The Return to the Office: Proven Productivity Tips

It’s been a strange couple of years, not just for the world of work, but also for the world in general. The Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions have taken their toll on businesses, and as a result, many organizations are still primarily working from home.

Slowly but surely however, the worlds work force are making the return to the office. With this in mind both employers and employees are raising concerns about productivity.

So, what are some important aspects to consider in regards to productivity?

What should we focus on and how can we improve not just our productivity, but also our overall well-being at work?

Limit Distraction

We all know the feeling, you’re halfway through typing that important email and your phone pings. In true Pavlovian fashion we pick up our phone to check, then before we know it, we’re halfway through another episode of Stranger Things.

When working from home this type of behaviour was often normalised, and perhaps even considered somewhat acceptable. However, distractions, no matter how brief or small contribute a great deal to shortcomings in productivity.

According to a report by Udemy in 2018, 70% of works admitted to feeling distracted at work, with 16% even stating that they were almost always distracted.

Those are huge numbers, and we have to ask ourselves whether the recent work from home culture has improved upon or exasperated our tendency to become distracted.

What are some common distractions to watch out for?

Office noise

A noisy environment can stifle even the most avid of workers. That’s why wherever possible we should aim to reduce the noise in our environment.

This doesn’t mean that we should shy away from making noise whatsoever, or that we should confide ourselves to our computer and prevent communication. It does mean however that we should avoid playing that training video at an overly loud volume. It means that if we are talking to a colleague, it should not be so loud as to attract the attention of someone who is working on something else.

The level of noise that one attributes to being noisy differs based on the individual. Some are distracted by the simplest of noises, whereas others are able to easily tune out their environment. Everyone is different, but keep in mind next time you have that conversation about the football, or when you’re watching that training video.

Being conscious of our environment and how we may inadvertently distract others is important for a healthy workflow.

Phone Usage

Checking our phone is common, but for some, it's a perpetual habit. For example, a study of 11 thousand RescueTime users found that people spend approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes a day on their phones. During the course of a workday, this can add up to a significant amount of lost productivity.

One of the ways we can prevent this is by using our phones as they are intended, as a tool, rather than a form of entertainment.

Certainly, it is not always possible to lock our phones away in a drawer, but if that is possible, out of sight, out of mind as they say. We should always try to avoid the temptation to quickly check Twitter or watch that quick Youtube video. We should always ask ourselves - "Do I need to do this right now?"

We should be conscious of our screen time and we should limit our phone usage to work related tasks where possible.

One of the ways we can deter ourselves from being tempted to use our phones is by changing the display into greyscale mode. By applying this in the settings this means that our phone will only show black and white.

Interestingly enough a study found that the bright colours used on websites and on apps have the ability to stimulate various emotions within us, thus enticing us to spend more time on them. Another tactic to help limit our screen time is by setting notifications when we reach a certain amount of active use.

To have a productive day we should also consider leaving as much of our work content as possible on our work PC’s. This will limit the need to constantly transfer between our phone and our desktop.

Too many Emails

Having too many e-mails clogs our inbox as well as space in our minds. An easy way to combat this is by flagging certainly emails of high priority, deleting those which are of little to no importance and to correctly categorize.

That way we won’t be searching through a bunch of cold emails/idle conversation just to find that one email. Simple, but effective.

Gossiping

A bit of gossip here and there is human nature; however, we don’t want our workday to be inundated with too many details about our personal lives. This may be fine for a brief moment around the coffee machine; however we should try and be wary about idle chat when dealing with a task or project.

If we find ourselves engaging in gossip and unrelated work chatter, we should keep it brief. Being conscious of when it may be diverting attention away from our goals will help hugely in having a more productive day.

Multi-Tasking

When we have many things to do we have a tendency to try and multi-task. Many say that they are able to multi-task, but studies show that focusing on more than one task at a time decreases our likelihood of producing quality work.

Instead, try to attribute a set amount of time to focus on each task. This could be twenty minutes or two hours, just make sure you take the time to allow for breaks if you have to focus for long periods of time.

What are some other things we can do?

Take breaks

Taking breaks is important as we don’t want to burn ourselves out. When working from home we may have felt like we were free to do this at any time, but now that we are back in the office, we should set ourselves specific times for breaks.

We should also leave our desk for lunch. This creates a separation of work and leisure and by allowing ourselves to physically leave the space, we are more likely to separate the two in our minds. Breaks benefit our physical and emotional health and can help to re-energize us upon return. Always take them, even if you feel like you don't need to.

Eat Well

We should take action where possible to give our mind and body the best fuel in order to maximize focus. When we eat fast food or drink sugary drinks, our body produces a sharp spike in insulin in response to the high fat and sugar content. This can lead to irritability and cloud our decision making. Where possible we should try and make an effort to hydrate and focus on consuming lean proteins, as well as plenty of fruits and vegetables. This gives our body and brain the building blocks necessary for a day of focused and productive work.

Monitor Progress

It's often all too easy to allow ourselves to simply go through the motions of a workday. Instead, we should be prioritising our time and figuring out how we can improve. We should be liaising with our colleagues, delegating tasks where appropriate and setting realistic goals. We should record what we have done each day, so that at the end of the month/quarter it will be easier to establish what can be improved upon.

This may feel like a drag at first, but once this becomes routine, you'll find that this will provide you with valuable insight on what a typical day looks like and what adjustments need to be made.

Listen to Music

We often hear about people referring to what is known as a "flow state". This is state where our minds are purely focused on the task at hand, and we are able to bring our A game almost effortlessly.

Listening to music, particularly classical music has been shown to put people into a relaxed frame of mind, and therefore increase the likelihood of entering a flow state. Consider listening to soft music when you're by yourself, especially when you have to focus on a task which doesn’t involve any conversation.

Collaborate & Communicate

We already know that collaborating with others is an important role in the workplace. Adjusting to collaborating in person again may feel strange at first, perhaps even uncomfortable for some. However, don’t be afraid to take advantage of what the office environment has to offer. Being together again is a chance to learn, ask questions and to allow for the free exchange of ideas to take place.

No matter the task, it's important that we embrace the office environment, and to allow communication between departments, managers and employees.

Each of our roles work synergistically within the company and contribute to its overall success. So, if you do have a question or you have an idea about how to work better, then speak up and make sure you share it. Everyone's opinion matters!

Empathise

Returning to the office may be a breath of fresh air for some, whereas other may still feel apprehensive. It’s important that we understand and listen to each other’s differences in order to ensure that no one is feeling left out.

If you would like some time alone to focus on a project or if you feel like you would benefit from working from home in certain circumstances, then vocalize it. Equally at the same time, if you feel like a particular meeting would be best held face to face as opposed to over Zoom/Teams, then also respectfully speak up.

Returning to the office doesn’t have to be painful, and if handled correctly, could actually positively affect your emotional well-being. However, it does require us to be mindful about the needs of others and to be accommodating to their needs where possible.

These are just some strategies to help you increase your productivity at work in a positive and healthy way. It's important to maintain a level of consistency when approaching these strategies, which may not always be easy. However, the more you implement them into your daily routine, the easier they become.