We all know that productivity at work is a big thing and that if you want to get everything you need to do done in the time you have, you need to use specific time management methods. One of those methods is prioritising your workload.

Despite that, outside influences can easily interfere with your plan to be productive, causing you to experience highs and lows of concentration, distractions, and a basically very unproductive picture indeed!

Did you know that making a few lifestyle changes might actually be able to make you more productive at your office desks?

It’s true!

The main ones are:

• Ensuring you have a healthy diet
• Increasing the amount of exercise you get
• Ensuring you get a good night’s sleep
• Tackling stress

Let’s explore each one in turn. 

A Healthy Diet

Making sure you get a healthy and balanced diet can ensure your overall health and wellbeing, but it can also make it far easier to concentrate. For example, if you snack on high sugar items, you’re going to experience sugar highs and lows. As a result, one minute you’ll be super productive, enjoying the sugar high immediately after your snack, and then bam! Your sugar levels crash and you can’t focus on anything. 

It’s far better to stick to healthy snacks, such as fruits and nuts, and avoid the chocolate bars you might love so much!

Getting the right vitamins and minerals in your diet will help you to concentrate solidly throughout the day, but it’s just as important to have plenty of breaks too. You could use these breaks to walk to the water fountain and rehydrate your body - water helps you to focus at your office chairs too! 

Exercise 

Exercise increases the amount of oxygen which arrives in your brain, helping you to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. Stand height tables are a good way to get a boost of exercise whilst working, as the sitting and then standing motion is classed a mild exercise. 

Make sure you get up and walk around regularly and on your break times, why not head outside for a breath of fresh air and a brisk walk around the block? By doing this, you’re contributing to your health and wellbeing, whilst also ensuring that you’ll be fresh and ready to focus when you get back to your desk. 

Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is vital on so many levels. Have you ever tried to concentrate around the modern boardroom tables whilst tired from a poor night’s sleep the evening before? It’s borderline impossible, but very difficult at best! Ensuring you get a good, solid night of sleep is very important, but so many people struggle with it. On average, you should aim for between 7 to 8 hours sleep as an adult, but everyone has a ‘happy level’ of sleep which works for them. 

Check out this infographic which highlights the many benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. 

Source - http://www.top5best.net/benefits-of-sleep-infographic/

Stress

The final point is to make sure that you’re battling stress as much as possible. Everyone experiences a small amount fo stress from time to time but when this is prolonged or severe, it can be extremely damaging. It’s also not going to help you concentrate. 

Instead, focus on stress management techniques, such as exercise, talking, identifying the stressor, avoiding negative coping mechanisms and asking for help. You should also seek out calming places to work, such as booths, to help you focus and get your work done. 

If any of these lifestyle issues affect you, e.g. you have a poor diet or you find stress an issue, then focusing on improving that particular part of your life could have major advantages for your productivity levels at work. 

Give it a try and see how effective it can be!