3 Things That Are Killing Your Productivity

You’re a hard worker. You want to be the best that you can be, to excel, to kick the competition’s butt. You will stay up late, come in early, and even work on the weekends --anything to get an edge, right?

1. Ergonomics:

Too often it seems that we are just throwing a computer onto a desk, pulling up a chair, and calling it a day. The setup of your workstation can make all of the difference in what you are able to get done. Our productivity is killed by fatigue, and when our fingers get tired of typing, our neck gets tired from supporting that big ‘ol brain of yours, and our eyes feel like they’re going to fall out of our head-- that’s a killer of you crossing off that checklist like a beast.

Here are some quick tips:

●Make sure you are using monitor risers so that the center of your monitor is about 2-3” above eye level.

●Your arms should rest at 90 degree angles when typing.

●Keep the keyboard and mouse close to where you are sitting. Avoid over reaching.

For more tips on making sure your setup is as ergonomic as possible, read this article by ergonomic researchers at UCLA.

2. Distractions:

Multi-tasking is not a skill, it’s a handicap. When we switch from task to task it takes our brain a few seconds to go back to the original endeavor, and can add much more time than you think to the project you’re working on. If you’re working for two hours but you spend 15 minutes on your phone and 30 minutes checking your email you probably wasted more than 45 minutes given the time lost to switching back and forth! This has actually been scientifically tested and it’s even been proven that the quality of your work goes down with interruption, even if you are given overall more time to complete a task.

Here are some steps you can take to get laser-focused:

●Put down your phone. Seriously. It might be scary, but even putting it on airplane mode and putting it to the side will remove what is probably the biggest source of interruption in your workflow.

●Remove distracting websites by installing a few whitelist applications that only allow you to visit the sites you need, or to block the ones you don’t (sorry Facebook).

●Because it’s going to be hard to totally ignore your phone and your email, let’s be honest, you need to control when and how often you’re interrupting your flow. Set an egg timer for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or an hour. Commit to only checking your devices or email for 3-5 minutes and then diving back into your distraction free world.

3. Digital Eye Strain:

This is one of the hidden killers of productivity, and probably one of the highest stakes to get a hold of. When you’re working on something really important, for a long time, you have probably noticed that your eyes become strained. Your eyes might burn, feel dry, or feel heavy and tired. Not only is this a literal physical impairment to your work as your vision becomes uncomfortable, but the discomfort causes both distraction and fatigue of you whole body. It’s been proven that digital eye strain can increase errors by up to 25%.

Send Digital Eye Strain packing with some of the following steps:

●Use the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

●Use an application that filters out irritating blue light like f.lux or fadetop.

●Probably the best option-- get a pair of blue light filtering glasses and wear them whenever you’re using a digital device.

Taking these steps to combat productivity killers will make you more comfortable and give you the boost you need to crush your goals!