As the world continues to open up post-pandemic, you can explore different working setups, from hybrid to work from home to onsite. In Singapore, despite the country’s transition to living with Covid-19, flexible working arrangements have become more common. It is also part of the government mandate to reduce peak-hour traffic congestion. Ever since the start of the pandemic, people have begun to work from home at their desks. You might have also spent much time there eating lunch and doing your pre-work rituals; I know I certainly did.
Decorate Your Workspace
Having an engaging workspace with no distractions sets the tone for the rest of your work day. You should feel energised, happy, and excited to work whenever you are in your workspace. After all, we spend an average of 40 hours working a week.
If our workspace is neat and engaging, it can help us stay on top of work.
One aspect that can help is colour. According to renowned interior designer for office furniture and accessory retailer Turnstone Jenny Gould, colour affects your mood while working. Some specific colours positively affect your mood, such as orange, which can boost concentration and focus or blue, which helps the mind flow better. When decorating your space at work, be strategic and intentional with your colour choices, as they can affect your performance.
Another aspect you can look into is your choice of decoration. For example, you can keep a photo of your family to remind you why you are working.
Take Breaks
You don’t need a leadership training program to understand that you must take breaks; it’s part of human instinct and nature. Taking breaks is also part of productivity and has several benefits.
Firstly, it allows your mind to relax and reduce your stress. Secondly, it can restore your motivation to work. Another benefit you can reap by slowing down is regulating your energy levels and preserving them for later use after work.
Prioritise and Delegate
In my countless years of experience working and now as I continue to hold leadership training programs, I have learned to prioritise and delegate tasks at work to be at my peak productivity.
Some of you might fall prey to multitasking at work, and it backfires. Instead of multitasking, you can prioritise your tasks by urgency and delegate the lesser-urgent ones. Doing this lets you focus on the most important tasks first and deliver your best results. Another rationale for prioritising tasks is that you’ll lose your mental sharpness as the day passes.
By focusing on the most important tasks in your best form, you secure better results at work.
Work During Peak Hours
According to researchers from Pennsylvania State University, some people function better at night, while others work better in the morning. I’m a morning person. My peak hours are from 8 AM-11 AM; during that period, I feel the most awake, most active and most productive. Those times when you work best and feel most productive are called peak hours. If you have the choice to do so, go for it!
Ideally, you should work when your energy is at its best. However, if your energy bottoms out, don’t forget to take a brief break.
You can figure out what your peak hours are by keeping a log for a couple of days. Every 2-3 hours, you have to jot down your energy level, and productivity. You also have to note if you feel sluggish. By doing this, you can become more familiar with how your energy levels rise and fall – as well as what your peak hours are.
Once you’re more familiar with how your energy rises and falls throughout the day, you can finally decide on a schedule with your peak hours.
Practice Proactivity
Proactivity is all about being intentional with everything you do. It is also about anticipating future problems, needs, and changes within your organisation – and taking responsibility. Proactivity begins when you take on a proactive mindset.
For example, I am a team leader and manager. Part of that means I have to anticipate my employees’ future concerns at my work. One problem I’ve encountered at the workplace is a lack of communication in a team, especially when working remotely. It can hurt productivity and incur more errors.
In my experience, one way to anticipate that and put fires out in the process is to encourage coordination between team members so that they remain on the same page.
In that way, you and your teammates can stay on the same page. Your teammate can eat their lunch in peace, and you can check their output.
Peak Work Productivity with YuJin’s signature workshop – The Mental Rockstar Program!
You can improve your work performance and productivity with the tips that I have mentioned.
By working more effectively, you surpass yourself and contribute more to your organisation. As a result, your organisation generates more profit and may indirectly impact employee retention. At the end of the day, you and your employees will perform much better. You will also be more productive!
The Mental Rockstar Program is for organisations aiming to excel in their respective industries. YuJin, an award-winning mental toughness expert, former lawyer and investment banker, uses his deep corporate world knowledge to design an award-winning program. So contact Mental Rockstar today to unleash your peak performance in your workplace!