at the end of the day knowing that you have completed all your tasks, and knowing you don’t have to reschedule them for tomorrow.
• De-clutter your workspace: there is nothing worse than coming into the office on a Monday morning and your desk looks like a tornado ran through it. Just thinking about the word clutter will probably make you want to run to the nearest exit. Start by putting all your paperwork into a neatly organized pile, and throw away any wrappers, old papers, or even old takeaway coffee paper mugs. By doing one thing at a time when it comes to de-cluttering your desk, you will already start feeling better knowing that your workspace is being organized and de-cluttered so that you can work freely without feeling cramped.
• Challenging tasks: this may sound strange but why would you want to start with the most challenging tasks when you can do the easier tasks first thing? The most demanding tasks often demand more from you in terms of your time, energy, and input. It is quite often best to complete these challenging tasks first thing in the morning while you are still fresh and have plenty of energy. This will enable you to complete them more efficiently than later in the day when your motivation and energy levels are typically lower. After completing the challenging tasks, you can easily carry on with the simpler tasks that are not as demanding.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help: this might sound strange but we often feel like when we ask for help or we are not sure how to do something we are perceived as being unable or incompetent to do our jobs. However, this is not always the case. As individuals and human beings, we can be guilty of taking on too much work to prove that we can get a huge amount of work done in a short period. Asking for help from one of your colleagues could help ease the heavy burden. This will help you to get the workload done quicker and also increase productivity levels.