Hey Blog Fam,

Trust you’re all doing great and going hard on all those great plans the Lord has placed in your hearts. Sending you so much strength from here.

I have been working for some couples of years, about three years now, although in different positions, and I have learnt a thing or two along the years.

While there are some lessons I have learnt myself, and they are tips I have been applying to my life even before I started working, but they are some that I have being taught by my senior colleagues.

I don’t claim to know everything, in fact, I don’t, but one thing that has really helped me over these years is the fact that I love to maintain a teachaeable spirt and I have had amazing teachers over the years.

So, if you are here for the tips to further accelerate your productivity at work, then let’s dive right into it.

1.       1. To-do list

      To-do list have been saving ife since 1402 ( whatever this means sha), but this is just so you know that it has been the causative agent in helping people become productive. If I didn't mention causative agent, how would you know I studied Microbiology na.

I.   I mean how do you intend to get productive without being able to score yourself and see if you are actually doing the things you said you will do?

      To do list is a list you empower by writing down the things you intend to do in a day, and at the end of the day, you are able to evaluate yourself by yourself.

Y.   You can choose to write your tasks down at the end of each day or first thing in the morning, and then follow it through. There will be days when you will default, but make sure those days are exemption and not the norm.

       Take yourself seriously and do what you  have to do even if there is no one watching you.

2.       2. Set Piorities

You don’t want to be that person who is continually busy, but has a lot of major tasks undone.

You don't want to have to be apologizing to your superiors every other day, or have the company you work for pay fines that could have been avoided if only you have done what you were supposed to do at the right time.

There is a way to measure these things, there are 20% of the things you do which gives you 80% results, and there are 80% of the things you do which only gives you 20% results. 

Know those things to cut off, and those things you should do more of.

Find out those little things you can do that will make you be on top of your assignments at work and begin to do them.

As new tasks come to your table, separate the one you must do now, and the one you can afford to do later. Don’t leave more important matters and start spending your energy on the not-so-urgent ones. 

Your boss will understand if after submitting your important task, you then tell him/her that you are still working on the not-so-urgent one. 

This is better than submitting lots of not-so-urgent tasks and leaving the important one undone.

3.       3. Be Proactive Not Reactive

This is one thing I learnt from my HRM, he foresees things, gets them done even before anyone asks for it, and by the time a demand is being made, he brings it out of his archive to everyone's amazement.

Don’t always wait till you get all swamped with request from every department before you get to work, learn to be one step ahead in your actions at all times.

4.  Use Your Downtime Wisely

You are not busy everyday of the week, and even if you were busy everyday in a particular week, the next week might not be as busy as the previous, so use those not-so-busy time wisely.

In your busy-but-productive periods, note those things you should do that will help you become more efficient, and when you get less busy, do them.

For example, it is the end of the year, and your department has to sumbit a report, times like that is a time when every one is busy, but as you are busy preparing your slides, look out for things you can do to lessen the amount of work you have to do at the end of the next year. Things like collating reports at the end of every month so you’re not looking for June report when December comes. 

And as you take that mental note, when you finally become less busy, create a schedule that helps you track the months as they go by, and by December, you’ll not have to be running around.

Learn to do things when there are no deadlines attached, your work will come out better when you are not trying to run around from one department to the other looking for a report.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't socialize during the time when you don't have a lot to do on your table, by all means socialize, crack jokes, dance, catch up on the things you have missed out on when you had so much to do, but then, get back to your plan.

4.       

      5. Leverage On Technology

Thank God for technology. It has brought so many endless opportunities to us and our work.

Leveraging on technology can take your office game from 1 to 100.

I learnt this tip from my HRM too. 

In times past, I used to wonder how he was so efficient. If you ask him for a particular file, he will send it to you though he isn’t even physically present in the office.

Try scanning those documents to your mail, have your important hard copy documents scanned and saved in your mail where you can always retrieve them even if you’re stuck in Lagos traffic. It will do you a whole lot of good.

Buy a dedicated flash drive, copy your electronic files on it, so you can always carry it around with you. 

Use this technology to your advantage!

There you have it, five tips to help you increase your productivity at work.

Bonus Tip

Prayer.

Even as you carry out your duties, pray. Pray for wisdom, you'll be needing a lot of it. 

Pray

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Pray

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Pray

There is so much light***