Tag Archive for: productivity

As the work week is coming to a close and the weekend is nearing, today we are going to talk about things that unproductive people do over their weekend. While you may just want to relax after a long week of work, it’s important to still be productive. Continue reading below to find out what unproductive people do and why you should avoid these behaviors!

Forget to Schedule/Use Their Planner: Just because it is the weekend doesn’t mean you should neglect a routine! You don’t need to have every single second planned out, but use your schedule so you have an idea of what your weekend will look like. In fact, even schedule in your downtime or when you plan on binge-watching your favorite shows.

Don’t Spend Time with Loved Ones: During the busy work week, it’s easy to ignore a phone call from your family or a friend. Make sure you are taking the time over the weekend to catch up with friends and family. Those relationships are important and help remind you that work isn’t everything.

Let Technology Take Over: While there is way more time over the weekend to catch up on your social media, make sure that’s not all you’re doing with your free time. Turn off your phone for a while and relax, and more importantly shut off your work email. Take the time that you would normally spend on your phone and read a book or go for a walk. Technology can be addicting and our mind needs a cleanse from it occasionally.

Sleeping Too Much: It’s nice to sleep in every once in awhile, but try to give yourself only one day over the weekend to do that. If you are sleeping for most of the time you will mess up your sleep cycle, which won’t be fun once Monday hits.

Stressed Out: If you are consistently feeling stressed out over the weekend, then you have too much on your plate! Don’t pack too many activities or projects into the two days you have off. Make sure that you still keep a schedule, but give yourself time to rest and unwind!

Too Comfortable with Time off: While we all need to rest and recharge, it’s important that we don’t just laze around the whole weekend. By Sunday night, you should start planning your upcoming week so you are prepared and can be productive!

These are all unproductive habits to avoid. Use your weekend to rest and feel refreshed, but don’t go overboard. Too much of sleep, relaxation, and downtime can make someone feel restless. Try to learn your limits and find ways that help you feel recharged and rested.

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In order to perform the best at work, self-care should be a priority for you. When self-care is practiced, it can help your work life and personal life balance improve. If self-care isn’t one of your priorities, it may be easier for you to feel burned out or run down at work. Continue reading below for some good self-care tips!

Self-Care Tips

Say No: Learning how to say no is so beneficial for your self-care. While saying no can be difficult, it’s important to set those boundaries with your coworkers. Saying no doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, it just means you can’t handle that extra task at the moment.

Use Gaps and Breaks: Using your breaks to actually break from working is so important. As we discussed on Friday, breaks lead to better productivity. They can also help you relax and take a breather from the pile of work you have in front of you. Gaps are just as important too. If you find yourself with a few extra minutes in between meetings or tasks, use it to take a lap around the office, grab some water, or even meditate.

Add it to Your Schedule: Our schedules dictate our whole work day. Whether we have a meeting to attend or a team lunch, we always add those events to our calendar. Add in self-care to your schedule! By physically making it an event, you will be more likely to complete it. Add in ten minutes of meditation or schedule a 20-minute walk. Visually and physically blocking out time for self-care will help you practice it every day.

Update Your Workspace: Our desk and workspace should be like a sanctuary for us. Organize your workspace so you have a more clear mind. Along with organization, personalize it. Add in picture frames of family or friends and things that make you happy. Hang positive or motivating quotes, so you can feel inspired throughout your day.

These tips are great examples of how to practice self-care. Self-care is one of those things where it is just necessary in order to have productive and less stressful workdays. Take at least one of these tips and add it into your normal work routine! Self-care is practiced in different ways for everyone, so find what is right for you!

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On Monday, we discussed tips that would make for more productive meetings. Today, we are going to talk about your work day! Sometimes it’s hard to get through the day without feeling burnt out and exhausted. Creating healthy habits at work can help make your day more productive. Continue reading to find out what habits to avoid so your day can be productive!

Habits to Avoid

Sugar: Consuming too much sugar during the work day is prone to make you feel tired and unconcentrated. Overconsuming sugar will lessen your ability to stay productive throughout the work day. On the flip side, make sure you aren’t under consuming sugar. When glucose levels are down, it can also be hard to focus on the important tasks you need to complete. Keep some low sugar snacks on hand like nuts, fruits, and veggies!

Sitting all day without breaks: Don’t skip your breaks! It is imperative to your productive day that you take all of your breaks. Giving your body and brain a break will help you come back with a fresh mind that will be more productive. If you are sitting all day, it’s easy to feel foggy and tired. Get up and go for a walk on your breaks or do a quick stretch in your office. Your mind and body will benefit from it, and so will your work!

Eating a heavy lunch: After eating a heavy meal it’s common to feel very tired or like you’re in a “food coma.” Choosing a big meal while at work isn’t the best option. Your lunch will set the tone for the remainder of your work day and you want it to energize and fuel your body and mind, not make you feel lethargic.

Keeping your phone right next to you: While many people use their phone as a means of communication at work, it’s so easy to get sucked into the world of social media. Social media is a great way to procrastinate and kill time. If you’re sitting working at your desk, put your phone away and only use it on your breaks. Doing this will increase your productivity. Allow yourself 10 minutes on your phone after you finish every task, or make up a plan that suits your working conditions.

Avoiding these habits should help you have a more productive work day. Set goals, make lists, and create healthy habits to help you be your best self at work.

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Read our blog here to find out how to fuel your work day!

Meetings can often be a blessing or a curse. Some people may feel they are a waste of time while others find them to be productive and helpful. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, meetings are an easy way to help your team regroup and communicate effectively. Continue reading below to find out some ways to have productive meetings!

Productivity Tips

Agenda and Time Limit: You may not like meetings because they are long, boring, and seem like a waste of time. That is why every meeting needs a strict time limit! Create an agenda with all the talking points and topics/tasks that need to be completed. once the agenda is made, you will have a better idea of how much time you need for your meeting. The shorter the meeting, the better the outcome. This will help you be organized and keep the side chatter and off-topic comments on track!

Use Technology and Media: This is a fresh and exciting way to present information. People may get distracted or not pay attention if someone is talking the whole time. If you have a presentation set up- it gives a new take on information and keeps people interacting. At the same time- try to keep people using their devices to a limited. That way they will not be distracted by their emails or social media during the course of the meeting.

Limit Number of Attendees: Conducting a meeting with the whole department in attendance may be unnecessary and a distraction. Make sure you have everyone in attendance that needs to be there but don’t over invite. If it isn’t crucial for someone to attend- don’t force them. This will help with the productivity and time limit on your meetings. When there are too many people in a room, it can get hectic.

Use these tips to help your meetings run smoothly. These ideas don’t work for everyone depending on the size or morale of your company. Try to find what works best for your team and stick with that!

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Use our guide here to learn how to make effective presentations!