Wondering how to leave work by 5 or 6 p.m every night? Read this! We have some clever productivity hacks that will help you leave work on time (or even early)!
A work-life balance is not some elusive concept or unattainable goal. Some people may think it’s an impossible thing to achieve, but others learn how to master it every single day.
And that’s because those people have mastered something else in the meantime:
They know how to be productive.
Having a better work-life balance means leaving the office at a decent hour and getting home to enjoy time with your family and loved ones. Ready to make that happen?
Here are seven productivity hacks to ensure that you leave the office by 6 p.m:
- Make a Realistic To-Do List
There’s something almost euphoric about crossing a completed task off your to-do list. And seeing things crossed off is also great motivation for moving onto the next task.
So the next time you create a to-do list, make it a realistic one.
Don’t write an absurdly long list full of things that you’ll never be able to do. Instead, focus on the most important tasks that you actually think you’ll be able to get done. Then you can revel in crossing them off one at a time throughout the day!
- Do Important Tasks Early in the Day
Most people are more focused in the morning, so it’s usually best to do your most important projects at the start of the day when you first arrive in the office.
You have to be prepared for the unexpected. If a crisis arises in the middle of the day, your afternoon plans may get derailed as you spend time handling unforeseen issues.
If you reserve the afternoon for tackling your most important projects, there’s a chance you’ll never get to them.
Getting things done early in the day has an added benefit:
You’ll FEEL more productive knowing that the big things are out of the way. And that feeling can carry over into the afternoon, when you can bang out little tasks or get started on projects that aren’t even due yet!
- Stop Checking Your Email Every Five Minutes
Do you stop what you’re doing every time a new email appears in your inbox? Changing this one habit can instantly make you more productive (and help you get out of the office on time every evening).
Checking email is a huge distraction and, honestly, an enormous waste of time. It will interrupt whatever you’re working on and can take your focus off the more important task at hand.
Instead of checking email throughout the day, set aside a few blocks of time to read and respond to emails. Do it once in the morning when you arrive at your desk, once around lunchtime, and once in the afternoon, about an hour or so before you leave for the day.
- Do Similar Tasks at the Same Time
It’s also helpful to set aside blocks of time to do similar tasks, such as returning phone calls, responding to emails, or reading memos and reports. You’ll be able to accomplish more if you do similar tasks back to back in one large block of time.
Why?
Because jumping from one task to another means you’ll have to keep shifting your attention.
Rather than continuously shifting gears and jumping from task to task, focus on one type of task. You’ll get into a groove and accomplish far more in the same amount of time.
- Work by a Window
It’s a lot easier to be productive when you have energy.
So whenever possible, work near a window. HYPERLINK “https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight”Sunlight boosts serotonin, which increases happiness, boosts your mood, and stimulates productivity. Fluorescent overhead lights just don’t have the same effect.
If your office has open workspaces, try to get there a little bit early to grab a spot near the window, especially on sunny days.
- Create Templates
If you’re not using templates throughout your workday, you’re wasting time.
Regardless of what job you do, we all have memos, projects, documents, and reports that we prepare the same way every time we do them. And if you’re starting from scratch each time, you’re wasting precious minutes.
Take some time to create templates so that the next time you have to prepare a document or a spreadsheet, you already have the basic outline. Think about what goes into each document and set up a blank template with the headings and the formats that never change.
You can even set up templates for email responses. Just create one professional, clear-cut response and save it as a draft in your inbox. The next time you have to send out a standardized response, all you’ll have to do is copy and paste it into a new email.
- Take Breaks
Being more productive doesn’t necessarily mean working harder or longer — it means working smarter. And you’ll work at peak levels when your brain is focused and rested.
That’s where breaks come in.
We’re not suggesting that you take a two-hour lunch break (unless, of course, you’re trying to get fired). But we do suggest taking a few ten-minute breaks throughout the day.
A short break can refresh your brain so that you’ll be able to focus better on the next task. After a break, you’re more likely to complete tasks faster, and that’s because even a short time-out can give your brain the rest it needs.
Take a ten-minute break every hour or so, or reward yourself with one each time you cross a task off your to-do list.
Giving your brain a chance to rest is the best way to make it work at peak performance levels.
In Summary
Want to leave the office by 6 p.m every day? Follow these steps to becoming more productive, and you’ll be able to do exactly that:
- Make a realistic to-do list.
- Knock important tasks out of the way in the morning.
- Check your email sparingly.
- Do similar tasks back to back.
- Work by a window to get a boost of sunlight and serotonin.
- Create templates to simplify document and spreadsheet generation.
- Take breaks to refresh and refuel your brain.
Start small by putting one or two of these tips into practice. If you can start forming some strong, productive work habits, your work-life balance will surely get a whole lot better.
Author Bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Property Manager at Jefferson Pacific Beach. She has a passion for her community and enjoys making Jefferson Pacific Beach a great place to call home.
