Productivity, or productive work, is a topic that has occupied mankind time and again at least since industrialization. Overtime or a high number of results are not synonymous with productivity. They stand for diligence and motivation. Productivity in the actual sense, on the other hand, describes the achievement of concrete results and values in a certain amount of time that are actually needed in their form. So what is the key to productivity? And why should each of us have the goal of increasing our productivity?

Reasons to increase your productivity

There are many reasons to want to increase your own productivity. Because people who work productively feel less stressed, achieve faster and better results, are more successful professionally and have a better work-life balance. The problem is that more and more people find it difficult to set priorities. This is not only the case at work, but often affects their entire lives. They then pay far too much attention to unimportant activities and lose sight of the really important aspects. Not infrequently, this ends in excessive time pressure, stress and possibly even burnout. Then there is the other type of person. The one we always ask ourselves how he “actually gets it all together“. Quite simply, he lives and works extremely productively. But what is actually the secret of productivity?

The key to productivity

The answer is paradoxical: less is more. Productive people have learned to say “no” and to concentrate on the really important tasks. As a result, they have more energy and more time for them and can get to work with more concentration. It’s actually a very simple strategy. The problem is that many people do not dare to say “no”, especially not to their boss or colleagues. And if they do, they often lack an eye for the essentials. How do you recognize which tasks are really important and which are not? The large mass of different working methods, systems, software, technical equipment and the noise in open-plan offices contribute more and more to the unproductivity of the German workforce. It is perfectly normal to lose track of things in this modern chaos. For more productivity, the workforce must be concentrated on fewer basic pillars. In everyday work, of course, this is usually easier said than done. We have therefore summarized concrete tips and various approaches to increasing productivity for you in the last chapter. If you want to finally be productive instead of just being busy all the time, be sure to check out FlowStateProductivity Coaching by Kristian Meier and Mischa Janiec.

What does productivity depend on?

First of all, however, we want to clarify which other factors influence productivity in the workplace. After all, it’s not just a person’s character or way of working that has a positive or negative effect on individual productivity. On the contrary, many environmental factors play into our everyday lives and we are helplessly at their mercy. After all, fighting against our natural biorhythms would more likely lead to illness than to higher productivity. It is better to become aware of the influencing factors and learn how to use them optimally:

• We are most productive in the morning, have the most energy and can concentrate best. Therefore, complete particularly important tasks in the morning or schedule important meetings only before the lunch break.
• Breaks are essential for productive work. Especially sleep breaks for five to ten minutes – yes at the workplace – are said to increase productivity in the long term and are beneficial to health and well-being.
• Energy does not come by chance. You must therefore eat enough food. This includes a hearty lunch, for example. This may make you tired in the short term, but it increases energy and concentration in the long term. The advantage: You also force yourself to take a lunch break, which is so important for body and mind.
• You can then overcome the midday slump with a coffee. This should be used strategically. If you drink a lot of coffee, your body quickly gets used to the caffeine and the desired effect does not occur. If you learn to drink coffee infrequently but in a targeted manner, you will be able to overcome productivity lulls more quickly in the future.

Of course, productive work has its ups and downs. There are also no precise statements about how long a person can work productively at a stretch. The various techniques for increasing productivity pursue very different concepts here. It is estimated that everyone is unproductive at work for at least two hours a day. Critics talk about much higher figures. No wonder, after all, there are numerous productivity killers that pose a real challenge in everyday work.

The 8 nastiest productivity killers:

• Constant accessibility
• Noise
• Distraction by emails or phone
• Unstructuredness
• too high workload
• private stress
• lack of breaks
• saying “yes” and not being able to delegate
• and much more

The list of productivity killers is long and also always depends on the person, the profession, the industry and the private situation. General “stress” is definitely at the top of the list. According to a study published by Statista, 58 percent of respondents stated that stress manifests itself in the form of concentration problems. Productive work is then no longer possible.

According to the DAK Health Report, around 20 percent of working people feel stressed, from blue-collar workers to civil servants. Added to this is the high increase in mental illnesses as a result of too much stress. Increasing productivity would be a good approach here as a preventive measure. For those affected at the latest, however, it is an indispensable factor for recovery.

3 approaches to increase productivity

1. the Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique divides the individual work steps into five-minute blocks. Simply take five minutes in which you can concentrate undisturbed on just one task. No phone, no e-mails! Then there’s a short break, maybe a quick chat with a colleague, and then you start the next five-minute block. Don’t think that will work? Then give it a try. You can get a lot more done in five minutes than you might think. And you certainly won’t stop in the middle of your work. So the five minutes can turn into ten, 20 or even 25 minutes. And the task is already done!

2. “Getting Things Done” – The GTD System

The GTD system was invented by David Allen and is simply intended to reduce the mass of tasks. It is based on seven different pillars:

• The To-Do List: As a classic among the tools, the to-do list brings order to the tasks and helps you first of all not to lose the overview. Because only if you know what you have to do, you can organize it sensibly.
• The Not-To-Do-List: In the GTD system, however, the classic to-do list is opposed by another one, the so-called “Not-To-Do List“. Record here all those tasks that you do not want to do today and in the future under any circumstances. This includes, for example, the tasks that your annoying colleague always shoves at you, or everything that you can delegate. Of course, you should not simply pass on all your work to others. It is about using your mind. What can the colleague do himself, where does he really need my help and what can the trainee do for me? You have to learn to say “no” once in a while, too!
• Project list: List all current projects and record the status of each. Here you can monitor the progress, divide the project into small sub-steps and put the tasks in the optimal order or distribute them among different employees. The smaller the tasks, the better the combination with the Pomodoro technique.
• A list of ideas: To increase productivity, you should always be interested in optimizing your current work process. Collect all your ideas and thoughts on an extra list. These can also be future projects or a simple thought. It is up to you to decide whether you really want to tackle these ideas later on or whether you want to discard them.
• The notebook: You should always have the notebook at hand. It can contain the lists mentioned or be kept separately. Because it is always available, it is ideal for documenting sudden questions, ideas or tasks. So you never have to worry about forgetting something important. Once you get used to the notebook, you will soon not want to work without it.
• The calendar: Also integrated in the notebook or nowadays more and more often digitally in the cell phone, you always have to carry your calendar with you. Since you already have all your tasks, ideas and lists sorted into lists in writing, you only need the calendar for your appointments. This way you can keep track of everything.
• Filing: Speaking of overview. Filing is an essential part of organization and its impact on productivity should not be underestimated. If you file your documents carefully, you will have them quickly at hand later and can work with them more productively. Have you already completed a task? Then quickly retrieve it from the filing cabinet instead of starting from scratch. After all, organization is the be-all and end-all of productive work.

3. the two-minute rule

The two-minute rule is also part of David Allen’s GTD system and is intended to illustrate another principle of productive work: Measure every task by whether or not you can complete it in two minutes. Yes? Then do it immediately. No? Then you have three different courses of action. The first is to simply throw it away. The second would be to delegate them to an employee. If that doesn’t work either, enter the task in the appropriate list.

Conclusion on productivity

The concepts for increasing productivity are good pointers for the future. In the end, however, you have to find the right system for yourself. For this you can combine different possibilities or find completely new ones for yourself. Some people rely on meditation, others on sports during their lunch break, and others on switching off their cell phones. But increasing productivity should be a permanent goal for all of us. After all, it makes everyday life easier, reduces stress and ensures a more balanced work-life balance. Become aware of where your productivity killers lie and learn to avoid them in the long term.