Whether you’re an employer or an employee, sooner or later you’ll experience burnout. People oftentimes push themselves beyond their limits to complete every task and get as much work done as possible before the end of the day. What’s more, some will even sacrifice their personal time or time for rest to continue working. However, that method is simply counterproductive.
In fact, prolonged exposure to stress and exhaustion will only result in fatigue that will generally slow you down and make you less productive. That way, you’ll no longer have the energy to do even the most basic task at work, let alone make some important decisions. In addition, people believe there’s not enough time during the day to get everything done. But truthfully, there’s plenty of time if you’re organized and focused. Here are a few strategies that can improve productivity and work performance.
Burn the midnight oil
Working all night sounds quite opposite from fighting burnout and improving productivity. Nevertheless, pulling an all-nighter from time to time can actually be good for you, as long as you don’t overdo it. What’s more, an all-nighter can improve your motivation and inspiration, which can help you deal with a particularly difficult task at work. As a matter of fact, according to studies, people have a tendency to be more creative and innovative when they’re weary.
Moreover, tiredness due to working all night can make you more distracted, which isn’t always a bad thing. That being said, once distracted your brain can actually perform much better at helping you solve challenging tasks and finding innovative ideas to solve problems. Therefore, you shouldn’t resort to this method unless the situation at work gets complicated.
Motivate yourself with music
Music can do wonders for your brain. Aside from helping you focus, and improve motivation and productivity, music can also stimulate your brain to produce more neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters enhance your levels happiness and help you feel a sense of personal accomplishment for completing your tasks.
Simply put, listening to music will help you become more productive, creative and better at performing work-related tasks. Furthermore, background noises and distractions in the office can increase your stress levels and make you less productive. However, listening to music, especially if you have in ear headphones, can help you zone out and focus on your work. That way, you’ll be able to avoid distractions and continue with your work unhindered.
Get enough sleep
Sacrificing sleep for the sake of the work may sound like a good idea. However, soon, your body will want all that borrowed time back with interest. Depriving yourself from sleep will result in fatigue, mood swings and a general decrease in motivation, productivity and work efficiency. Not to mention that it can lead to severe health issues as well. Sleep is needed for our body and mind to recharge properly.
Not only that, but the recommended eight hours of sleep will help improve short-term, as well as long-term memory and help you learn new things. That’s why, you should never sacrifice sleep in order to get things done. Sure, you might be able to get much more work done for a few days, but after that, you’re only going to be counterproductive.
Procrastinate productively
To any worker or employer, procrastination may sound like a waste of time and even be a clear sign of a burnout. However, procrastination can be highly beneficial to your productivity and work performance. The work environment can easily become stressful and too much to handle. Forcing yourself to work, while your stress levels are high won’t do you any good. You might feel like you’re getting things done, but in fact, you’re more likely to make a mistake or miss out on something important.
Taking a step back to do something completely unrelated to works is actually productive procrastination. That way, you’ll be disengaging from work and lowering the levels of stress while improving your motivation and productivity. Once you’ve taken a break, you’ll feel refreshed and you’ll be able to continue to work much more efficiently. After all, taking a small break every now and then is much better than having to correct the mistakes you’ve made while working under stress.
Instead of pressuring yourself to go beyond your limits to complete the work you have, you should find a way to organize your time and improve your productivity. Once productive, you’ll be able to do everything you need, without sacrificing sleep or your personal health to accomplish your goals. It may seem like too much effort, but it’s important to find a silver lining in your work-life balance.