Daily Habits that Can Help you Be More Efficient at Work
Are you currently feeling like you can't seem to be productive or efficient at work? Are you struggling to find a balance and seek motivation within the workplace? Don't worry, plenty of people go through this at some point in their career and it's perfectly fine to have bad days. The best part of all is that the power to improve your situation is in your hands. After all, who knows what makes you the happiest better than yourself?
There are certain things you can do in order to improve your situation and tackle your work day with the right attitude. Mindset is everything, but so are your actions. Check out these daily habits you can incorporate into your life in order to increase efficiency, be an exceptional employee, and improve your overall lifestyle:
1. Distinguish your MITs (Most Important Tasks)
To-do lists are helpful but they don't necessarily prioritize your tasks. The purpose behind distinguishing your MITs is to check off items that are crucial and need to be completed with urgency. With a regular to-do list you will be crossing out both important and less important tasks.
At the start of your day, spend some time writing down the top 3 most important tasks that need to be completed before the day ends. These tasks need to be completed no matter what and should not be put off for the next day. If you feel like you don't want to or can't spend time making this list in the morning, create your MIT list for the next work day before leaving the office or clocking out for the day. This will also save you time in the morning and allow you to get started right away.
2. Stay Away From Social Media
This is a hard one, I know. However, it doesn't mean it's impossible. It's all about discipline and projecting your energy on what matters the most. If you check your emails on your phone, make sure you go straight to your emails and nowhere else. Don't get carried away and allow yourself to get sucked in on your social media feed. Before you know it, 30 minutes have passed and you haven't gotten anything done!
Think about it this way, social media isn't going anywhere. Try your best to only check your social media during your lunch break. It's all about prioritizing.
3. Accept Feedback
Naturally, not everyone is open to feedback. Especially when it's not necessarily positive or the type of feedback we were expecting to hear. However, how can you improve at your job if you don't know what you're doing wrong? When you receive negative feedback from your superior, don't take it personally. The purpose behind feedback is to make you more productive and help you excel in your position.
Try to be as open to negative feedback as you are to positive feedback. Constructive criticism can take you far if you're willing to work on it and make improvements. Getting an outsider's perspective also helps us see things we would never have noticed.
4. Exercise Regularly
You may be wondering, what does exercise have anything to do with my performance at work? The truth is, how you feel physically has a substantial amount of influence not only on how you perform at work but also on your life in general.
Exercising will help improve your quality of sleep, enhance your mental health and mood, sharpen the function of your brain, and much more. A sedentary lifestyle will not bring you as many benefits as an active lifestyle. When you feel good, you do good.
5. Practice Self-Reflection
Reflective practices help you cultivate and enhance essential skills and evaluate your effectiveness. It also helps you find out the motives behind your actions and determine a better approach and strategy when it comes to executing.
Take a look in the mirror and have a one-on-one conversation with yourself. Dedicate some time to ask yourself these questions:
- Am I organized?
- Do I remember or forget things easily?
- Am I good at focusing or do I need to work on it?
- What are my current biggest challenges?
- What makes me happy?
- How can I improve my way of life?
- What skills can I acquire or sharpen?
- Am I making an impact?
You can come up with as many questions as you'd like and make it as personal as you want. The most important thing is that you don't forget to check in with yourself and practice self-reflection on a regular basis. Reflective practice can promote happiness in your personal and professional life.