The world now moves at a more rapid pace than ever before, meaning we all feel the pressure to be as productive as possible on a daily basis. This need for productivity is often strongest in the workplace, where employees and employers are keen for a boost in how fast and effectively everyone is working.

However, there are many reasons why you may find yourself not being as productive as usual. Many of them you may not even realize are having an impact on you. So, here are 4 factors that could be affecting your productivity at work.

Procrastination

Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing an important task and is the arch-enemy of productivity. We have all been there when we spend more time thinking or worrying about a task than we do working to get the task done. Overthinking can be a difficult factor to overcome, but it could be seriously affecting how productive you are.

While we still urge you to take your time and think tasks and projects through, it is important that you focus your thoughts on relevant aspects of the task in hand, and don’t allow your mind to drift off to other subjects.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

It is crucial for our overall health and wellbeing that we get enough sleep at night so that our bodies are rested and recuperated ready for the day ahead each morning. Therefore, if you are not getting the sleep you need, then this could be why you are not as productive at work.

There could be many reasons why you aren’t sleeping well, from having things on your mind that are troubling you throughout the night, or because you are suffering from aches and pains that prevent you from drifting off to sleep. For example, if you are experiencing backache, then we recommend you invest in a good mattress for back pain that provides you with the support you need to help you get a deeper and more restful night’s sleep.

Working Too Much

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to boost your productivity and bring it out of a slump is to try and force yourself to work more. Remember that you can only do so much at one time and trying to take on too much can be counterproductive. Therefore, we recommend that you stick to one task at a time and avoid attempting to multi-task when trying to boost your productivity at work. Do not be afraid to say you have too much on your workload and be prepared to delegate tasks to others.

Social Media Distractions

One of the biggest distractions of modern life comes from social media. From lying in bed late at night scrolling through Facebook when we should be sleeping, to not focus on a task at work because we want to check our Instagram feed, social media has a lot to answer for when it comes to a lack of productivity.

Therefore, we recommend that you help yourself stay focused by turning off your phone during working hours. This may be tricky for those of you who work on your smart devices, but you can mute notifications and delete the apps that you find are more distracting. You will be surprised at the difference a social media break will make to how productive you can be without those modern-day distractions. 

Getting out of a productivity slump is not easy and you can become very frustrated when focusing seems impossible. However, by taking on some of our tips and advice, you should see an improvement in your performance at work.