“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning,” said American writer Mark Twain, possibly making him history’s first ever productivity expert. Getting your least tempting tasks out of the way as early in the day as possible is good advice, whichever era you’re living in.
But since this quote was coined, the internet has made productivity a lot more complicated, both helping and hindering us from getting jobs done. If you’re prone to distractions, you might see the challenge of becoming more productive as a mountain to climb, but with just a few small tweaks – productivity molehills, if you will – you can give workday efficiency a real boost.
We asked Claire Darley, SVP, Worldwide Field Sales and Customer Support, Digital Media at Adobe, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the technology industry, for her top five tips to help you get more done.
Identify when you’re overthinking
You might see yourself as a classic procrastinator, but putting off tasks is often a sign that you’re simply overthinking. Creating a plan before you leap in is an important part of any project – but if you’re becoming mired in anxiety and second-guessing your decisions, it’s a rut that’s hard to get out of.
“I’ve identified a few ways to combat overthinking when it comes to big tasks,” says Darley.
“These include reminding yourself of the ‘why’ – asking yourself why you’re tackling this job, and what outcomes you want to see. Next, break down the tasks into chunks, start small and scale fast. And finally, make sure you celebrate and communicate your wins along the way.”
Being proactive and taking that first step towards your goal can be all it takes to break you out of that deadlock – “So start with a big breath, and remind yourself that you’ve got this!”
If you’re still struggling to get started, try doing just a few minutes of work on it. Dr Alice Boyes, author of Stress-free Productivity, writes that spending just 10 minutes on a task, and then picking it up again the next day, can help people to get going.
Find a fresh way of tackling your to-do list
Many of us have got into the habit of methodically ticking off our to-do list, maintaining our focus by working on one job at a time. But Darley says an alternative approach helps her keep the momentum going.
“People work in different ways – some like to do one task at a time and start with the most difficult, but personally, I like to start multiple things at the same time,” she says. “That means everything gets started rather than sitting on my to-do list, and I can flit between projects, giving me a change of perspective.”
When writing your to-do list, make sure it’s realistic – limit it to a maximum of 10 actions to keep it achievable.
Find the right tools for the job
The rise of hybrid working means seamless collaboration across teams is more critical than ever, says Darley. For small business owners, who often have to juggle many different jobs, a multi-tasker tool such as Adobe Acrobat can help get jobs done faster, with less stress.
“Small business owners often wear multiple hats, without being an expert in everything,” says Darley. “Millions of them rely on Adobe Acrobat to simplify their document work, such as creating, reviewing, scanning, converting, e-signing and editing PDFs. It’s a bit like a Swiss army knife, featuring all the tools you need.
“With Acrobat online, some actions, including protecting a PDF, converting a file to a PDF, and merging multiple PDFs are easy to get done, and free to use. There are no installations or app downloads – you just drag, drop, and you’re done.”
Set boundaries
When message notifications, colleagues and your personal priorities are all fighting for your attention, it can be hard to get things done, but setting clear boundaries can help you focus on one job at a time.
Try using tricks such as turning off notifications, installing an internet blocker and setting aside a specific time of day to tackle emails (and keeping your responses concise). Diarising time you want to spend on a project, so colleagues know you mustn’t be interrupted, can also help. “I even like to schedule breaks into my diary, as they give me the space to think and be creative,” says Darley.
For some people, setting an automatic out-of-office response telling the emailer when they can expect a reply can be helpful, removing the pressure of feeling as if you need to reply immediately.
Speed up your life
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could hit the fast-forward button on those tasks that seem to drag?
Cutting down the time it takes to do routine jobs can achieve the same effect. For example, learning to speed-read might sound like an unusual productivity tip – but it works.
Other small changes you could try include setting your mouse to scroll faster, using a password manager, creating email filters and setting up keyboard shortcuts.
Developing ways to work quickly as a team also helps. “I like to work with online documents and have people see what I’m creating, and vice versa,” says Darley. “Capabilities like Share for Review in Acrobat, or commenting in Microsoft SharePoint, help me stay on top of progress and solve problems in real time.”
To find out how you can simplify the way you work and communicate through documents with Adobe Acrobat, visit: adobe.com/uk/acrobat