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5 tips to MAXIMISE productivity at work
Instead of wasting precious time reading and replying to emails all day, sticking to a to-do list can go a long way in helping you sort, prioritise and finish things on time.
We all want to work less and enjoy our time more.
Well, with a little help from us, you can!
Finding ways to maximise your productivity means that you will have time to do the things you really want to do.
After all, all work and no play makes you a very dull person.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
Courtesy:YouthIncMag.com 
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1. The 80/20 principle
The 80/20 principle helps you to maximise your productive time by finding out what you are most efficient at doing.
This means you need to figure out the areas in which you can accomplish 80 per cent of your goals in 20 per cent of the time it would take another person.
We all develop specialised skill sets over the years that allows us to do some things more easily than others.
Whether they be in repetitive work or brainstorming for a new ad campaign, there are some skills that make us exceptionally good at our work.
So find your 20 per cent work niche and try to maximise the time you spend doing this kind of work.
Then you can explore your other interests and hobbies at leisure.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
2. Keep your mind and body active
Create a mental gym for yourself where you can 'work out' every day.
Your mind needs a workout as much as your body does.
Using things like stimulating debates and conversations, readings on politics and social change, literary classics and even brain-training games, take the time to work out your mind.
Keep certain activities or games on hand for times when you start to feel dull and sluggish.
Keeping your mind awake and alert will help to tone your efficiency at doing certain tasks, improve your reaction times, improve your memory and problem-solving skills and improve your concentration as well.
Moreover, they will help to keep your mind healthy.
For best results, you also have to look after your body by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
3. Take time out
More important than spending time to train your mind to be faster at certain activities is making relaxation an essential part of your day.
Find time, sometimes in the middle of your work day, to close your eyes and just blank out.
We have so many unnecessary thoughts clouding up our minds, it's necessary to work consciously at prioritising the ones that matter.
This will also help you manage your thoughts and return to the frenzied concentration of your job with more clarity and increased productivity.
Also, balance your work in such a way that you and keep you going.
Inspiration is the root of all productivity after all!
Illustration: Dominic Xavier
4. Organise your e-mails
Is e-mail the bane of your existence?
Most office workers spend vast amounts of their day just reading emails and replying to them.
This is not productive work, although it may seem like it. Moreover, the interruption often eats away at your concentration.
The most productive people across the world switch off their email notifications for the majority of the day and only check it at designated points of time -- often once in the morning and once at night.
If you are spend hours of the day just going through your inbox, then consider adopting a more efficient way of tackling this time-consuming distraction so that you can be more productive at your work.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
5. The Not-To-Do list
A lot of people find it difficult to identify the areas where their input is not crucial.
One of the easiest ways to increase your productivity is to make a not-to-do list.
List the things that waste the most amount of time in the day – from managing your schedule and arranging meetings to communicating work tasks to the rest of your team.
Delegate these tasks wherever possible and find more efficient ways to complete the work that you are already doing.
The more people succeed, the more they attract additional responsibilities. But there is only so much energy and time you have in a day.
Your not-to-do list should include all tasks that are not part of your job description.
Once you remove these unnecessary tasks from your day, you will be surprised at the amount of free time you have to yourself.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh