Workplace Productivity Boosters That You May Not Know About

Written by: Andrew Lisa

If only time were as plentiful as distractions. Creating a productive workplace starts with yourself. Begin by improving your own efficiency, and then try to pass it on to your employees. Here are some productivity boosters that you may not have tried yet.

The 27-3 Rule


Work in smaller increments broken up by micro breaks. Take a three-minute break every half hour. Get up, walk around, clear your mind, glance at your phone and then get back to work. 27 minutes of work followed by a short, three-minute breather enables you to work with intensity and focus before resetting again. You'll lose 12 minutes every two hours – but those minutes aren't really lost if they make the lion's share of your workday more productive and more focused. It doesn't have to be 27 minutes on, three minutes off – experiment and choose a formula that works for you.

Disable Push Notifications


Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and your email are always just one phone-glance away. It takes a strong mind to resist the urge to check your phone for new updates, likes, retweets and messages when you should be working. But when it's beeping, pinging and chirping, even those of us with the mightiest willpower will crack. Once you take a peek at your phone, even if only for a second, it will take time to get refocused and truly get back to work.

Prioritize More Efficiently


As discussed in the article "6 Ways to Boost Workplace Productivity That You Haven't Thought of Yet," there is a difference between urgent and important. When structuring your workflow, be honest with yourself about which tasks you absolutely dread – and are therefore more likely to put off.

Consider staggering easier tasks next to harder ones. Start the day with something simple and painless to get in a rhythm, and then immediately follow up with the hardest task of the day. This way, you'll build up some steam just before doing the heavy lifting.

Allow Flexibility in Scheduling


Finally, an efficient workplace is one that is populated with employees who are working at their most productive time of day. Not everyone is a morning person, for example. Employees who are upset because they are missing their kid's soccer game or are stressed because they're not sure if they'll make it to their doctor's appointment after work are not focused on the task at hand.

Whenever possible, allow employees to come in when it works for them. Flextime – as flexible scheduling is often called – is one of the most coveted perks that an employer can offer. Flextime makes happy, loyal employees.

Employees with flexible schedules are happy and productive.


In order to create a productive workplace, you'll have to start by improving your own efficiency. Break up blocks of time with micro breaks, prioritize your workflow and find ways to ignore your productivity-sapping phone. Then, once you've set the example, give your employees the flexibly in scheduling needed to perform at their peak.