Staying productive in the workplace is always a challenge, depending on the layout of the space, its culture and so on. Many individuals and offices adopt various practices to help boost their workplace productivity. This is something we can all learn from. Discover some of the techniques that can help you stay focused, enhancing your work productivity or that of your employees.

Techniques for Individuals to Adopt

1. Try the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique can be highly effective for individuals who want to boost their workplace productivity. Essentially, you set a timer for 25 minutes and promise yourself you will work for that full amount of time. Once the timer goes off, place a checkmark on a paper and take a quick break, like a quick walk around the office. After four Pomodoros of 25 minutes, take a longer break, such as 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Set Your Own Deadlines

Even if the deadline from your boss is not for an extended period, consider giving yourself a self-imposed deadline. This can help you stay focused and meet goals. Just divide the goal from your boss into small pieces and see what you can accomplish.

3. Use the Two-Minute Rule

Another great technique for work productivity is to follow the “two-minute” rule, the “five-minute” rule, or another similar one. If you notice a task that you still need to complete that will take two (or five) minutes or less, do it right away. This will actually save time compared to returning to the task later on.

4. Disable Notifications

There are so many distractions in today’s workplaces, so do not increase them by giving into notifications. Whether they are for texts, voicemails, or emails, turn off notifications during the workday. Replace this with allocating yourself time to check these things.

5. Stand

There are two main methods of using standing to help you stay on track and remain productive at work. You can ask for a standing desk and work like this, as it is better for your health and may improve focus. Or just remember to take the occasional break to stand up and walk around or stretch.

Techniques for Teams to Adopt

1. Set Clear Expectations

A key part of employee productivity is understanding the expectations that you have for them. Be clear with your employees as to what you want them to get done and within what time frame. Encourage them to come to you for further clarification if they need it.

2. Encourage Communication

You should have open communication with employees regarding more than just expectations. Also ensure that they feel comfortable approaching you to take care of problems. This can be something like requiring additional resources or something more serious, such as a problem with a co-worker. The bottom line is to leave the communications channels open and let your team know that is the case.

3. Give Autonomy to Members

If you want to improve employee productivity, you should try to give your team members more autonomy. This will let them skip tasks that do not add value to their work, so they can focus on those that do, delivering a better outcome.

4. Plan Meetings Well

Meetings tend to take away valuable time from other tasks, but anyone who leads an office knows that they are a necessary evil to track progress and ensure everyone is on the same page. Avoid reducing productivity by ensuring all meetings have a clear purpose and keeping them as short as possible. This will not only let everyone get back to other tasks but also increase the chances of your employees remaining attentive throughout.

5. Create a Policy of Minimal Interruptions

Any office setting will have at least some interruptions since your team members need to ask each other about various tasks. Unfortunately, interruptions can hurt an employee’s focus, which is why it is a good idea to develop some sort of policy regarding interruptions, trying to keep them as low as possible. It can be as simple as giving each employee a sign to flip over depending on whether they can afford an interruption, like a do not disturb sign.