6 Simple Activities to Create More Productive Workdays

A productive workday is the best kind of workday you can have. The problem is that many office workers have no idea how to make themselves more productive. What can you do to ensure that your output either meets or exceeds the standard for the job you have? Sometimes, it has nothing to do with getting additional training in your field.

It turns out that healthy work habits have a huge part to play in the equation of productive workday. Note that healthy here does not exclusively refer to your physical health. Mental health and general best practices are also factors to consider. It's now time to review the simplest productive activity for workday you can adopt to turn your productivity metrics around.

Standing Desk Exercises

Before even getting to the topic at hand, you would notice that it includes "standing desk." If you are not yet using a standing desk, it's in your best interest to get one as soon as possible. Sitting for long periods has a host of negative health benefits that are famous for various long-term effects. Standing desks is beneficial to both your mental and physical health.

Since the body is made to be in motion, standing for the whole workday is also not recommended. So, even with your standing desk present, you are still going to need an ergonomic office chair like ErgoChair 2. Practice sit-stand sessions with the two for the best possible results.

With that out of the way, it's time to move on to the exercises. Don't go overboard and try to get in a full gym workout at your desk. All you're trying to do is meet the body's minimum need for activity, so you can foster a healthy routine. All you need is a few simple standing desk exercises with bodyweight exercises and stretches for your productive activity for workday. 

Hand Exercises

It's not yet time to move away from the topic of exercise for productive workday. While this set is not necessarily geared towards your body's physical activity requirement, it is undeniably essential for those who work at an office desk with their hands. Conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome can quickly develop from your work routines.

Therefore, it's crucial to get in some of these hand and wrist exercises to maintain the usability and comfort that your arms can afford you. Thumb touches, wrist circles, and grip strengthening stretches are just a few of the exercises you can capitalize on to remain comfortable and productive. 

Create a Schedule

Imagine taking off on a journey without knowing what your destination is. There is no denying that the trip could be fun, but the lack of a sense of purpose takes a lot away from what you could be enjoying. In the same way, you can enjoy greater fulfillment and a better chance at getting things done by creating a productive workday schedule.

It's a good idea to make this a part of your daily routine. Schedule various activities that you need to get done for the productive workday, allowing adequate time for each. You need to be fair to yourself based on your capabilities, so try not to go overboard. Remember that there can be a negative mental effect if you don't manage to get through everything. Therefore, having an unbearable load is no help. You also schedule sit-stand sessions to help you avoid office injuries such as back pain, neck pain or obesity.

Feel free to use popular scheduling techniques, such as Pomodoro, making it more likely for you to get through each productive activity for workday. Don't forget that sticking to the plan you have outlined is just as important as conceptualizing it. Consistency is critical if you want to establish and boost productivity.

Take Adequate Breaks

No matter how enthusiastic you are about the work you do, you cannot maintain peak performance consistently if you're not allowing yourself to take breaks. While your brain does not get exhausted as quickly as your muscles do from physical activity, mental work is very taxing. From conscious thought to moving body parts, your brain is the center of it all.

Therefore, it does deserve and should be able to get a break at regular enough intervals. The Pomodoro technique mentioned above is very conducive to this, explaining why the approach is so popular. Have you ever found that stepping away from a difficult problem somehow helps you take it down more easily when you return to it?

Rest helps the human body recharge, and this applies on both mental and physical levels for productive workday. Sometimes, rest is as simple as looking away from your computer screen and getting some stretches in before refocusing on your work.

Set Work Boundaries

It's very easy to forget that you are an individual with set needs before you are an office worker. One of the most unfortunate consequences of this thought pattern is that there is no separation between your work and personal life. Nothing is wrong with being a dedicated employee, but the trend of glamourising overworking is something that needs to stop. 

Remember that your job is the means to taking care of your responsibilities and enjoying your life. When you make your work your life, you lose your individuality and your purpose. You can't always stop working at the stipulated time, but get yourself to a point where you only work outside of designated hours when it is necessary.

The periods you have before and after work, as well as your lunchtime break, are for you. Prioritize yourself during that time, as you deserve it for a productive workday.

Seek Greater Efficiency

This is one of the more traditional ways in which people can increase their output. Productivity is a measure of what you can deliver over a unit of time. The only way to increase that is to modify the inputs to the equation. Your modification can come in a series of different ways. For example, you may be a procrastinator, which is contributing to your lack of meeting deliverables. Modifying the inputs, in this case, could mean wasting less time for a more productive workday. Then, you can boost productivity for yourself and your workload.

In another scenario, it has nothing to do with procrastination. Perhaps you are not working as smart or as efficiently as you could. It's always a good idea to find more innovative ways of doing the assigned tasks. A common approach is to take advantage of automation workflows and programs for repetitive tasks.