Partner Article

Livening up your day in the office

With over 80 per cent of professionals working 40-hour weeks, and nearly a third working over 50 hours per week, knowing how to keep your working day productive has never been more important.

Breaking up the day and introducing a range of activities can help to enhance well-being, maintain high levels of morale and keep you feeling productive.

Mini-tasking

Although the ability to multitask is invaluable in any profession, the ability to ‘mini-task’ can be equally important. Take the time to plan your day in the office by prioritising your to-dolist and breaking it down into straight-forward and manageable tasks. By concentrating on a single element at a time you can often achieve more, and you can reduce the feeling of pressure which can accompany larger, more intimidating tasks.

Tidy your workspace

We cannot work effectively, or be organised, if we are surrounded by chaos. Sort out your mess. Get rid of rubbish and organise your filing. Have your actions list and immediate projects to hand. Personalise your desk in a way that makes you feel happy and calm, whilst still maintaining a professional appearance.

Change it up

If you have to complete a monotonous and time-consuming project that will dominate most of your day, don’t force yourself to stick at it no matter what. Break it down into sensible chunks. Set your timer for 50 minutes and at the end of that time, have a drinks break or look at the news. Procrastination or putting things off isn’t good but if a project is very thorny, mix it up with different activities to help give you a sense of perspective.

Incentives

Offering yourself small incentives can be an effective way to liven up a day in the office. By setting yourself a few key goals for the day and rewarding yourself upon completion, you are able to keep up your own morale and motivate yourself to finish them, rather than watching the clock tick.

Stay active

Exercise can be a welcome break from work. Getting some exercise, and seeing some daylight during the day will help you to feel more alert, maintain focus and feel good about yourself. You can take a quick walk around the block, or pop to the gym. Even if you are unable to leave your desk, stretching and walking around the office is still an important part of brightening up the workday.

Stop

Working non-stop throughout the day may certainly make you seem high-functioning. However it is important to have some down time while you’re at work. Make sure to take breaks, get away from your desk and do something enjoyable. If you spend some time catching up with colleagues or doing something you enjoy, you’re less likely to get stressed out and the day will feel much brighter.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Penny Davenport .