How to Increase Productivity

As an apprentice you are juggling multiple tasks at once. From going to work 9-5, attending university/ college, completing your assignments, recording your off the job and CPD and spending time with friends and family. To ensure that you have enough time for each of these tasks and yourself you must make sure you are being productive with your time.

If tasks are being left to the last minute and you are constantly rushing to complete things it can increase your levels of stress negatively impacting your mental health. When you are using your time ineffectively you will be constantly thinking about the work that you need to complete or completing the tasks, there will not be much time for you to relax and take time for yourself. By having some time to unwind and decompress after a day a work or completing assignments, you will be able to replenish the energy you have used, this prevents burnout which will inevitably cause more unproductive working.

To start being productive you need to analyse what time you have available to conduct your tasks. By making a realistic schedule in a calendar you will be able to visually see how your time is used each day. By blocking out the time you are taking to do mandatory tasks, such as going to work, university and travelling there, you can see how much time you have left in a typical week to spend on additional tasks, allowing you to set clear and achievable goals.

Many apprentices struggle to regularly record their off the job training and CPD, to ensure that you are keeping on top of the activities that you have done, set aside 1-2 hours a week to record these items and an hour to complete any CPD activities which align with your professional institutions recommendations. To schedule your tasks at work and assignments at university, inquire to find the deadline and then add a buffer to this date so that if the task takes longer than you expected you will not deliver it late.

Find a similar prior task that you have competed before and analysis whether the task at hand would take long to complete due to the brief and your knowledge of the topic. If need be, increase the time available for you to complete the task so that you can conduct adequate research and can take your time completing the task. From this you can determine when you can start this task, this depends on the other tasks and activities that you are concurrently completing, including time to relax and spend time away from work related tasks.

Now the rough schedule for your tasks and activities have been completed to make sure you are able to stick to the plan and use the time efficiently you must apply strategies to improve your productivity.

• Break down your tasks into smaller manageable tasks – having to complete one big task can seen overwhelmingly and can put you off completing it. By breaking down this task into the steps you need to take to complete it and assigning time to each task it will make the activity seem manageable.

• Make a checklist to track your progress – by having a checklist where you can tick off each step when you have completed, it will show yourself that you are making progress on the task giving you a sense of achievement, motivating you to continue.

• Ask for feedback once you have completed the task – With feedback you will be able to refine your skills and efficiency by seeing what you can improve on and by colleagues and lecturers giving you methods on the ways you can improve.

• Make detailed notes during meetings, lectures and when given instructions – by having detailed notes you will be able to attack a task head on as you will fully understand it and you will not have to ask lots of further questions which will assume time.

• Eliminate distractions – by putting your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ or putting it in another room will prevent you from being by notifications or social media. Working in a quiet room or alone will also prevent people from talking to you and taking your focus away from the task you are trying to complete.

• Keep your documents organised – by being able to access your documents and files easily you will save the time that you could have used searching for lost documents.

• Take regular breaks – to recharge your brain and prevent burn out use the 90 minute method, this is working for 90 minutes then taking a 15- 20 minute break or you can trial the Pomodoro Technique where you work for 25 minutes then have a 5 minute break and after 4 cycles you take a 15-30 minute break. For lunch take a 30–60-minute break so that you can take time eating and separate yourself from your work for a suitable time period. During breaks make sure you are going on walks and are moving your body to change your scenery and recharge.

• Keep yourself accountable – if you want to improve your productivity you have to implement these methods and try to make a change. If you are struggling with a certain aspect, do not ignore it reflect and decide what you can do to improve.