Stop me if you’ve heard this conversation before:

You: “Hey (friend), it’s been a while! How have you been?”
Friend: “Hi (friend), I’ve been great – super busy!”

Can someone please tell me when the American culture decided that busyness is synonymous with success? Many people will happily and proudly admit to being overworked and stressed out! Somewhere along the line, we learned that if you’re not up to your eyeballs in work, then you’re doing something wrong. However, the simple fact is; that’s simply not true. There’s a HUGE difference between being busy and being productive.

What does it mean to be busy?

Of course, accomplishing tasks is an amazing thing. But if we’re not careful, our productivity reaches a peak, and then rapidly begins to decline. As a culture, we tend to fill our lives with never-ending to-do lists, multi-tasking, and high-stress levels. But we love stress! We know that stress leads to success, so we gladly overfill our calendars and stress ourselves out because we know that success lies at the end of the road. We thrive on the idea of over-caffeinating ourselves, buckling down, and pushing ourselves to the limit. Quite literally, busyness is a drug!

What is Productivity, Anyway?

On the other hand, productivity is a bit more than looking busy. Productivity measures the actual success of your labor, which makes it much more valuable in the long-run. Productive people put a bit more thought and care into the tasks they are taking on. Maximizing productivity in your workplace can do wonders for your business’ success!

Stop Being Busy, Start Being Productive

Now that we’ve explored the differences between being busy and being productive, we can start to focus on what it means to actually become productive in our work. Here are a few tips that will help you maximize your productivity and minimize your stress!

1. Stop Multi-Tasking

Study after study has shown that multi-tasking is the biggest productivity killer of all. When you spread yourself too thin, you begin to sacrifice quality on all of your projects. There’s no such thing as a good multi-tasker. Focus on what is deserving of your immediate attention, and then devote your time to finishing that task before moving onto something else.

2. Start Saying No

Busy people love to take on new projects. The more projects, the better. Because of this mindset, busy people have a hard time saying no. The next time you are approached about taking on a new task, rather than blurting out “yes” right away, be sure to take some time to think about what this project entails. Don’t be afraid to say “Let me sleep on that.”

3. Remove Distractions

Besides multi-tasking, the second biggest productivity killer is distractions. Immediate distractions such as noises around your office space are only the beginning. Most people are also constantly fighting internal distractions like what you’re going to do after work, or worrying about other things on your to-do list. Figure out which distractions you struggle with and be intentional about removing them from your life! Only focus on one task at a time – those other tasks can wait.

4. Stay out of your emails

Checking your email every time you get the alert notification not only interrupts what you’re doing, but also forces you to change direction to another project that just appeared in your email. Instead, turn off the sound notification and only check emails after the completion of a project or no more than once every hour.

5. Don’t Do. Think.

This idea might be counter-intuitive to what you know about productivity, but the fact is: productive people take life a little slower. Rather than hurry through a task, stop and put together a plan of action that will help you complete the task not only quickly, but successfully. Have you ever been halfway through a task, only to realize that you made a mistake early on, and now you have to go back and do it all over again? People who take the time to do a job right never have to go back and start over.

Office Furniture & Productivity Specialists

At Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, Indiana our slogan is “We do more than sell office furniture.” We also take pride in our mission to help businesses increase productivity and efficiency. Along with selling office furniture, we also have a team of experienced office designers that can help you put together a workspace that maximizes efficiency and productivity each and every day!

Don’t Let the Nice Weather Ruin Your Workplace Performance

“Summertime and the living’s easy…” A little too easy I’d say. While the temperature outside is rising, productivity is declining. Did you know that workplace productivity drops by 20% during the summer? Furthermore, attendance is down 19%, and employees are 45% more distracted! This might not come as a surprise to some of you. I mean, are there any among us who wouldn’t rather be outside enjoying the nice weather rather than indoors working?

So, what can you do to help reduce the Summer productivity slump and make the most of Summer?

1. Switch up your Routine

Sometimes the summer productivity slump is just the result of too much structure. Switching up your routine, even a little bit, can improve your attitude and productivity. For example, get up a little earlier and go for a walk before work or ride your bike to work if possible. Get some outside time before heading in to the office.

2. Make up for lost time

One of the biggest productivity killers in the Summer is leaving early. As great as it is to get a jumpstart on your weekend, you also need to keep in mind that people are depending on you to do your job first. If you know you’re going to be leaving a little early, be sure to come in early or stay later the previous night.

It might not even be a bad idea to consider a four-day work week schedule during the Summer season. Working four ten-hour days with Fridays off can boost company morale more than anything!

3. Take a Vacation

You can’t do your work if you’re busy daydreaming about the beach. One of the best things to do for your productivity is to take a vacation. Whether you go anywhere or not, some time off will allow you to come back, refreshed, ready to dig in and do some work! Plus, in the weeks leading up to your vacation, you’ll be more willing to put in the extra effort now, knowing that you will be taking some time off.

A week or two before your planned vacation, make a list of everything you need to get done before you leave. This will keep you motivated to push through up to the very end!

4. Get Out

Take your breaks outside. Go for a walk, have a picnic lunch, sit outside at your favorite lunch spot. Enjoy the fresh air and reset before heading back into the office.

5. Take your Work Outside

If the beautiful weather is just too much temptation to handle, don’t be afraid to take your work outside! Got a meeting planned? Go outside and grab a picnic table. Allowing yourself some much-needed rays can do wonders for your productivity.

By following any of these five tips, you can be sure that your office productivity and morale is kept at an all time high this summer! From all of us at Workspace Solutions, we hope you have a great summer!

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How to Stop Being Busy and Start Being Productive