Throughout the past year, coupled with a host of changes to our daily life, changes to the way we work have been almost inevitable. 

As we adapted to new ways of working in remote capacities, day-to-day task management for many of us has changed and has required new tools to be trialled and implemented to help boost productivity and improve operations in a world where remote working across teams may have established itself as the norm. 


Making project management a breeze: 

For when you want to try taking your paper to-do list online, Trello joins a host of project management tools including Asana and monday.com which serve as brilliant visual tools to clearly see your own tasks and your colleagues’ availability in a way that can be hugely personalised to suit your team and their requirements. 


Time tracking for maximum productivity:

If it’s relevant for you and depending on your business structure, tracking hours spent on tasks or servicing clients can be beneficial for making a variety of important business decisions. 

Time tracking apps usually offer features to track tasks in real-time via browser extensions or in-app which makes it easy for teams to start and stop their work with tasks and hours instantly and accurately logged. 

Considering freelancers too, using a time tracking tool can be an excellent choice to monitor hours spent on client work, view any potential over-servicing and to keep a keen eye on overall profitability. 

Some of our favourites include Harvest and Toggl. 


Automate your life:

If you haven’t tried an automation tool before, they can be incredibly useful for streamlining your working life. Feeling overwhelmed with email attachments and saving relevant files into the appropriate folder? Tools like Zapier can automatically move across files from Gmail to Dropbox then send a handy alert to you on Slack once the task is completed. 

Automating some of your most routine tasks cuts down on potentially lengthy admin, freeing up time to focus on other areas of work. 


Optimising your workday for increased productivity:

Whilst trying new tools can be game-changing for your output at work, there are a number of lifestyle changes and tweaks to the way in which you structure your day that can have a big impact on productivity. Some of the things we make a conscious effort to do include:


Time blocking and the ‘2-minute rule’ 

Keep work scheduled in 90-minute blocks before moving to a new task. This way of working can be particularly useful when working with reports or large documents, instead of spreading a task out over a week – dedicate time to getting the task done in the allocated time set.

One other mindset to try is the ‘Two Minute Rule’. If a scheduled task takes two minutes or less to complete, get it done whilst it’s in your mind if it’s related to the current task at hand. More can be found about this way of working here. 


Keep your brain active

When lunchtime rolls around, take time away from your screen and wherever possible try to get out in nature. Even a 10-15 minute stroll outside of the office environment can give your brain a chance to relax and reset – why not take a look at some of our favourite spots around the city of Bristol? 

We all know a healthy body and mind work wonders for getting endorphins flowing, contributing towards feeling more productive at work and boosting brainpower. Ensure you snack regularly throughout the day with healthy, nourishing foods to stay alert and avoid dreaded energy crashes. 


Work through the least attractive job first:

Heard of the saying ‘eat the frog’? In essence, it’s a mindset that urges you to get the ugliest task completed first on your to-do list, leaving you with a less daunting workday. This way of thinking helps with time management and overall prioritisation – read more about the technique here. 

We’d love to hear about how you stay productive at work. Let us know if there’s a tool we should add and share your productivity tips with us.