It’s a buzzword at the top of so many business leaders’ tongues: productivity. Getting more work done with limited budgets is likely a top business priority for many.
With 700 people Googling how to be more productive every month in the UK alone (nearly 10K globally), it’s no surprise that some of the productivity hacks picked up over time aren’t actually that conducive to saving time and getting more done – so Leadership Coach Debbie Green debunks productivity myths, sharing her top hacks for powering efficiency in the workplace.
Office snacks
Snacks in the office – as long as they’re healthy – can definitely aide, not just with your brain function, but also looking after your gut microbiomes!
Snacks are also a great way to bring people together. It could be celebrating someone’s big life event – whether a wedding, engagement, new parent, promotion, team success – brings people together over an achievement or milestone, and it can ensure that people feel that they belong and matter in the team.
Avoiding multitasking
This is a really interesting one as we’ve learnt to do many things in quick succession. For example, answer the phone and type an email at the same time; be in a meeting and respond to messages. All of these things are vying for our attention and therefore it’s far easier to become distracted as we’re not giving our full focus to any one thing and doing it well.
Removing distractions
As a leader, you create the environment for people to thrive and that may mean taking a look around ‘your stage’ to ensure that everyone can perform to the best of their abilities. It can be difficult to tune out co-workers so finding a quiet space for team members to concentrate on important things can be invaluable. Music is also a great way of tuning out potential distractions; putting in headphones so you can listen to music or playing music across the office – the latter of which is also great for building bonds with colleagues over shared music tastes (but make sure there’s something for everyone in the playlist.
Working in a very quiet environment
Some people thrive in a quiet environment where others don’t; I personally prefer an environment with a bit of a buzz and music playing in the background. There are some environments where it’s important to be quiet and I believe that people find the environment that works for them.
Taking frequent breaks
We ideally need to ‘move’ every 20 minutes or so. However, what people do to break up their day is going to be different for every environment you’re working in.
As a leader, it’s important to be aware of those that don’t take regular breaks and those that take frequent breaks and ensure that they set the tone of what the expectation is on people and what breaks are required.
The Pomodoro technique
This is a marmite technique for managing time, productivity and focus. Again, every 20 minutes of intense focus on a particular task can create momentum to get things done, rather than procrastinate. The Pomodoro technique is a time management approach that enables you to focus on the right things and create the right time to get things done.
While some of these ‘hacks’ have the potential to hinder productivity, there’s a basis for efficient work in them all; what works for one person may not work for the next. As leader, what’s most important is getting to know the team you’re leading to work out the best way to make the whole office productive.
You can read more on all of these hacks, and the reasoning behind them here.
Debbie Green
Debbie Green is PPL PRS’ Leadership Coach. She advocates growing confidence through routine, challenging your inner critic and music. She passionately believes that a good tune evokes an emotional connection and powers productivity at work, improving performance in all aspects of your life. Whether you’re playing music in an office or hair salon, it’s universally impactful!
Debbie started WishFish Coaching & Development in 2006. She lends her expertise in people to coaching professionals in their careers to build self-esteem, regardless of seniority level or industry.
She also believes in helping leaders and HR professionals instil confidence in their teams so that everyone can be the best version of themselves. Her insightful podcast ‘Secrets From A Coach’ covers self-belief and developing an optimistic mindset.
