Voyage Tech Blogs

Voyage Technology has been serving the Beaver Dam area since 1999, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Tip of the Week: 4 Brilliant Ways to Get More Work Done

b2ap3_thumbnail_productivity_tips_400.jpgThere are some workdays where distractions are abound and you can’t even remember what you’re supposed to be doing. In trying times like these, you need all the help you can get, just to stay focused and on task. Here are four simple adjustments to your work routine that have been proven to do wonders to increase productivity.

Organize Your Digital Desktop and Files
Everybody knows that a cluttered desk isn’t conducive to productivity, but did you know that the same logic applies to your PC’s desktop? It turns out that if your digital desktop is cluttered with so many random icons that it becomes difficult to navigate, then this will hinder your focus and distract you from being productive. Thankfully, organizing your digital desktop is easy to do--much easier than cleaning your real desk. The trick is to delete unnecessary files and organize important files into folders. Keep this up until you can actually see your desktop image.

While you’re at it, go ahead and change your desktop image to something that’s calm and colorful. Surrounding yourself with images like this has been proven to boost memory retention and employee engagement.

The same goes for organizing your email and to-do lists. If you take the time to structure everything in a way that makes sense to you, whether it be by priority or category, you’ll spend less time rummaging through messages and tasks.

Make Bad Habits Hard to Do
Do you have the willpower to resist finishing off a box of doughnuts sitting on your desk? Admittedly, most of us here at Voyage Technology consider this an exercise in willpower. But what if the tempting doughnuts were located at the opposite end of your office building? That would make these delicious treats a lot less tempting, and thus, a lot less distracting to your productivity.

You can actually apply this idea to anything that you deem to be distracting. By making the distraction harder to access, you’ll effectively minimize its grasp over your willpower. In addition to doing this with physical objects like doughnuts and mobile devices, you can also use a content filtering solution to make distracting websites difficult to access. Voyage Technology can show you how to do this.

Make Delayed Gratification Work for You
When you’re in a bit of a funk and not particularly motivated to get work done, then the littlest thing can be very distracting, like checking social media, grabbing a snack, or listening in on a coworker’s nearby conversation. What’s worse, did you know that once your focus gets pulled away from a project, it can take five-to-fifteen minutes just to regain your full attention?

If you’re able to delay these distracting pleasures until a designated time, and then fully immerse yourself in what you’re craving as a reward, you’ll be making delayed gratification work for you. This will work wonders to improve your productivity. For example, instead of getting distracted for two minutes by a new movie trailer that just dropped, try bookmarking the tab for later and then powering through your project until you reach an appropriate time for a break. When you get to your break, you can then watch the trailer, as well as read all of the comments and reviews, which is a much more satisfying way to consume such content.

“Do What Takes Two”
One big productivity killer can be the little tasks that are randomly asked of you throughout the day, like emails or phone calls. In order to keep these distractions from overwhelming your workday, it’s recommended that you knock out any task that takes less than two minutes as soon as it hits your plate. InformationWeek explains this logic:

The problem is that later never comes at the perfect time. There will always be more pressing responsibilities at hand, and those smaller tasks will continue to accumulate throughout the day. Once-minor errands become a source of stress as they sit on your to-do list... [“Do what takes two” is] an easy way to eliminate unnecessary stress, especially because these simple tasks will take up so little time.

These productivity tips are simple and super easy to implement, yet they have the potential to revolutionize your workday, especially when you’re not “feeling it.” What are some of your favorite ways to stay on task and minimize the distractions in your workplace? Share them with us in the comments!

 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Saturday, 02 August 2025

Captcha Image

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Mobile? Grab this Article!

Qr Code

Tag Cloud

Security Technology Tip of the Week Best Practices Business Computing Data Productivity Business Software Innovation Hackers Cloud Network Security Efficiency User Tips Hardware Internet IT Support Malware Privacy Google Email Computer Phishing Workplace Tips IT Services Hosted Solutions Collaboration Users Mobile Device Ransomware Workplace Strategy Small Business Quick Tips Microsoft Backup Cybersecurity Passwords Communication Data Backup Saving Money Smartphone Managed Service Android VoIP Business Management Smartphones Upgrade communications Mobile Devices Disaster Recovery Data Recovery Social Media Productivity Browser Windows Managed IT Services Microsoft Office Current Events AI Tech Term Network Remote Internet of Things Automation Artificial Intelligence Facebook Covid-19 Cloud Computing Gadgets Holiday Server Managed Service Provider Information Remote Work Miscellaneous Training Outsourced IT Compliance Encryption Employee/Employer Relationship Spam Windows 10 Office Business Continuity Data Management Government Business Technology IT Support Bandwidth Windows 10 Blockchain Virtualization Wi-Fi Two-factor Authentication Mobile Office Data Security Vendor Apps Managed Services Voice over Internet Protocol Chrome Budget Mobile Device Management Apple Networking Gmail App BYOD Employer-Employee Relationship Access Control Hacker Office 365 Conferencing Tip of the week Avoiding Downtime Marketing How To BDR HIPAA WiFi Applications Computing Information Technology Health Computers Analytics Office Tips Augmented Reality Healthcare Website Retail Storage Password Bring Your Own Device Managed IT Services Router Big Data Operating System Virtual Private Network Risk Management Help Desk Customer Service Paperless Office Infrastructure Excel Remote Workers Document Management Telephone Scam Cooperation Free Resource Project Management Data loss Windows 7 Firewall Microsoft 365 The Internet of Things Going Green Patch Management Solutions Save Money Remote Monitoring Vulnerability End of Support Social Vendor Management Cybercrime Physical Security Windows 11 Display Monitoring Printer 2FA Video Conferencing Virtual Desktop Data storage Managed Services Provider Hacking LiFi Professional Services Saving Time Virtual Machines Presentation Outlook Managed IT Service Machine Learning Wireless Technology Money Humor Downloads iPhone Licensing Maintenance Antivirus Vulnerabilities Word Sports Entertainment Mouse Data Privacy Images 101 Administration Telephone System Multi-Factor Authentication Mobility Cost Management Safety Robot Settings Employees Printing Integration Wireless Content Filtering User Tip Modem IT Management VPN Mobile Security YouTube Meetings Processor Holidays Cryptocurrency Customer Relationship Management Data Storage Computer Repair Smart Technology Supply Chain Addiction Google Wallet Language Employer/Employee Relationships Outsourcing Monitors Management PCI DSS Chatbots Navigation Distributed Denial of Service Workplace Laptop Websites Gig Economy Screen Reader Windows 8 Service Level Agreement Internet Service Provider Drones Computing Infrastructure Teamwork Hiring/Firing User Regulations Compliance SharePoint Identity Evernote Paperless Electronic Medical Records Co-managed IT Halloween Bookmark Smart Tech Memes Download Net Neutrality IP Address Lenovo Alerts SQL Server Technology Care Writing Virtual Reality Financial Data History Business Communications Hacks Server Management Break Fix Scams Scary Stories Private Cloud Browsers Smartwatch Connectivity IT Upload Procurement Superfish Azure Hybrid Work Recovery Identity Theft Fun Twitter Social Network Telework Cyber security Hard Drives Deep Learning Multi-Factor Security Tech Human Resources Dark Web Cables Error CES IoT Communitications Domains Trends Supply Chain Management Education Social Engineering Remote Computing Customer Resource management FinTech Regulations Refrigeration Google Calendar Term Google Apps Mobile Computing Microsoft Excel IT Maintenance Data Analysis Star Wars IT Assessment Public Speaking Gamification Flexibility Lithium-ion battery Staff Value Business Intelligence Tablet Search Alert Organization Social Networking Best Practice Legislation Shortcuts Entrepreneur Managed IT Ransmoware Buisness File Sharing Dark Data Fileless Malware Digital Security Cameras Smart Devices Content Remote Working Legal Wearable Technology Memory Vendors IT solutions How To Notifications Health IT Motherboard Data Breach Undo Business Growth Comparison Google Play Be Proactive Assessment Electronic Health Records Permissions Workforce Travel Directions Videos Techology Wasting Time Threats Google Maps Cortana Specifications Security Cameras Workplace Strategies Trend Micro Alt Codes Internet Exlporer Software as a Service Fraud Meta Downtime Unified Threat Management Microchip Username Unified Threat Management Managing Costs Amazon Application Hosted Solution Black Friday SSID eCommerce Typing Database Surveillance IBM Virtual Assistant Outsource IT Network Congestion Google Drive User Error IT Technicians Virtual Machine Environment Media Knowledge Cyber Monday Medical IT Proxy Server Reviews Cookies Tactics Development Hotspot Transportation Small Businesses Point of Sale 5G Google Docs Mirgation Hypervisor Displays Unified Communications Experience PowerPoint Running Cable Tech Support Shopping Nanotechnology Optimization Competition Bitcoin Network Management

Blog Archive