By Ronita M, Content Marketer, Venngage

Productive Task Lists

Creating a task list or simple mind map should be the number one priority for anyone who wants to be productive—whether they are engineers, marketers, IT staff, or writers.

There is a task matrix that works very well to improve productivity—a four-grid technique that keeps your workload organized and your deadlines manageable.

The matrix is divided into the following grids:

• Important and urgent
• Important, but not urgent
• Not important, but urgent
• Not important, or urgent

As you are given more tasks, you can slot them into the above grid as needed. Tasks that impact other people in your team and have a tight deadline go into the first grid.

You have a modicum of control over what goes into this section—unless there is a crisis, most tasks will be important but not urgent. 

However, if you put off doing the task too long, it can become urgent and cause you undue stress.

Tasks that don’t have an approaching deadline but can impact your development, your career, or the implementation of a program should go into the second grid.

Some tasks may need to be completed very quickly though the end result isn’t noticed till later—for instance, ordering parts for a completed project.

The project itself may have a deadline that occurs much later but orders need to be completed soon so that the project can take off. Such tasks should be entered in the third grid.

The fourth grid is for tasks that are low-impact and have no approaching deadline—you can take your time to complete these tasks, and they do not need to be a priority.

It’s important to note that tasks in the fourth grid can often be enjoyable—video tutorials about a new tool or reading up on the latest developments in your field.

But these aren’t a priority unless you are giving a presentation on them soon. If that is the case, you should move that task to a different grid.

We’ve spent a lot of time on this section but it’s extremely important that you organize your tasks using this above grid to ensure your productivity improves.

Take Breaks

Having a task list is necessary for organizing your day, but that doesn’t mean you keep plugging away at your work non-stop.

People tend to think that productivity improves by working long hours at one go but it has the opposite effect.

Instead, you should take short breaks—standing up, walking around the office, grabbing a snack, or talking about your project with a colleague are all ways to restimulate your mind.

By focusing entirely on work, you don’t give your mind any free time to process what you’re doing or to think of new ideas.

That is why breaks are necessary—they allow you to think of your work in different ways, which improves productivity and effectiveness.

Take short breaks whenever you feel mentally and physically fatigued.

Goals, not Hours

This applies to most workers—we think of the number of hours we put in as a way to track our productivity.

But spending 8 hours at work and accomplishing nothing is not productive—instead, if you complete a couple of tasks in two hours, that is a sign that you’re working smart.

Look at the task list we mentioned earlier—if you aim to complete tasks from that list, you will have improved your productivity, even if it didn’t take you all day.

Avoiding Distractions

Distractions can feel like breaks but they aren’t good for your productivity—they take you out of the working mindset, which means having to reset yourself to work better.

This is particularly true in the current environment when work involves juggling multiple projects—losing the thread of what you’re doing could massively impact your quality of work.

It’s best to stay away from social media or look at your favorite influencers’ posts while you’re working—you can scroll through it during your lunch break.

Unless you need to confer with a colleague on your project, limit interactions with people who can take your mind away from the problem at hand.

When you do take breaks, keep them mindful—take in some greenery around you and a breath of fresh air, but don’t engage too much outside of the working framework.  

Using the Right Tech

There are a number of banal and repetitive tasks that people need to do that end up taking too much time—doing these tasks can severely decrease productivity.

But there is a way to complete these essential tasks while still being productive—using the right tools.

There are a number of project management tools that can be used to automate processes and improve productivity.

Consider speaking to your team or higher management about ways to implement these tools to improve overall productivity.

Don’t Multitask

Most people are guilty of making this mistake because we have been led to believe that multitasking makes us more productive.

Unfortunately, if you’ve actually tried multitasking, you will have noticed that you can’t complete as many tasks.

What multitasking does is that it makes you focus on too many things at one time—so you don’t have the facility to achieve more. 

Instead, you end up getting confused about what activity pertains to which task, as well as which deadlines are closing in. It isn’t an effective system of working.

What you should do is focus on one task at a time—as much as possible—and complete it before working on another. That will improve your time management and productivity.

Summing Up

There are numerous moving parts to one’s job and being productive is often a challenge.

That is why we have shared the above productivity hacks—these pertain to most people in the working population, especially now when work is uncertain and complex.

By following the above hacks you can be a productive and efficient worker.