It can be easy to lose sight of the end goal in the helter-skelter world of finance, as you are bogged down in interminable meetings, email overload and organisational bureaucracy. While meeting your obligation to drive business efficiencies, your personal productivity may take a hit. Here are five productivity hacks to help streamline your own processes.
Manage your email
Most people waste at least an hour every single day managing their emails without ever doing away with the backlog. Many of these emails offer little or no real value. Investing in email management can save you a lot of valuable work time and enhance your productivity. An email client like Outlook has a wealth of shortcuts and learning some of these is well worth the effort. Also try to create templates and single-key operations to take care of routine messaging and queries.
Adhere to the "two minute" rule
When looking down your list of priorities, try to build some momentum by tackling the formalities and easy tasks first. Productivity experts generally agree that if a task takes less than two minutes to complete, you should finish it immediately. Don't let unfinished tasks clutter your to-do list and cross off those pesky little items before they begin to grate.
Fill up the gaps in your schedule
You may find that you have a lot of "dead" time on your daily commute, flight or in-between meetings that you could be using to your advantage. Even if you are driving, you can schedule calls or listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Keeping abreast of the latest industry news will help you get the edge on your peers and it won't cost you anything in term of time or effort.
Lift team morale
Nothing stymies productivity quite like a negative working environment and cynical employees. Ensure that your team is motivated to do their best by allocating time to spend with them away from the daily slog. This could entail going out for lunch to brainstorm or a team-building exercise in the bush. It doesn't always have to be off-site: creating themed office occasions can also increase energy in the workplace.
Organise your workspace
Sure, Albert Einstein worked in a whirlwind of sheer chaos, but that doesn't mean you should. Maintain a tidy workspace, you'll become more efficient and productive as you'll be able to locate important items quicker, avoid working around endless clutter, remember important tasks, and focus on your workplace goals easier. By focusing on the essential, you'll also give your space a more professional demeanour.