10 Tips to Increase Productivity at Work

One key lesson the past two years has made abundantly clear is that, while we all like to think we can do 110% all of the time, the truth is even the most productive people can’t always be on their A game. And that’s OK.

Self-compassion and some well-deserved grace towards yourself are good things for both yourself and ultimately for the productivity of your team and organization. Pushing yourself too hard is how people become burned out and can lead to increased mental health concerns, physical health issues, and a host of other undesirable outcomes. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can (usually) just completely slack off and get nothing done for an extended period of time. After all, you’re probably getting paid to do work… so what do you do?

While this blog isn’t the most grounded in specific findings from people science, I’m writing it as someone who’s been told they are a pretty productive person most of the time... Here are some concrete tips I personally use when I’m not my most productive or motivated at work.

So, without further ado, here are a few things you can try out…

10 Tips to Increase your Productivity

Importantly – Sometimes These Suggestions Won’t Work

In those situations, remember to take a deep breath.

Normalize the Productivity Process?- While it is tempting when you feel productivity slipping to start to become more frantic, spiraling (like the “omg, I’m not getting anything done, and I’m going to keep not getting things done for forever, and then I’m gonna get fired” spiral) is pretty unhelpful and probably unrealistic. Remember, you probably have examples of other times when your productivity has gone down in the past and then you’ve been able to turn it around. You can do it again. And other people also have times when their work productivity comes and wanes, it’s a normal part of working. Normalize the process and take a moment to center yourself.

Accept Unpleasant Emotions?- For me, I also usually find myself going into these unhelpful mental spirals because I’m experiencing a strong emotion. It can be helpful to slow down the spiral of doom in my head if I take a moment to recognize and label what I’m feeling, and then remind myself that my emotions don’t control me. This often looks like me saying to myself (usually in my head, but you do you), “you’ve had a lot going on and you’re feeling sad, that’s OK and makes sense.”

Emotions are a lot less scary and overwhelming when they’re not in control. Remember to regularly practice labeling and accepting your emotions, this practice is at the core of a lot of psychotherapy and lessons from psychology research!

Consider Taking Time Off?- And finally, on that last note, while all of these tips are things that have been hugely helpful to get me going on work when I’m not at my best, another key piece of advice is to also make sure to stay in-tune with yourself and to actually take dedicated time off from work when that’s necessary. You likely know that people in the U.S. have a long history of not taking enough PTO and early indicators suggest people are even less inclined to take PTO since the Covid pandemic started (for a full discussion on PTO,?check out our article here). However, taking PTO and even scheduling unpaid time off from work can be crucial to keep yourself thriving and able to do work at all.

In short, take care of yourself. You deserve to flourish at work and your work (and life) will be better if you are doing well as a person.

Summary

When your productivity is slow at work, any and all movement is progress - try a few methods to switch up things if you’re in a rut. And remember, it is even more important to take care of yourself on the days when you’re not as productive!