Staying productive during the work week can sometimes feel all but impossible. Unfortunately, being a part of the workforce means you just can’t afford to drag behind. With clients, co-workers, and employers all counting on you to complete tasks on time, a decreased level of productivity can add unnecessary fuel to a workplace fire.

If you’ve been in this position before and are looking to increase your productivity, you’ve come to the right place. These quick and easy tips will help keep you at your most productive during a long and lagging work week. Follow along and be breaking performance records in no time!

Take care of yourself.

Though these things may feel time consuming at first, make room for them in your day anyway! After awhile, incorporating them into your routine will come naturally, and your body and work week will both thank you for the extra effort.

Analyze your environment.

If you’re having trouble staying productive at work, take a quick look around you…

Are the lights excessively bright or low? If so, it could serve as an interruption by causing headaches or creating a sense of fatigue during the day.

Is your work-space is free of clutter? An unorganized desk leads to an unorganized mind (and decreased productivity).

How’s the temperature? According to Forbes, office temperature can decrease productivity by negatively affecting your mood. Experts have dubbed a temperature between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit the “productivity sweet spot.”

Is it noisy in the office? As long as it’s fairly quiet, you may want to try keeping your door open. Not only does it look inviting to clients, but knowing your co-workers and employers can look in at any given point and see what you’re doing will also increase your productivity.

Asking yourself these important questions can help increase productivity by keeping you comfortable and focused.

Write your day down.

I cannot stress this one enough. If you want to increase productivity during the day, make a list of tasks right when you get to work in the morning. Put the tasks in order of most important (i.e. by deadline). Ask yourself which tasks can wait and which can’t.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of work on the list, try adding a few tasks you’ve already completed. Seeing these tasks already checked off can actually take away some of the stress that comes with a full work day.

Eliminate (or at least limit) distractions.

We live in a social media era, so the obvious concern here is staying off your phone. When you get to work in the morning, turn off all cell phone notifications and alerts. If there’s an emergency, realize people will be able to reach you at work.

Other distractions, such as music, food, and chats with co-workers, are often incorporated into people’s work environment as well. If you need help avoiding distractions such as these, try setting limits.

For example, tell yourself that you can only look at your phone 3 times in 10 minute intervals over an 8 hour work day. Doing this will help you prioritize work without completely sacrificing the tiny breaks in your day that surely help keep you sane.

Thoroughly prepare for meetings.

Though necessary for most businesses, taking client meetings can be extremely time consuming. Before going into a client meeting, it’s important to prepare with a list of talking points and overall expectations. Familiarize yourself with the client’s specific wants and needs, and go into the meeting prepared with a plan of action for getting them to where they want to be professionally.

During the meeting, establish control of the conversation in order to help cut down on time. Basically, this means that you should let your clients ask questions, make statements, and share their opinions without letting them completely run the meeting. Make sure they understand that meetings are simply a form of touching base with clients, and that they can always contact you via email or phone after if needed. Reassuring the client that the relationship doesn’t end when the meeting does will help both of you get out and get on with your day faster.

Create a reward system.

If done right, this can easily become the most effective way to maintain productivity throughout the work week. Because everyone loves spoiling themselves now and then, a special “treat” at the end of a long work day can be extremely motivating. It can be literally anything — a nice meal, new material item, night out with friends, favorite old movie, long bath… the list goes on and on. As long as it’s something you love and don’t get to enjoy on a regular basis, it’ll suffice. The only catch with this? It calls for someone honest and disciplined enough to abide by the rules of the system.

Is there something specific you do to keep productive at work? Feel free to share with our readers by commenting below or on one of our social media pages. As always, thanks for reading!

—Amanda Myers, Copywriter at BoydTech Design, Inc.