Howto...

Be more productive at work

To be productive, you need to put in time planning your work and then be willing to work hard. And even then it is not easy, says Richard Andrews, MD of office furniture company Inspiration Office.

Many people leave work dissatisfied at the end of the day because they have not achieved as much as they had hoped. He has this advice to boost productivity:

Ask for help. You don’t need to do everything on your own;

Meetings can be a huge waste of time, so try to avoid them. “Time is the most important currency in your work life. While it may be tempting to meet as many people for the benefit of networking, the time you get at your desk is extremely valuable,” he says;

Make a list of what needs to be done, and keep it updated. You can break up larger projects into many smaller tasks;

Try to schedule particular times during the day to check your e-mail, rather than checking it continuously;

Set realistic goals, but push yourself a little, too. And they need to be specific — how will you know if you have reached your goal when it is vague and incomplete?; and

Keep your workspace neat and organised.