Productive hours in office – Are you actually able to your best all day in the office?

Usually, the word ‘job’ entails the dreaded 9 to 5 timing criteria. A newly hired employee, assuming it’s their first job, is all fun and exciting and the newly hired is enthusiastic about his/her very first office experience. They are punctual and reach office in time, 9 am dot. They start working and they seem to have everything under control but after a few hours pass by, the efficiency is lost. It isn’t long when they are gulping down tea and coffee and other sources of caffeine, just to keep them awake and fight against their drowsy eyes constantly pulling them down. But isn’t this similar with every 9 to 5 job? It surely is but that doesn’t mean it has to be just like that.

The rule is simple. Working too much and without a gap will kill productivity. But the level of productivity varies from person to person. This certainly doesn’t simply mean working less will prove to be more productive. It involves careful planning and setting work priorities and time limiting tasks and taking breaks at the right time.

So how do you find your productive hours? There are number of factors that surprisingly affect your optimism.

Your desk is situated somewhere noisy

Nobody likes excess chatter, especially if it’s perceived as nothing but white noise. Does the person sitting right next to you talk too loud? Or maybe he forgets to turn his/her phone to silent and it keeps ringing? It’s important to do something about it. Talk to your boss and get a quiet place you can work at.

You are taking too many breaks

If smoking is the first and last thing you do when you arrive at work and leave for home, bring slight changes to it. Smoking is injurious to health anyway! But you can smoke and do all the other things to be done in break time when you take one.

You are worried about your social media

There’s a fat chance you won’t be missing something really important if you aren’t constantly checking your Facebook, twitter or other social websites. Without realizing, you are spending 20% of your productive time on these places when you could be working efficiently. It’s okay to check them once in a while or when you’re done with your work.

Here’s how you can improve your productivity:

Use the morning time to your advantage

Morning time is when your mind is clear of the mess you collect throughout the day. The brain cells are charged up and ready for you to use them. That’s when a cup of coffee or tea will work. Try to get as much work done in that time as you can. That is your productive working time.

Make a task schedule

Set a time limit to different things you have to get done. Chances are, if you are unable to make progress at some particular task, spending more time on it will lead you on where. You’ll only eat up the rest of your time. Plus, taking a break from one type of work will help refresh the mind and you’ll definitely get it done after your clear your head.

These days, most of the companies have changed the way they work. Employees are given flexibility and free hand as to how they carry out their work. All they have to do is deliver the work before the deadline agreed upon. This relaxation helps employees and they don’t have to feel too much of a burden. Given the responsibility, it’s up to them how they manage. So ask your boss for such relaxations if your company allows for it. If it doesn’t, you could try to have a conversation with your boss and derive conclusions that would benefit both, the company and you and your coworkers.