Common Office Productivity Killers
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a cubicle worker or a corner office executive- everybody would like to increase his or her productivity. However, if you’re not a high-rolling exec, you might be interested in some easy and fairly inexpensive ways to increase your productivity. But before we get to the tips, let’s talk about some common office productivity killers.
- Office Noise. Distractions, namely conversational distractions, cost each of us about 2 hours every day. And, I don’t just mean the water cooler gossip you actually took part in. They are definitely a factor, but think about each and every time you lose seconds and minutes to someone else’s loud sales call, personal call, or over the cubicle conversation. Add all that up and you lose about 10 hours a week. Crazy, I know.
- Lack of Ergonomic Adjustments. Interestingly, distracted and disengaged workers seldom make ergonomic adjustments necessary for efficient and comfortable work, which leads to repetitive stress injuries, such as eye strain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Thus, increasing your productivity means decreasing distractions and work stress/strain.
4 Tips for Increasing Productivity
Try white noise, like this free white noise generator. It’s a fact that office noise kills productivity, so covering it is your only defense sometimes.- Rearrange your desktop. This is a multi-faceted endeavor. First, clear away the clutter, and get rid of any extra junk you can live without. Next, move all essential items so that they are within arm’s reach. You want to avoid straining your arms, shoulders, wrists, and hands. Finally, make sure your keyboard and mouse are on the same surface and close to each other. Again, you want to avoid straining any part of yourself as you reach for anything, including your mouse. You also want to be more efficient, and unnecessary reaching is a loss of time.
- Consider upgrading to an ergonomic keyboard, such as a left-handed keyboard or mini keyboard. Both keyboards fit your wrists and hands better and move the number pad for faster typing. Plus, they’re awesome, and everybody will marvel at your coolness.
- Similarly, why not try an ergonomic mouse? If you’re like me, your fingers (especially your forefinger an thumb) are tired after hours of touch pad mousing. Ergonomic mice are wonderful for customizing the work experience to your own needs. When your mouse fits your hand, and as a result, your hand isn’t exhausted at the end of the day, you cant help but be more productive.
Just by rethinking and re-staging your desktop, as well as trying a few new products, you can easily be more productive and therefore get more out of your work day.
