If you’re like me, you’re always looking for ways to squeeze more out of the time you spend at the office. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve come across in my quest to maximize productivity.

Photo Credit: Angelo González

1. Close your email – That’s right, you heard me – close it. If you’re constantly distracted by the next fire that needs to be put out, then you’re never going to get any actual work done. Email is an incredible tool, there’s no doubt about that. Like any other tool, though, it can be misused. Try scheduling regular e-mail checks a couple times a day instead.
2. Take a break – Every hour or so, give yourself a few minutes to just take a quick break. All you need is five minutes to get up, stretch your legs, maybe go get some fresh air, and come back. Simply put, you can’t focus on any one thing for more than an hour. You get tired, distracted, and start making mistakes. It might seem counterintuitive to leave work alone to try and get more done, but trust me, it works.
3. Set the mood – One important productivity hack is to set up your environment such that it’s conducive to getting things done. For me, that means putting on some jazz, turning off the main lights and only keeping on my desk lamp, and clearing off my desk of anything that isn’t 100% necessary to getting done what I need done. It just sets me up to be able to be more focused on the task at hand.
4. Make your first hours count – This is something I’ve started trying really hard to focus on in the last few weeks. When I get to work, I try to discipline myself to focus on one major project that I have. I find it can be hard to focus on big projects when a thousand little things pop up during the day. If you devote some time at the beginning of the day, when your co-workers are still wiping the sleep out of their eyes and haven’t had the time to create any disasters for you to solve, then you’ve got the perfect opportunity for uninterrupted productivity bliss.
5. Sleep! – Simply put, you need sleep to function at your best. As best as you can, try and maintain a regular schedule. Go to bed at the same time every day, and wake up at the same time. Even on weekends. If you can squeeze it in, try having a 20 minute power nap over lunch, too. That really helps against your post-lunch digestive siesta blues.
6. What’s yours? I know I wrote that I had six productivity tips for you, but I’m leaving this spot open for you. What are your favourite tips and tricks for getting things done? Please tell us using the comment section below!