If you want to boost your productivity, it's important to figure out what works and what doesn't work for you, so you can adopt habits that will stick with you in the long run. One strategy that has proven effective over time is work tracking, which means keeping track of the amount of time you spend on different tasks each day or week and using this information to create the right balance between your personal and professional priorities. Here are three ways work tracking can help you boost your productivity so you can reach your goals faster.
How Work Tracking Can Help You Boost Your Productivity
Get an overview with a To-Do List
While many workers know that they should have a to-do list, not everyone actually does it. After all, who wants to spend time sitting down and documenting what you need to do every day? But if you're really interested in boosting your productivity, try getting an overview of everything you need to accomplish for your week or month with a to-do list. The more complete and detailed your list is, the easier it will be for you to see exactly what needs your attention-and what doesn't.
Prioritise by Tasks/Projects
If you want to improve your productivity, it's helpful to look at your work tasks as projects. Make a list of everything that needs to be done, and prioritise those tasks by project. Create a schedule for when you will tackle each project, so that you can get ahead on some projects while finishing others. This will help keep you organised and focused throughout the week.
Create Milestones for your Goals
If you're reading some of these productivity books, I'm sure one of your goals is to improve your work habits and create healthy routines. There are two great ways to do that: one is to use a tool like Trello or another project management tool; another, is to write down everything you want to do in a day on paper or in an app like Todoist or Any.do. The first method is more visual, but it can be distracting. The second method requires more effort upfront (you have to think about what you need to do), but it forces you to focus on what matters most at any given time-and it will help prevent you from getting distracted by non-urgent tasks.
Track Active vs. Completed Tasks
When you're working on several tasks at once, it can be easy to lose track of what needs to be done. This is why effective time management requires task tracking tools like applications or spreadsheets that let you input active tasks and track your progress. These tools will allow you to stay on top of your work by keeping a log of each individual task and its status.
Use Templates
Rather than creating a to-do list, try using one of the many productivity templates that are freely available online. These tools can help you get started, and most can be accessed on your smartphone so you can use them no matter where you are or what you're doing. Consider using such options as apps or downloadable software to give yourself some extra flexibility and accessibility.
Get Organised - Get Things Done!
First of all, setting goals that you're excited about will help with motivation. Second, tracking your progress along each of those goals is a huge motivating factor in itself. We've said it before and we'll say it again: If you can visually see what you're working towards, it becomes a lot easier to stay motivated to reach your end goal.
