1. Don’t Read Emails
Email is one of the biggest productivity killers. Studies show that it takes 23 minutes to refocus on tasks after reading or responding to an email. This makes it difficult for employees to get work done on time and leads to frustrated bosses.
It’s tempting to think that checking emails is productive, especially when the workday has been hectic or you have a pressing deadline to meet. But often, it’s just an excuse to delay other important work.
Moreover, it’s easy to read and respond to non-important emails without realizing it. It’s estimated that the average person opens 20% of “permission mailers” (e.g. newsletters) and spends 15-20 seconds reading them, which eats up more than three minutes per day.
To improve employee efficiency, set aside blocks of time to check and reply to emails each day. This will help them focus on work and keep their inbox under control. If an email is time-critical and needs a response immediately, use a project management tool like Genei to create a task that will remind them to read it and ensure it gets done.
2. Don’t Schedule Meetings
It’s no secret that meetings are a major productivity killer. One study found that employees get interrupted every three minutes and spend 23 minutes trying to refocus. This drains workers’ time and energy and keeps them from getting to their most important work, resulting in less revenue for their business.
While it may seem counterintuitive, reducing the number of meetings you attend can increase your productivity. Meetings that are not essential or urgent can be conducted asynchronously using tools like email, slack, or teamwork apps. Additionally, shortening meetings to 30 minutes can make them more productive and help reduce unnecessary distractions.
Another way to reduce your meetings is to designate a day each week that is free from them. This allows you and your team to focus on important projects that require large blocks of uninterrupted time. Additionally, if you are invited to a meeting and can’t make it, be sure to decline the invitation with a polite message. This will let the organizer know that you are unavailable for meetings and will help prevent them from scheduling you for future meetings. AI-powered Productivity
3. Don’t Take Notes
Have you ever sat through a presentation, meeting or class and spent the time writing down every word that your interlocutor said? You battled hand cramps or the temptation to check Facebook, and you were sure that your jottings would help you remember everything that was said. But, when you get back to your desk and read your notes, you realize that you can’t recall a single thing. According to research, our brains recognize when we document information and then intentionally forget it to free up space for new data.
The best way to retain what you learn is to actively listen and engage with your materials without taking any notes. This forces you to focus on individual points and keeps your mind alert, making it much easier to remember.
4. Don’t Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to absorb interesting information and make your brain hum, which is why they’re so popular. However, if you fill every silence in your life with podcasts, you’re missing out on quiet time that is essential for the health of your brain and nervous system.
When you listen to a story-based podcast, your brain is five times more active than when you read a list of facts. This is because they stimulate the parts of your brain that process sound and language, as well as sensory information and motor activity.
But if you’re listening to a podcast while doing work that isn’t mentally demanding, your performance will drop. For example, a study found that elite rowers’ ability to perform on a rowing machine declined when they listened to a podcast while doing the exercise. This is because the mind needs to focus on mental tasks while the body performs physical ones. So, save the podcasts for your downtime and you’ll be more productive throughout the day.
5. Don’t Listen to Music
Music can be a great distraction when you are trying to work. It can distract you by making you want to dance, tap your feet or sing along with the lyrics. This can affect your productivity and make it harder to concentrate on tasks.
Research suggests that music may hinder your working memory capacity. Your working memory is the amount of information you can hold in your brain at one time for problem-solving or learning. Listening to music may reduce your working memory capacity, which can have a significant impact on your performance when performing intellectual tasks.
When you listen to music, your brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine. This causes you to feel good and relaxes you, which can make it difficult to focus on your work. Moreover, listening to music can also trigger the “earworm” phenomenon, in which a song plays repeatedly in your head. This can be frustrating and distracting, and it is best to avoid listening to music while you are working. Instead, you can try calming white noise or instrumental music when you are trying to work.
7. Don’t Watch TV
Watching too much TV is not only unproductive, but it also rots your brain. When you watch TV, your mind is absorbing information without processing it and your brain is just filling up with “info”. This information can include things like news that is highly exaggerated or documentaries about people’s lives that are not necessarily uplifting.
When you stop watching TV, you can spend that time doing productive activities such as reading books, exercising, completing projects or cleaning your house. You could also use that time to learn a new language, learn how to cook or work on some art projects you always wanted to try out like photography.
You can even invest in a timer that will automatically turn off your television after a certain amount of time so you won’t be tempted to stay up later. You can start by setting it at 30 minutes, and then slowly increase that time until you’ve stopped watching TV altogether. This may be difficult in the beginning but you will soon realize that you are gaining extra hours each day that you would have otherwise been wasting in front of the TV.
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