We all know that there are only so many hours in the day and it is essential to make the most of your time. With this in mind, it is important to work smarter or put more hours into your daily goals. For the vast majority of us, we would all prefer to work smarter.

Believe it or not, it is not that hard to be more productive at work, however, it does require you to be more specific about how you manage your time. Today we are going to walk through 15 simple strategies that will increase your overall productivity at work.

Many of us believe we are pretty good at understanding how much time we spend on a specific task. However, it is estimated that only about 17% of people accurately estimate the amount of time they spend on specific tasks. Tools such as Rescue Time, Harvest, and others allow you to accurately understand how much time you spend on daily tasks such as various apps, word processing, emails and social media.

While it may sound counter-intuitive, regular breaks help to improve your overall concentration. Research is shown that short breaks throughout the day help to maintain a consistent level of performance, whereas working with outbreaks leads to a decline in performance.

These tips are just a few that will help you learn to work smarter and not harder. By making small changes in your daily work life you will find that you are more productive and happier and this, of course, will make its way to your personal life as well.

We all tend to believe that stress is a bad thing and for the most part it is. However, self-imposed stress helps to maintain focus and allow us to meet our goals. Whenever you are faced with an open-ended task or project, create a deadline and stick to it. More than likely youll discover you are much more focused while you have one eye watching the clock on a specific project.

Steve Olenski famously recommended implementing a two-minute rule in which you make the most of small minutes of time at work. The idea is quite simple, if you have a task or action that can be done in two minutes or less, do it right then and there. Typically, completing the task at that moment in time will take less time than getting back to it later. By implementing the simple strategy it has made him into one of the most influential content strategists online.

Meetings are one of the biggest time-suckers in the office environment and generally one of the least needed activities throughout the day. The average office worker will spend over 31 hours every single month in unproductive meetings. Before you attend your next office meeting, find out if it is something that can be accomplished via email, telephone or even a web-based meeting.

If there is an absolute need for a meeting, try creating an environment in which everybody stands. These types of meetings have been shown to increase overall group performance and task performance.

We have all heard how essential multitasking is in the office environment, however, studies have shown that may be completely false. Psychologists have found that trying to do several tasks at one time tends to result in lost productivity and time. Try to focus on committing to one single task before moving on to your next project.

If you use mass transit as a way to get to and from work, this can be the perfect opportunity to get ahead on some daily office tasks. Instead of browsing Facebook or play in mobile games, use this time to send out emails, create to-do lists or even daily brainstorming sessions.

Many entrepreneurs get stuck in the mindset that they must achieve perfection or it is not going to work. It is essential to understand there is no such thing as perfect, get the task done and send it out. Its much better to complete the task and move onto something else and then come back to it later on and fine-tune it.

Taken time throughout your day to exercise can help to improve your overall office productivity. Try to find time throughout the day where you can go on a walk or even visit a gym. A simple exercise session is one of the best ways to get your blood pumping and to clear your head and regain your focus on a specific project.

Nootropics are natural brain supplements that may enhance your cognitive performance, focus, attention, memory and of course, also your productivity. They are especially popular among entrepreneurs and businessmen. Heres a great place to learn more about nootropics. Just keep in mind that nootropics wont help that much if you dont follow other rules as well.

Taking and receiving emails and phone calls throughout the day or one of the best ways of keeping things in line but they may be keeping you from getting everything accomplished. You must set aside a specific time for communication such as answering phone calls and emails. Create a plan of attack for the day and stick to it in order to get everything accomplished.

It is almost impossible to ignore and in common text notification, voicemail or email. Were curious creatures and we want to see what is being said, however, this can be a huge waste of time. When you are at work, you must turn off all your notifications and set aside time to answer any type of communication.

Researchers who study elite performers who had worked in intervals of no more than 90 minutes tended to be more productive than those who worked in 90 minute plus intervals. In addition, they found that those who were at the top of their field tended to work no more than 4 1/2 hours a day. That sounds like a pretty good lifestyle, doesnt it?

While it may sound unbelievable, researchers have stated that an office that is aesthetically pleasing can help to increase productivity by up to 15%. Be sure to include live plants, a fish tank, pictures, candles or anything thats going to provide a smile on your face.

All friendly chitchat or office visits may seem to be innocuous, the simplest of interruptions throughout the day can change your overall work pattern and drop your productivity. It essential to minimize overall interruptions by creating specific office hours, closing and locking your door or simply work at home for time-sensitive projects.

If you feel as though you need to increase your productivity at work, resist spending more hours of your time and creating longer calendars. Instead, look throughout your day and see how you can work smarter and not harder.

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