12 simple productivity habits for office workers

Forming some good work habits can help you boost your productivity. This is a powerful way of thinking that can help you go through extensive projects with ease.

It all comes down to your personal work ethic and ability to concentrate. Minimizing distractions is essential but there are many other strategies that you can resort to.

Here Office Topics will take a look at some amazing productivity habits that you can adopt and touch on a few extra related topics.

#1. Apply the 80/20 rule to your projects

What is now known as the 80/20 rule or the 80/20 principle is one of the most powerful productivity tips. Originally called the Pareto principle, named after the Italian engineer who discovered the connection, simply states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.

In other words, find out what are the most valuable efforts of your line of work or business that produce the most significant output and focus on them. This way, no matter what life throws at you, you can always make sure to handle that 20% of vital work to ensure you are moving forward.

#2. Know your best work conditions

What are the necessary conditions for you to go into that deep work state? Make a list of these conditions and surround yourself with them.

This is a repeatable process and you should create shortcuts to it. This way you will find yourself more often in a productive state.

#3. Start your day as a maker

This is another great productivity hack that you can adopt. The idea is simple: every time you get up in the morning, focus on making something productive rather than being a consumer of stuff.

These could be some very simple actions just to put you in that productive state of mind.

For example, make your bed, prepare a healthy breakfast, make a plan for your day. Rather than go through your social media accounts, or waste 20 precious morning minutes in mindless watching of Youtube videos.

#4. Reduce the number of decisions that you have to make

• What are you going to have for breakfast?
• What are you going to wear to work?
• When are you going to take your first break?

You should know the answers to these questions when your day starts.

Make more room for the important decisions in time by setting up repeatable systems for yourself. This way you won’t waste your energy on inconsequential decisions.

#5. You are allowed 3-4 mail checks

Email is one of those things that can kill your productivity, especially if you always have it open in a tab. Don’t be a compulsive email replier.

Communication is important but too much of it can be a huge distraction.

Settle for 3 or 4 mail checks in your workday and leave it at that. For example, once when you get to the office, after your lunch break, and before you leave work.

#6. Make health a priority in your life

For years, office workers have had a bad reputation for not looking after their health. Add all the negative health consequences that come with working a stationary job and the result is disastrous.

But it’s all that simple, if you are healthy, you will have more energy. And energy equals productivity. Make sure to check the health section of Office Topics for some easy-to-follow tips.

#7. Manage your energy

Once you have the energy to be productive, you need to use it wisely. Find out what are the activities and habits you have that drain your tank and do your best to minimize them.

And figure out what are the things that energize you and allow you to refocus. Small breaks, a little walk outside, morning fasting, high protein meals. Whatever works for you.

#8. Spend time reading, thinking, and planning

There are things that you can do outside of deep work that can help you boost your productivity.
Use this time to “sharpen the blade”, as they say.

Read materials related to your work, think about how you can become better at what you are doing, plan your actions as best as you can. You can read more articles related to your goals, watch videos on the Internet or listen to podcasts.

#9. Forget about perfection

People who would define themselves as perfectionists often find themselves in a vicious cycle. Don’t be the kind of person who starts something and then overthinks the very first steps of the process.

As they say, Rome was not built in a day. Do the highest volume of work output as possible in your productive time, then go back to it later and ponder over the details.

#10. Have a morning routine

Set yourself up for a productive day with a morning routine. If possible, even get out of bed an hour early.

However, don’t be tempted to check your email. Instead, focus on yourself. You can use this time to workout, read some relevant materials, or simply fix yourself a healthy breakfast.

If it’s sunny outside, you can go out for some precious vitamin D.

#11. Write down your ideas

Do you know how you always get the best ideas at the most random moments and places? Like, while sitting on the toilet or waiting in the elevator?

Start writing those down on your phone or carry a tiny notebook with you at all times. At the end of the week, check the list you came up with and think about what items are actually usable.

#12. Plan your day around your productive time

Productivity is not about bringing yourself to complete exertion every single day. It’s about packing the maximum volume of work output in a period of time that won’t leave you completely fatigued.

So, set up a time for productivity and plan the rest of your day around that time. Realize that what you do outside of your productive periods also matters and it will affect your ability to deep-work the next day.

Key takeaways for productive habits

• There are many good work habits that you can insert into your agenda in order to improve your productivity.
• Humans are creatures of habit. At first, you might find these changes difficult but eventually they will fit smoothly into your routine.
• The most powerful and successful people in the world are notorious for following their own productivity habits. You can learn from the best.
• Be aware of the conditions necessary to put yourself in a productive state and create shortcuts to bring said conditions forth.