by Nigel Hilton

It’s not the number of hours that you spend in the office that matters, but the quality of the work you get done during those hours. Alas, making sure you’re as productive as possible is easier said than done. Making the most of the time in the office is something that everyone deals with, to varying degrees. The good news is that it’s an issue that can be remedied, if you take the steps required to improve your output. You’ll never hit 100% -- you’re human after all -- but can get pretty close. Below, we take a look at some of the things that can kill your productivity.

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Lost Mornings

You might arrive at the office at eight or nine in the morning, but at what time do you actually start work? Unless you’ve taken steps to ensure you’re alert and ready to get things done from the moment you arrive, the first hour or so might be lost to nothingness. If you’re going to be on the ball from the moment you step through the door, look at establishing a morning routine that brings a level of alertness. Cold showers, a quick run, and an energy-filled breakfast will have you firing on all cylinders from the get-go.

Time-Wasting Efforts

If you return home from work feeling tired, then you might feel like you’ve had a day hard at work. But have you? Sometimes, our days are filled, but not with actions that help push our company forward. For example, did you have meetings that dragged on too long? Were you following up with matters that should have been dealt with weeks ago? It’s good practice to keep a log of everything you did during a day. You might just find that you’ve not been as productive as you thought you were.

Infrastructure Issues

Your productivity isn’t always in your hands. Sometimes, it’s your infrastructure that lets you down. You could be full of ideas and raring to go, but if you don’t have the tools needed to bring your ideas to life, then you’ll struggle. If you think that your computer network might be slowing you down, then work with a company that offers IT consultancy services, and get things back on track. If your IT infrastructure is running at full speed, then you’ll find that it’s much easier to get things done.

Unhappy Workers
Of course, it’s not just you, the boss, that needs to be productive. If you have staff, then you need to ensure that they’re working at full capacity too. While there have long been questions about the best way to bring out the best in employees, new studies seem to have found the key: their happiness. Unhappy workers don’t produce anywhere near as good work as ones who enjoy their work and their company. As such, it’s worthwhile looking at any improvements that might lead to a more satisfied workforce, such as a boost in salary, reduced hours, and employee perks -- they’ll produce better results for your business.