Productivity Methods To Improve Your Work Life

Any successful entrepreneur understands the importance of productivity in their workplace. Productivity is essential to entrepreneurs or business owners, as well as to their employees and customers. Productivity leads to a better work-life and increases the growth and success of the business as a whole. After reading this article, you will gain more knowledge about 5 different productivity methods which can help you achieve more success in your business.

How can the productivity of people in the business contribute to success?

Firstly, business owners contribute to the success of the business since they help in the execution of plans. On the other hand, if they are working with a team, they serve as the leader who is in charge of overseeing the whole business. Once they understand the execution of their plans and be productive in doing them, they will be able to lead their employees into doing their work the right way.

Secondly, employees also play a huge role in the success of the business. Having good role models who are productive is a great thing, but employees being able to practice it as well will even go a long way. If employees are highly productive, their morale and satisfaction will increase and they will be more motivated to do their work, which will then lead to helping the business achieve its goals. There will be better human resources management and this will reduce costs as resources are used efficiently. Being more efficient in the industry gives the business an edge and they become better than their competitors.

Overall, everyone involved has a role in the success of the business. That is why every task they do is valuable, and doing them the right way will help a lot. Great productivity is truly important and there are many ways you can do to achieve it. Listed below are some productivity methods to improve your work life.

1. Eisenhower Matrix
2. MoSCoW
3. Pomodoro
4. Biological Prime Time
5. Kanban

1. Eisenhower Matrix

Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States. He was a very busy person, who was in charge of the development of many programs such as the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Atomic Energy Act. He also has many other important obligations involving wars but still managed to find time to pursue his hobbies. He was known to maintain his productivity for many decades. This is why his methods are being studied and used by people.

His most famous productivity method is called the Eisenhower Matrix. In this method, you separate your tasks based on four possibilities.

1. Urgent and Important tasks are those you need to do right away. These types of tasks usually involve crises or issues with deadlines.
2. Important, but not urgent tasks are those you can schedule for later.
3. Not important, but urgent tasks don’t require your time and thus can be delegated to someone else.
4. Not important nor urgent tasks are those you can erase from your to-do list.

This method helps you decide where to focus on and what to prioritize first. Short-term goals are met without having to ignore longer-term goals. For example, the urgent and important tasks such as answering emails to an important client will be done quickly while those that are important but are not urgent can be scheduled for later, such as exercising.

2. MoSCoW

In 1994, Dani Clegg, consultant at Oracle UK, invented the MoSCoW method. The capital letters of the MoSCoW represent four categories.

1. M for “Must have” are tasks that are the most important. They need to be carried out as soon as possible and are non-negotiable.
2. S for “Should have” are tasks that are also valuable but are carried out after “Must have” obligations are accomplished. Unlike “Must-haves”, these can be postponed.
3. C for “Could have” are tasks that are considered comfortable. You can finish them as long as it is possible. They can be done once the first two most important categories are completed.
4. W for “Would have” are tasks that are secondary and are only planned to be carried out one day. These are usually left aside first because there is a lack of budget or time.

Similar to the Eisenhower Matrix, this method also allows you to define your priorities and know which has the most importance. By organizing your tasks this way, you can allocate your resources effectively. In addition, your time wouldn’t be wasted as it allows you to know where to focus first.

3. Pomodoro

“The Pomodoro technique is probably one of the most powerful techniques in all of learning.” — Barbara Oakley, PhD

Barbara Oakley is the creator of the “Learning How To Learn” course, which teaches over 1 million students. The Pomodoro technique is the most famous one she teaches.

In the Pomodoro method, you separate your work into 20–25 minute chunks, called “Pomodoros”, separated by 5-minute breaks. After 3–4 Pomodoros, you can take a longer break for about 15–30 minutes.

This method is very helpful since it gives you a sense of urgency. You know you only have a limited amount of time for a task so you immediately do it, while removing distractions. This method also prevents you from having the burnt-out feeling from working long hours straight. Working in small increments can help you accomplish more.

4. Biological Prime Time

In this method, you first have to know your energy levels throughout the day. It can take about 3 weeks to do this. Make a chart wherein you can grade your energy level each hour of the day. Grade it from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level. Remember to avoid stimulants that could impact your data and do your best to stick to your current schedule. Once you understand which time of the day you have the most energy, you can now assign your most important tasks to high-energy hours. During your low energy hours, also known as your recovery period, you can do activities that can help you recharge.

This method is different from traditional methods as this one is data-based and it really caters to your schedule. It shows that to become more productive, you should have better self-awareness. It allows you to take advantage of your peak and dip hours so you can get more work done.

5. Kanban

The goal of the Kanban Method is to move tasks from “To-Do” to “Done” and to limit the work in progress. One box lists one task and it’s helpful to organize them based on their priorities and importance.

This method is a great way to focus on your workflows and visualize your work, whether you’re working alone or with a team. The Kanban board can be shared with others and it’s a great way to increase transparency within your team. In addition, it facilitates collaboration and improves the way people work together. Everyone in the team is committed to jointly work towards achieving the goals, while still being able to consider and respect the different viewpoints of others.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are many options you can choose from when deciding how to improve productivity in your work life. The key is to put effort into following the steps and to be consistent. By doing these methods the right way, your work life will truly improve and this will lead to the success of your business.

About Zetl

Here at Zetl, we use the Kanban method to increase our productivity. We believe that productivity in the workplace is the key to success. We help SMEs achieve productivity by preventing them from experiencing cash flow problems that would disrupt the flow of their business. Moreover, we help them achieve financial stability and growth through receivable financing.

Why choose us?

We are fast and flexible. Get paid the same day after signing up. Repay at your convenience after 30 days.

Fully digital. Complete everything online — submit documents through our web app, and all contracts are executed digitally.

Confidential. Your client never needs to know about Zetl. All financing is fully confidential.

No personal guarantees. We believe business risk should be kept separate from personal liability.

Unlock funds by signing up on our website now! — www.zetl.com

— written by Danica Samson