Surprising Ways to Improve Productivity at Work

Maintaining your drive or work ethic during the day can be a chore and a half. Sometimes no amount of coffee can help you get your 9-5 job complete. If you find yourself falling asleep, or just running out of steam before the end of the day hits, you might be in need of a change.

There are many ways to improve your productivity so that you beat the daily crash, and you become the model employee around your workplace. 

Some of these simple tips can help you at work, and you might be surprised how easy they can be.

Improving your seating

Being healthy can mean being productive, and you would be surprised to learn that your sitting habits are affecting your work life. Your chair at the office can be harming your health, so investing in one that fits your body composition can improve your abilities in work. Shorter people need more adjustable seats to raise and lower the height, and a regular office chair might not have the lumbar support your back needs. Good office chairs can reduce the amount of strain on your body, and allow you to unlock your potential in a simple way that you may not have ever considered before. Ergonomics is a crucially undervalued part of work productivity, and your chair might be the culprit. Comfort is king when it comes to your chair, and you need one that allows you to work to its strengths.

Take short mental breaks

Taking shorter breaks at work will help you segment your day in a much better manner. Trying to work hard for 6, 7, or 8 hours without fatigue is not a very smart plan. Setting a timer on your phone to work distraction free for an hour or so, then taking a small break to rest your eyes or refocus can help you maintain your drive throughout the day. Work fatigue or burnout is very real, but there are a lot of very simple solutions to this problem and one of them is to break up your work day in much more manageable time blocks so you do not feel overwhelmed.

Meditation or stretching

Much like taking short mental breaks, you can also implement meditation or stretching. This can be done at work or at home, or anywhere you have some space. Getting in touch with your mental health is important, and part of that means using your body to reach this level of relaxation. Stiff muscles and soreness can put a sizable damper on your productivity at work, so think about ways that you can get a good 5 – 15 minute stretch in throughout the day.

It does not take long, and it does not require a big commitment to give yourself a good mental and physical reset. But if you have more time to spare, you can even take it a notch up by trying the best office workouts. You need to spend 20 to 60 minutes of legs, arms, core and total body exercise to help improve your productivity and achieve your fitness goals.

Make better eating choices

Food is fuel for the body, so filling yourself up with processed food and refined sugars is going to give you short term energy, or none at all. After a big, greasy lunch you are going to feel bloated and not ready to give it your all at work, so adjusting your eating habits will improve your productivity. Drinking more water is one of the easiest ways to start doing this. You can keep a water bottle at your desk or at work so you do not forget it at home when rushing out the door. 

Likewise, consider eating more natural sugars from fruits, and include more vegetables in your lunch. Leafy greens are one of the best ways for your body to feel cleaner and less sluggish. This does not mean you cannot have a snack every now and then, but keep it simple like a candy bar once a week, and ditch the take out! It might seem like a good idea because of the convenience, but you are just slowing your body down.

The daily grind of work life takes a toll on your physical and mental well-being, and the outcome can be a decline in your productivity. This is an unfortunate reality when it comes to office life, and work in general. If you find yourself noticing a lack of drive and work ethic during your day, you might need to consider some changes.

Not every change to improve your productivity needs to be an elaborate lifestyle change. Simple improvements like your eating habits, meditation/stretching, taking short and frequent breaks, and improving your seating comfort can pay off greatly. These changes are simple, but highly effective.