It doesn t matter what you do or where you work everyone is looking for ways to be more productive on the job.

But excessive amounts of caffeine and list-making w on t get you any closer to reaching peak productivity levels today. So, why are we all so obsessed with productivity? It s probably because in this di gital age, staying on task and avoiding distraction is harder to accomplish than your actual work. Not to mention the feeling of a productive workday is somewha t euphoric. This search for a more productive workday has led to a certain misconception abo ut what productivity really is and it s a lot more than checking tasks off your to -do list. Truly productive people aren t focused on doing more things; this is act ually the opposite of productivity. If you really want to be productive, you ve go t to make a point to do fewer things. 14 Things Successful People Do On Weekends Jacquelyn Smith Jacquelyn Smith Forbe s Staff 15 Marketing Softwares That Can Boost Your Business Ilya Pozin Ilya Pozin Contri butor 13 images Photos: 12 Tips For Dealing With A Lazy Co-Worker 17 Counterintuitive Things the Most Successful People Do Jason Nazar Jason Nazar Contributor To find out the secret to a more productive workday, I spoke with project manage ment and productivity expert Tony Wong. He provided me with some excellent insig ht into what he and other like-minded individuals do during their work week. Make room for increased productivity by putting these habits into play: 1. Cut your to-do list in half. Getting things done during your workday shouldn t mean fitting in doing as much as possible in the sanctioned eight hours. Do you really need those 30 tasks on your to-do list? Take a less-is-more approach to y our to-do list by only focusing on accomplishing things that matter. 2. Take more breaks. The ache in your brain after several long hours of work sho uld be your signal to take a break. Since your brain has used up its glucose, gi ve yourself a moment to refresh by going for a walk, grabbing lunch or a snack, or just meditating. You ll come back recharged and ready to achieve greater effici ency. 3. Follow the 80/20 rule. Only 20 percent of what you do each day produces 80 pe rcent of your results. Eliminate the things that don t matter during your workday they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity. For example, break your next project down into steps and systematically remove tasks until you end up w ith the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results. 4. Use your morning to focus on yourself. It s a big productivity killer to start your mornings by checking your email and your calendar. This allows others to di ctate what you accomplish. Start your day out right by ignoring your emails in t he morning and getting in a good breakfast, reading the news, meditating, or wor king out. This will ensure you ve got the necessary fuel for a productive day. 5. Tackle your challenging tasks before lunch. Knock out your most challenging w ork when your brain is fresh. If you have any busy work or meetings, save them f or the afternoon. By scheduling your day this way, you ll be able to create a new and more productive way to manage your time. 6. Improve your email etiquette. Email is a productivity killer and usually a di straction from tasks that actually matter don t fall into this productivity trap. Fo r example, people often copy multiple people on emails to get it off their plate , but this is a sign of laziness and actually distracts everyone else by creatin

g noise against the tasks they re trying to accomplish. As a rule, if you receive an email where many people are CC d, do everyone a favor by BCC ing them on your reply. If your email chain goes beyond two replies, it s ti me to pick up the phone. 7. Create a system. You ve probably developed a few productivity-ruining habits ov er the years. Manage your distracting ways by creating a system. For those of yo u who check your emails compulsively, plan a morning, afternoon, and evening tim e slot to manage your inbox. Otherwise, you ll get distracted from accomplishing m ore important goals throughout the day. 8. Stop confusing productivity with laziness. While no one likes admitting it, s heer laziness is the No. 1 contributor to lost productivity. In fact, a number o f so-called time-saving methods take meetings and emails for example are actuall y just ways to get out of doing real work. Place your focus on doing the things that matter most as efficiently and effectively as possible. 9. Stop multi-tasking. Stop trying to do 10 things at once! Changing tasks more than 10 times a day drops your IQ an average of 10 points. Get things done more effectively and efficiently by focusing on one task at a time. Less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday. Stick to the basics for reaching productivity. Anda Akan Fokus Jika Tahu Cara Fokus Saya yakin, banyak orang yang sudah ekerja, dan bisnis. Namun ternyata, g atau belum bisa untuk fokus dalam yang menyarankan kita fokus, tetapi sadar dalam suatu tidak dengan pentingnya fokus dalam hidup, b pelaksanaanya masih banyak yang bingun hal. Penyebabnya ialah banyak artikel memberitahu bagaimana caranya fokus.

Sekarang, saya akan jelaskan langkah demi langkah untuk mencapai kondisi fokus b aik dalam kehidupan, bisnis, maupun dalam bekerja. Yang perlu kita perhatikan fo kus ada pekerjaan mental dan akan mempengaruhi mental Anda juga. Saat kita tidak fokus, pikiran kita akan kesana ke mari sehingga tidak memiliki kekuatan untuk me nghasilkan sesuatu. Cara Fokus Pertama: Identifikasi Langkah pertama ialah identifikasikan hal-hal apa saja yang rasanya harus dilaku kan. Tuliskan saja apa-apa yang Anda rasakan harus dilakukan. Fokus dulu ke pera saan Anda. Karena perasaanlah yang merasa terbebani. Tuliskan saja. Langkah kedua ialah sama halnya dengan langkah pertama, tetapi Anda mulai menggu nakan pikiran dan arsip. Jadi tidak hanya mengandalkan perasaan saja. Sekarang t anyakan, apa saja yang harus saya lakukan. Periksa arsip Anda, memo, email, sura t, atau catatan ide ada termasuk apa yang Anda ingat. Lakukan langkah pertama dan kedua ini sampai habis. Semua hal yang harus dilakuk an sudah pindah ke dalam kertas. Kedua langkah ini akan mengurangi beban pikiran Anda, sebab semuanya sudah pindah ke dalam kertas. Ribet? Tidak, memang inilah cara fokus. Cara Fokus Kedua: Keputusan Langkah ketiga adalah mengambil keputusan. Bacalah semua hal yang harus Anda lak ukan tadi. Putuskan: Mana yang harus Anda lakukan sekarang juga. Biasanya pekerjaan yang sebentar yaitu kurang dari dua menit. Mana pekerjaan yang harus dilakukan segera. Penting tapi waktunya cukup lama

. Mana pekerjaan yang ditunda atau dijadwalkan. Mana pekerjaan yang bisa Anda hapus atau dibatalkan. Usahakan Anda membatalk an pekerjaan sebanyak mungkin. Tandai juga hal-hal yang ternyata bukan pekerjaan atau tugas. Biasanya hanya sebagai referensi. Saat memeriksa dan mengambil keputusan, selalu bertanya, apakah pekerjaan ini me mberikan dampak yang besar bagi saya? Mana yang paling memberikan manfaat? Apa j adinya jika pekerjaan ini dibatalkan? Kapan waktu yang tepat mengerjakannya. Jangan khawatir jika Anda bingung dalam mengambil keputusan. Saat bingung, berhe ntilah dulu. Kemudian tenangkan diri Anda, bisa dengan shalat dulu, membaca al Q uran, dzikir, bermain dengan keluarga, dan hal-hal lain yang membuat Anda rileks . Biarkan pikiran bawah sadar Anda yang bekerja. Setelah itu coba lihat lagi daf tar pekerjaan Anda. Analisa kembali sampai Anda mampu memutuskan. Mungkin masih bingung. Jika bingung, gunakan feeling. Jika Anda sudah memiliki v isi dan visi itu menjadi bagian hidup Anda, maka feeling Anda akan mengarahkan h idup Anda ke arah yang sesuai dengan visi Anda. Jika ragu terhadap suatu pekerja an, masukan saja ke dalam kategori ditunda . Percayalah inilah cara fokus pada peke rjaan-pekerjaan yang penting. Cara Fokus Ketiga: Klasifikasi Pisah-pisahkan pekerjaan yang harus dilakukan sekarang, segera, terjadwal, ditun da. Fokuslah pada pekerjaan sekarang. Ambil tindakan cepat untuk menyelesaikanny a. Lupakan pekerjaan lain. Anda tidak perlu khawatir dengan pekerjaan lain sebab sudah Anda simpan pada sebuah sistem di luar kepala Anda. Inilah inti cara fokus, Anda hanya perlu memikirkan yang memang perlu dipikirkan. Review kembali daftar ini setidaknya seminggu sekali karena pasti banyak mengala mi perubahan. Ambil lagi keputusan, mana yang akan menjadi fokus. Lakukan terus menerus. Cara fokus ini ampuh!