These five popular productivity tricks might actually cost you more time than they save.
There's no shortage of "productivity hacks" and tricks out there--and I've even written about some of my personal favorites before--but not all shortcuts to productivity are as efficient as they seem. In fact, some of those time-saving habits and tricks might actually be making you work harder and longer, without you ever realizing the disconnection.
Take a good look at the strategies you use in your daily work, and if you're using any of these, eliminate them:
1.Skipping breaks. Working through a break seems innocent enough--instead of taking a half hour for lunch, you're working for an extra half hour. But if done too much, your mind will be extra stressed and fatigued, decreasing the quality (and speed) of your work overall.
2.Multitasking. How many times have you held a phone conversation while doing research on your computer? Or tried to hold a conference call while driving? Multitasking is well understood to be more destructive than helpful, leaving you with far worse results than if you tackled those tasks individually.
3.Responding to emails all day. Staying on top of your emails constantly might seem like a good way to avoid falling behind, but it's only going to distract you from your more important tasks and projects. Stay focused on your highest priorities, and get to the emails later.
4.Using multiple devices. Chances are, you have a computer, a phone, a tablet, and maybe even more devices. This can keep you productive on the go, but if you switch between too often, you'll be unable to focus on anything significant.
5.Not planning your day. In the world of entrepreneurship, not much is predictable. Each day, you'll walk in to a new set of problems and a new set of circumstances (and even those will change several times throughout the day). Going in with a plan might seem counterintuitive, but if you don't plan or prioritize anything, you'll only set yourself up for failure.
Even though on the surface, these seem like good, time-saving strategies, the reality is they can drag down your productivity and leave you exhausted.
Bio:
Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech enthusiast dedicated to helping startup technology companies get the direction and momentum they need to succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has established a collective resource for tech entrepreneurs to consult when brainstorming, creating, launching, or expanding a new business. Jose is also the founder and CEO of Quez Media Marketing, a marketing firm that combines technology and creativity to help new and growing companies get the results they need.