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Sometimes we will be working all the hours we can but just don’t seem to be getting to where we want to be. Days and weeks can pass by with little to show for them. Take a look at these tips for boosting your productivity and see if they can help you to achieve more. • Banish unnecessary tasks. Ask yourself does this task need to be done, can it be done in a different way or can somebody else do it for me? By reducing your focus on these you will free up more time to focus on the critical tasks. • Set yourself a goal – for every hour, day or week –however suits you and your project. By breaking projects down in to stages you have more chance of keeping on track and seeing the progression along the project path. • Get the worst tasks out of the way first. Getting the worst tasks off your to do list will create a sense of relief and spur you on to tackle the remaining items on the list. • Time out – give yourself time away from distractions to get jobs done. Whether it is an hour in the day you turn off your phone or work from a new location, it gives to the focus to make things happen. •Plan your day ahead – if you need to make a number of phone calls plan an hour or so to focus on them rather than having them interrupt your day. By lumping similar tasks together you create a smoother work flow and will achieve more in a smaller space of time. • Find your most productive hours. Are you an early bird or night owl? By knowing when you are most likely to get in the zone you can plan to work those hours and let yourself have a breather during hours you find yourself getting distracted. Long days are draining, but shorter sessions at the right times can get just as much done. • Plan meetings to stick on task. By creating an agenda for your meetings you can make sure the conversation stays on track, therefore minimising the risk meetings with no outcome or duplicating meetings. • Know your deadlines and stick to them. Self-imposed deadlines can be a great way to keep you momentum going but you must be strict with yourself and stick to them. Regardless of what the real deadline is, by giving yourself a definite deadline you avoid having projects hanging over you – which can be a cause of ongoing stress. This also prevents you from over procrastinating about a job in hand and gets the task done. Ticking off items gives you focus on the next stage and avoids the problem of everything needing to be done at the same time further in to the project. • Focus on the job in hand. Don’t let distractions leave you with a job undone, jot down any items or messages you get and dedicate time to them once the job in hand is done. Return