5 Employee Productivity Tips for 2021

It feels good to be productive, checking off action items, and accomplishing goals, right? Not to mention, the level of productivity employees accomplish directly impacts their company’s growth. Although productivity levels can change, there are things you can do to set yourself up to get the most work done. 

It’s easy to get distracted or lose motivation, regardless of if you work from home or an office. If you’re reaching for your phone to check social media or heading to the coffee maker for the fifth time today, read on for our top tips to increase productivity.

What is employee productivity?

Employee productivity means that your team is effective and efficient with their time and work. They use their work hours wisely to produce more and better results in less time. A motivated employee also influences the work culture and atmosphere, where a demotivated one can negatively impact productivity levels for those around them. 

It’s important to remember that we are people first, employees, second. Productivity levels can be influenced by a variety of factors such as having too many meetings, lack of direction or clarity, and even poor management.  With that in mind, let’s jump into a few tips for keeping employee productivity levels high:

5 top employee productivity tips

If you’re looking to boost your productivity or looking for new ways to improve, try out the following tips:

Use a meeting agenda

We all have meetings to attend, whether it’s only a few per week or many per day. They take up time in our workday, so we should always strive to make the most out of every single meeting. Having a meeting agenda can help teams cover the important topics without getting off track. 

Having a single source of truth that documents talking points, action items, and feedback is a great way to decrease interruptions at a later time. If anyone has trouble recalling something that was said during a meeting, having the agenda available to look back on is a great way to find answers. 

Invest in self-care

Even before the pandemic, 61% of employees reported that they felt burnt out at their current job. Prioritizing yourself and your needs is a great way to ensure your mental health and wellbeing are taken care of. Create boundaries for yourself and schedule personal time in your calendar. This time can be used as a quick break to walk away from your screens and step outside or to reach out to a coworker to connect and have a friendly conversation. You can even do something fun, like solving a puzzle, which can help you recharge and improve your productivity.

Learning how to say no to more work is an important part of setting boundaries. If you have the option to turn down tasks or projects that do not interest you, being reasonable and asserting yourself will help with managing your workload and allow you to feel comfortable and in control of your career. 

Related: From Burnout to Zenned Out: How to Implement Collaborative Mindfulness Training for Remote Workers

Create an appropriate workspace

Whether you work from home or in an office, it’s important to create a space that encourages you to stay focused on work and eliminate distractions. Not only that, but a comfortable workspace is something you deserve. It does not have to be anything fancy or expensive. Simply consider where you like to work, if you prefer quiet or background noise, and what you need to be comfortable and well-equipped to get the most done. 

It’s fun to experiment with workspaces and find an environment that boosts your creativity and productivity. For example, I like to listen to different music, light candles, and really play into the five senses with little things you can find throughout your house or the office.

Remember that done is better than perfect 

Is this tough to swallow for anyone else? Perfectionism may seem like a good trait, but it can hold you back from completing tasks and be dangerous to your mental health. Being detail-oriented is a great characteristic, however it becomes a problem once you are unable to delegate or let go of projects.

By letting go of unrealistic expectations, you can still achieve results and fix any mistakes later. One way to overcome fear of failure is by looking at every opportunity as one where you can learn something new. If feedback is something you dread or take personally, self-awareness is the first step to improving! So allow yourself to get to a point with your work where good enough is just that—good enough, and hit the send button. Oftentimes done is better than not.

Make time for deep work 

Sometimes calendars are completely filled with meetings, leaving little to no time for actual work. Not to mention, it takes about 23 minutes to refocus after being interrupted, meetings included! The solution is to look out for your future self by blocking off time in your calendar dedicated to accomplishing deep work (even if you can’t do this until three weeks from now). 

By doing this, nobody can schedule a meeting if they see the time has already been blocked off. Taking these time blocks seriously will also show your colleagues that they cannot book over these blocks and sets an example that they should follow as well. Having time for getting work done can help improve a work-life balance, making it easier to complete your tasks during your workday, and help you feel fulfilled by giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Final words 

Being productive in the workplace is influenced by many different factors. That’s why it’s important to understand how you work best in order to do your best. Employee productivity will not only help you feel confident about your work, but can also help level-up your career. Set yourself up for success and start checking off those to-do items! Take into consideration that there will be days when you just don’t feel productive. It’s inevitable and unrealistic to think we can accomplish everything all the time. Lastly, don’t forget to ask for help when needed.