We all know that we should work smarter, not harder, although sometimes this is easier said than done. When you’re in the middle of a mile long to-do list and under pressure to constantly deliver more and more, it can be difficult to step back and figure out just how exactly to work smarter rather than harder. If you’re looking to be more productive, read on to find out a few tips on getting more work done while at work.

Decide Your Goals
It may seem obvious, but you need to realize your goals. It helps to define and clarify your goals. Regardless if you have individual or team goals, you have to plan in order to know what you need to do so you can reach those goals. This is the cornerstone of coming up with better time management in the workplace and it is crucial if you want to be as productive as possible.

Keep Your Desk Free From Clutter
Staying organized is key to being as productive as possible. Keeping a clean desk is a major key to staying organized.  Spend just a few minutes a day cleaning the clutter on and around your desk. Keeping your desk clean will help you to get more done as well as creating a feeling of completion, success and positive feelings. Staying positive is a big part of productivity. Being organized not only feels good, but it also can help save time because you knowing exactly where everything is.

Limit Your To-Do List
It’s incredibly easy to create a to-do list and continue to add to the list. Avoid adding too much to your list because it can become so long that it may be unrealistic and unreasonable to complete. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it only hurts your productivity level.  Be sure to create a manageable list that is realistic to complete within your designated time frame.  Organize your to-do list based on urgency. Put the most urgent things at the top and the less urgent toward the bottom. You can move each item around as necessary once each task’s urgency changes.

It helps to put a limit on your to-do list by managing the amount of tasks on it. Don’t overwhelm yourself with an impossible to complete to-do list. Create buffer time and breaks and allow that time into your to-do list. During these breaks, you can use that time to answer emails, return or make phone calls, etc. This will help you to feel less overwhelmed as well.

Avoid Procrastination
It is incredibly easy to start procrastinating and once you do, it is hard to stop. Be sure to avoid procrastination at all costs. Create a schedule and stick to it. Allow yourself a 10 minute break every hour to do whatever you’d like such as check your phone, grab a coffee, or whatever you’d like. Work will always be there and eventually you will have to face that reality. Don’t waste time hesitating with your work. Your work won’t disappear just because you put it off so make sure you’re sticking with it and tackling what needs to be done. When you put things off it only creates unnecessary stress on yourself and nobody wants that.

If you’re working on a large project, break it down into chunks. Complete one chunk, take a short break then get back to it and then complete the next chunk. By breaking you to-do list down into manageable chunks, it makes what seems impossible, do-able. 

Do you want even more tips on increasing productivity at work? You can read more from Inc.com here.