This post was updated on January 2, 2024.
One key for how to improve productivity is more simple than you think. And it doesn’t involve fancy gadgets, complex timekeeping, or an in-depth analysis. In fact, science proves your mother was right when she told you to get enough sleep, eat right, and go outside to play.
It may seem contradictory in our on-the-go culture, but one of the best ways to improve your productivity is not to speed up, but to slow down! Get enough sleep, nourishment, and fresh air.
The Impact Of Our Constantly Connected World
There’s a reason so many workers feel stressed, depressed, and burned out. The rise of technology is scattering our attention. While it may seem like being able to “work from anywhere at any time” is a benefit, it can actually be a disadvantage to our productivity. When employees are always on the lookout for incoming work, it’s much harder for them to disconnect and recharge.
Blending work and leisure keeps us constantly engaged—and not in a good way. Research shows this leads to decreased productivity, as well as physical and mental health issues.
3 Strategies To Improve Productivity
In our tech-driven culture, many of us are always searching for the latest and greatest way to increase both personal and team performance. But it’s actually more beneficial to go back to basics. If you want to know how to improve productivity, these three simple tips can help:
1) Nap at work
If you think that naps should stay in preschool, think again. Science shows that creativity and innovation come from rest and play. One of the best ways to rest is to take a quick nap.
Lack of sleep has become so prevalent in the US that the CDC has described sleep deprivation as a “public health epidemic.” Many studies show that sleep deprivation affects our performance, resulting in:
- Impaired judgment
- Difficulty solving problems
- Reduced ability to execute plans.
Even further, employees’ poor sleep habits may be costing companies significantly by increasing employee absences, health care costs, and accidents and injuries.
Many successful companies have taken this information to heart by offering nap rooms (HubSpot, Zappos, Nike) and “energy pods” (Google, Huffington Post/AOL) as a way to combat sleep-deprived employees.
Exhausted team members are more easily distracted and less able to focus on achieving their most significant tasks. This decreases productivity and hurts the bottom line.
That’s why I advocate for normalizing cat naps at work. A quick snooze can power up brains. Then your team members will be able to unleash their genius in service of attaining your company’s most significant results. Even without actual sleep, just resting provides almost the same benefits.
2) Fuel yourself and your team with healthy snacks
Another easy “how-to-improve-productivity” tip is to eat the right foods. Company meetings are often stocked with high-sugar, high-carbohydrate food, which is setting up employees for an inevitable energy crash.
Sugary foods and drinks may seem like they give us an energy boost, but they actually give us only short-term results. This not only damages employee long-term health, but contributes to distraction and impedes performance during the day.
An NIH study shows, not surprisingly, that a high-sugar diet, along with other poor dietary habits, also contributes to other issues affecting our overall health. And other studies have linked poor health habits with lack of employee productivity, which then leads to business losses.
If you offer snacks at work (which I encourage), feed your employees so their brains can operate at peak proficiency. Swap out pastries and bagels for protein-based foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead of stocking meeting rooms with sodas and energy drinks, be sure to provide plenty of filtered water for hydration. If you want to provide options, have a few flavored water drinks and natural, unsweetened teas on-hand.
3) Disconnect after-hours and on vacation
It’s a common misconception that if you put in more hours, you’ll be more productive. But if you want to know how to improve productivity, the key is to disconnect, and this often means putting in fewer hours at work rather than more. In fact, putting in more hours frequently means a decrease in your productivity!
Carrying work into the evening can be equally as damaging, affecting our sleep and making us less productive the following day.
To refresh your mind, though, requires more than just disconnecting from email in the evenings and on weekends. You also should consider fully disconnecting from work while on vacation.
Taking vacation time isn’t simply a company perk—it’s actually a key element for how to improve productivity. Research shows that employees are taking less vacation time, essentially volunteering to be overworked. This “work martyr” mindset only decreases productivity, propelling employees into a downward spiral of constant danger of burnout.
Taking vacation time and disconnecting from work on nights and weekends are important pieces in the personal productivity puzzle.
Smart Self-Care is the Path for How to Improve Productivity
If you want to improve productivity for yourself and your employees, it’s important to take care of your mind and body. This means ignoring the perception that we always need to be in contact with work and, instead, giving our bodies what they need: healthy food, good rest, and space for our brains to refresh. For more ideas on how to energize your team, read my book, Everyone Wants To Work Here.
