Today, people are living and working faster than ever, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why productivity hacks have become so popular. These small insights or tricks can help you get things done faster and more efficiently.
If you are frequently communicating with your team members, clients, or partners with email, texts and messages – you’ve probably noticed just how much time it takes out of your work day. It’s hard to focus on other tasks when you must send emails or messages as soon as possible. Even when time or task batching, writing new emails, finding, copying and pasting, and customizing existing messaging can be a waste!
FlyMSG is one productivity hack you can use to speed up your writing. It helps you type less and do more by automating your written word and removing the time sink caused by finding, copying, pasting, or writing messages from scratch – all with just a few short keystrokes. To see FlyMSG in action, create your free account today.
In today’s article, we will share the list of 21 productivity hacks you can use to beat stress, remain focused at work, and achieve your goals faster.
These tips are great for increasing your output, eliminating distractions, and generally improving your performance no matter what you do all day long. We will also show you how to use an auto text expander like FlyMSG to get more work done in less time.
Let’s start with some essential information about productivity.
Boost your #productivity with these simple yet effective #hacks from @LinkedinExpert 💡💡#productivity #timemanagement Click To TweetWhat is Productivity?
While there are countless definitions, productivity measures your performance over time. You can calculate your productivity rate using this formula:
Productivity = Units of output/units of input
Units of output include anything that results from your activities, like the number of sales calls your team made, blog posts your marketing team released on your website, or support tickets your customer service reps solved during a day, week, month, or year.
Units of input for service-based businesses usually relate to time spent on these activities but also include labor hours, materials, equipment, productivity vs efficiency, and more.
Productivity vs. Performance: What’s the Difference?
People often use productivity and performance as synonyms, but their meanings differ. Productivity is a measure of how efficiently someone works, while performance is a measure of how well someone does their job.
For instance, a person who completes a lot of work quickly might be very productive, but their performance might be low if their work quality is poor.
In contrast, someone who takes their time and does a thorough job might be less productive, but their performance would likely be higher.
So, which is more important? That depends on the situation. In some cases, productivity is more important, while performance is more critical in others. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what you value more.
Why is Maintaining Productivity Important?
Maintaining optimal productivity will make your company have greater operational efficiency and enable you to increase production based on your investments.
Getting more out of your input will give you an advantage over the competition, as it will simultaneously allow your customers, clients, and partners to get more for the price they pay.
You will gain an edge by offering a more competitive price, a better quality product or service, or both.
On the other hand, creating value for customers or clients requires more investments if you are unproductive. It means you have to cut your margins, create a lower-quality product or service, and raise prices, making your company less competitive.
4 Downsides of Low Productivity
Let’s look at the downsides of low productivity and how it impacts your business.
1- Higher Prices
If you are not productive, you won’t be able to offer competitive prices on the market. If your competitors can produce more in less time or with fewer materials, they will be able to provide a lower price, as their input costs are lower than yours.
2- Lower-Quality Products
One of the ways to keep a competitive price without increasing productivity is by cutting the quality of the products and services you offer. However, this is a one-way street leading to nowhere, as it will lead to customer complaints and returns, eventually driving you out of business.
3- Thinner Margins
Even if you remain operational, being unproductive cuts your margins. It means you will have less money for further investments, leading to falling behind the competitors.
4- General Dissatisfaction with Work
No one likes to feel unproductive. Add procrastination to that, and you have an unhappy workforce and leadership. Having the ability to do better but failing to do so can ruin your entire day. Being unproductive also means all that work gets pushed to the next day, creating an even more challenging workload.
The same goes for teams – productivity issues can spread from one group to another, resulting in decreased company-wide results.
4 Benefits of High Productivity
High productivity has many wonderful side effects, including the following.
Competitive Advantage
High productivity means you will get the most out of your invested resources and improve office productivity as well as the overall performance of your business. It will give you an edge over the competition, allowing you to offer the best price to outperform them, which won’t go unnoticed by customers. Also, it will make you feel better.
Excellent Price/Quality Ratio
Being productive also means you can provide top-quality services and products compared to the price customers pay. You can offer cheaper and better-quality products than your competitors, causing them to make cuts to compensate for their subpar productivity.
Higher Profits
Creating greater output without increasing input automatically makes more significant margins. It will give you more space to invest in your business, resulting in even better products and services and greater market advantage in the future.
Productivity Starts a Virtuous Cycle
The feeling you get when performing at your best is incredible and contagious.
Productive team members will spark a plug, making the whole team feel better, translating to better results and unlocked bonuses, making everyone happy.
Before you know it, the productivity wave will splash the entire company, resulting in revenue increases across the board.
Now, let’s see what we can learn from productivity stats.
7 Intriguing Productivity Stats to Know
While all businesses are looking to apply productivity hacks, it’s not as easy as it seems. The statistics show us the following:
- Office employees are productive for under three hours a day. (TrueList)
- Remote workers are 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. (Krisp)
- 41% of people agree that stress harms their productivity. (Clockify)
- 85% of employees unproductively spend up to two hours searching for work-related information. (TeamStage)
- Multitasking can hurt your productivity by 40%. (Oak)
- Refocusing on a task after a distraction takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds. (Zippia)
- Engaged employees are more productive, resulting in a 21% increase in profits. (GoRemotely)
Since we discussed productivity and how it impacts your business performance, let’s share some productivity hacks that will help you solve daily challenges and achieve your business goals.
Looking for ways to maximize your #productivity? 🤔 Check out these 21 #hacks from @LinkedinExpert #efficiency #productivityhacks Click To Tweet21 Productivity Hacks to Implement Today
One thing is knowing what productivity is and why it’s crucial; improving productivity is entirely different. Here are the best 21 productivity hacks you can implement into your workflow today, getting more results out of your efforts.
1- Set SMART Goals
Setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals will give you a clear target to strive for. It will make your efforts meaningful and help you create the action plan to take you where you want to be, increasing productivity.
2- Simplify Your To-do List and Prioritize Your Tasks
It’s vital to prioritize what’s on your to-do list, whether business or personal life tasks, to reduce or eliminate those irrelevant to achieving your SMART goal.
Then, prioritize tasks by their importance, focusing first on multiple tasks that have the potential to leave the most significant impact, and group similar tasks to complete them in batches. This is also known as the Pomodoro Technique.
3- Set Deadlines and Work in Sprints to Get Things Done Faster
Deadlines on their own are incredible productivity hacks. Create an employee schedule and set internal deadlines before the due dates. This quadrant involves tasks with high importance but less urgency to help you get a birds-eye view of all ongoing tasks. It leaves you enough space to review everything before receiving feedback from clients or partners.
4- Delegate Tasks to Others and Focus on Your Strengths
Always try to delegate important tasks to other team members more suitable to complete them. Each team member should spend most of their time doing what they are best at – that will translate to a team-wide productivity jump.
5- Have a Place to Store All Your Ideas
Having a place to store all your ideas can be as simple as using Evernote or Google Keep. As long as it’s accessible from any device, it doesn’t matter which app you use for note-taking. This effective productivity hack will come in handy when you run out of business ideas.
6- Don’t Check Emails First Thing in the Morning
Emails rarely contain urgent tasks you need to complete the second you receive them, so checking your inbox can be the worst part of your morning routine. Also, if you use any team communication tool, you can pause it to give yourself enough time to jump into the day.
Do what you think is the most critical first; check emails around noon.
7- Have a Designated Time for Meetings
To reduce the number of distractions, set a strict meeting schedule and have a designated time and day to organize them weekly with your clients, partners, or employees.
8- Find a Work Environment that Best Suits You
Even if you have a dedicated workspace at home, some other locations might help you focus better. If you have playful children, noisy neighbors, or find relaxing in bed too tempting, try a local coworking space with the best ergonomic office chairs or a work-friendly cafe. Many coworking spaces across the U.S. have a median monthly price of just $119.
9- Wake Up Early and Start Your Day with a Positive Mindset
Even though it sounds like a cliche, it costs you nothing to try: get up at 6 AM, brew a cup of coffee or tea, and get to work, telling yourself the day ahead is THE day when you’ll get everything done.
10- Exercise Regularly to Increase Energy Levels and Improve Focus
Physical activity is one of the best ways to counter lethargy – it will improve your mood, raise energy levels, reduce stress, improve immunity, and make you feel better overall so you can have a productive day.
11- Take Breaks Throughout the Day to Stay Refreshed
You should pre-plan breaks, ensuring you only interrupt work occasionally and have the necessary rest to stay sharp. The Pomodoro technique can help, rotating between 25 minutes of the work process followed by 5 minutes of rest.
If you don’t like the Pomodoro technique, you can try 52/17, working for 52 minutes and resting for 17. In time, you’ll figure out what suits you best.
12- Take Care of Your Health by Getting Enough Sleep and Eating Healthy Foods
Taking care of your body by following a healthy diet and sleeping eight hours every night will ensure you stay focused and have optimal brain performance during your work day. Keep taps with your medications; today, telehealth companies like Henry Meds make it easier than ever. It is one of the best productivity hacks that can improve all other areas of your life.
13- Don’t Procrastinate and Get Started with Your Tasks Right Away
No matter how hard it feels, open your to-do list, see plans for the day ahead, and remove any repetitive tasks that will drain your time and energy. It will help you focus on what matters the most, triggering you to finish more work in less time.
14- Learn to Refuse Anything That Distracts You from Your Goals
Once you start working, stick to your plan and remove all obstacles or distractions that hinder your progress. You can finish your work without feeling guilty or sacrificing your goals for short-term pleasures.
15- Persevere When Things Get Tough and Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams
It’s essential to accept that having a bad day is entirely normal. Don’t panic. Persevere, and keep trying your best. We are all human, so don’t be too harsh on yourself. Tomorrow is a brand new day.
16- Reward Yourself for Completing Tasks to Stay Motivated
Rewarding yourself can help you feel accomplished and proud of what you’ve done and provide you with something to look forward to as you work. It can be anything you enjoy, from a simple treat like a piece of candy to something more significant, like a day off from work.
17- Limit Distractions by Turning off Your Phone and Focusing On One Task at a Time
Leaving your phone in another room while working can increase productivity immediately, as it reduces distractions in your environment.
If you also stop multitasking and focus only on one task at a time, you can expect to boost productivity further and increase the quality of your work.
18- Block Out External Distractions with Headphones
Getting a pair of noise-canceling headphones is one of the go-to productivity hacks for anyone working in a noisy office or open space. It will allow you to focus on the individual tasks in front of you and ignore your surroundings.
19- Install an App to Block Time-Wasting Sites
We know it might be tempting to check your notifications or see who sent you friend requests, but it distracts you from your work. Use apps that help you block time-wasting sites such as Facebook, Instagram, gaming, or news-related sites.
20- Use Time Tracking Apps to Recognize Time Sinks
Using time tracking productivity apps, you can see how much time you spend on various tasks and activities and quickly identify which areas are eating up most of your time. You can use this information to make changes and adjust your routine to improve your time management and productivity.
21- Speed Up Your Writing with a Digital Writing Assistant
Reducing your time writing emails and messages will help you maximize productivity. You can use FlyMSG, our digital writing assistant, to automate your writing and reduce your time on these repetitive tasks, saving one hour daily.
Let’s explain how FlyMSG works and how it helps you increase productivity with less effort.
Get more done in less time ⏳ with these #productivity #hacks from @LinkedinExpert #productivitytips #workhacks 💻 Click To TweetHow FlyMSG Helps You Streamline Your Productivity
FlyMSG is a text expander and a business productivity tool. It helps you complete more work in less time by automating your writing process with advanced features known as FlyCuts or FlyPlates. It enables you to streamline your productivity and save up to 20+ hours per month.
What are FlyCuts?
FlyCuts are shortcuts that let you store and save textual content you want to reuse in your emails or messages. By typing in your shortcode, your pre-written text will appear in the body of your email or message and expand it automatically, so there is no need to write from scratch or lose time finding, copying, or pasting messages.
What are FlyPlates?
FlyPlates differentiate FlyMSG from other text expanders. They are premium content templates created by industry professionals. You can choose, customize and use one of our 203 FlyPlates for any use case and save an incredible amount of time.
Thanks to the rich text editor, you can add multimedia and links and use advanced text formatting options, minimizing the time you need to edit the content after pasting it into your email or message.
7 Examples of FlyPlates That Save You One Hour per Day
Let’s get through a few examples to show you how to use FlyPlates in your daily work.
Zoom Meeting Link
Instead of going through the Zoom app to fetch a link every time you want to schedule a call, FlyMSG allows you to do that by adding the -zoom shortcode to the body of your email. You just need to spend a few seconds and hit the Send button.
Talk To You Later
While “talk to you later” isn’t the longest phrase you can use, it doesn’t add to a conversation and is one of those little time wasters that drain away a few unnecessary seconds. God knows how many times per day. Instead, a simple -ttyl FlyCut will replace it forever.
Today’s Plan
If you manage multiple people and need to share an agenda with all team members, assigning it to the -plan shortcode will save you an incredible amount of time. You will have everything properly formatted and available in seconds, ensuring every person you get in touch with knows what they are supposed to do.
Meeting Notes
Nothing is more annoying than holding a meeting and realizing nobody paid attention and got nothing from it, ultimately wasting the whole team’s time. To prevent that, use the –notes shortcode to send a summary to each team member even if they weren’t present.
For Your Information
It’s another phrase we commonly use in formal communication that adds almost zero value but is still necessary. Replace writing “for your information” with typing -fyi, and forget about wasting time entering this long empty phrase again.
Cannot Attend a Meeting
Notifying every participant that you can’t attend an upcoming meeting usually consists of copying/pasting the same message and having to format it repeatedly. To eliminate that time waster, use the –busymeet FlyCut, and make your life easier.
Be Right Back
Another classic phrase we write a million times each day. While you can’t write “brb” in formal communication, you can use the -brb shortcode to display the complete “be right back message,” saving yourself a few seconds per each email or message.
You can easily create your free account if you’re interested in checking all our FlyPlates. We are sure our rich library contains a suitable template for your needs. Now, let’s discuss why FlyMSG should be your first choice for increasing your productivity.
Feeling overwhelmed and unproductive?😰 These tips from @LinkedinExpert can help! #productivitystrategies #workstrategies #productivity Click To TweetThe Top 3 Reasons Why FlyMSG Is the Best Productivity Hack
Here are three key reasons why FlyMSG is an incredible productivity hack for literally anyone looking to boost productivity:
1. FlyMSG is Universal
FlyMSG is helpful for everyone, no matter the industry. Whether in communication with customers, clients, partners, or colleagues or when filling out various forms, you probably type in the same information daily. That’s where FlyMSG jumps in, saving you up to an hour daily.
2. FlyMSG is Free
While there are FlyMSG premium plans with affordable pricing, the free version is more than enough to help you start saving an enormous amount of time during your workday. So, don’t wait. Sign up for FlyMSG, and see for yourself.
3. FlyMSG is Powerful and Customizable
FlyPlates are one-of-a-kind. You will have a rich library of templates you can use and customize to cater to your needs. You don’t have to start from scratch when writing emails or messages. You will have many ideas to choose from.
How to Sign Up For FlyMSG
FlyMSG is incredibly easy to get started. You can sign up completely free in just a few clicks and start saving your precious time and boosting productivity the minute you install our Text Expander on Google Chrome or Text Expander on Microsoft Edge extensions.
Productivity Hacks: Wrapping up
Productivity hacks are simple tips and tricks that can help you work smarter. They can be anything from using a planner to staying organized, but they all have one thing in common: they help you get more done in less time. In this article, we shared 21 productivity hacks to help you speed up the process.
FlyMSG will be an excellent addition to help you streamline personal productivity, communicate more effectively, and increase engagement with your clients, partners, or team members. Sign up for our Text Expander FlyMSG and drive fantastic personal and or business outcomes!
