Making the most of your workday can sometimes feel like a useless effort. Some days there are too many things to do, not enough time to do them, and countless distractions to keep you from the task at-hand. If you’re one of those people that finds yourself wanting to be more efficient and productive during your work hours, there are steps you can take! How do you make the most of your workday? Here are some of our guidelines:

Give Up On Multitasking

While it may seem more productive to tackle several tasks at once, science shows that our brains just aren’t meant to juggle. Instead of getting several things done in a shorter amount of time, odds are your tasks are going to end up taking longer and not be done as skillfully than if you’d handled each separately.

Ultimately, you’re at your most productive when you’re focusing on one project at a time. If you struggle to keep your mind on-track, take steps to eliminate any distractions in your work area. Install anti-distraction programs to cut down time spent browsing social media, set your cellphone out of reach, and only use one monitor at a time. If your brain just needs a break, set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes to work, then relax for a minute in between those intervals.

Stop Procrastinating

Putting tasks and assignments off until the last minute will make you chronically stressed and harried. You’ll often find yourself scrambling to get things done that you could’ve finished and taken off your plate weeks ago – it’s just not worth the hassle!

There are ways to combat procrastination, thankfully. You can hook yourself up with an accountability partner. In other words: someone who will hold you accountable for completing your work and assignments in a timely manner, and, ideally, someone who you can hold accountable in return. If you find that it isn’t enough to have someone checking your progress, creating a to-do list can help you focus on what needs to be done.

Prioritize Based on Importance

In order to really make the most of your workday, you are going to want to have your priorities in order – quite literally. Because our minds are at their sharpest around 2 to 3 hours after we wake up, it’s best to tackle your most important or difficult projects first-thing. Don’t leave them for the end of the day (when you’re feeling drained and ready to go home) you risk doing poor work – or putting things off for even longer.

The best way to organize your workday is to create a master task list for yourself. At the end or beginning of a workday, make a list of all the projects you need to get done. Update it regularly to account for new or completed tasks. Finally, organize everything on your list in order from most important to least important.

Move Around!

With all this in mind, remember that working for hours and hours without a break doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being as productive as possible. Sitting for long stints isn’t healthy for you – physically or mentally – so get up! Go for a walk around your office, invest in a desk that can accommodate sitting and standing, get blood flowing to your brain! If you develop a strong routine that includes sitting, standing, and walking, you’ll be surprised how much easier it is to churn through you daily workload.

In the end, you know yourself best – and that means you likely know what changes you need to make to get the most out of your workday. Don’t stress yourself out, just take one step at a time.

How to Make the Most of Your Workday