London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Five ways to get organized and be more productive at work

Five ways to get organized and be more productive at work

Everyday distractions can get in the way of the important things, but with some discipline and planning, you can stay focused and productive.

We've all been there. You get to your desk in the morning, ready to take on your to-do list. But then there's social media, food breaks, meetings and procrastination.

Everyday distractions can get in the way of the important things, but with some discipline and planning you can stay focused and productive.

Some people may feel like they don't have enough hours in the workday, while others may be spending too much time procrastinating. Whatever the case may be, everyone can benefit from learning how to organize their lives better and focus on what matters.


Multitask less

There's a difference between being busy and productive.

When you multitask too much, it's easy to become distracted and forget to update your calendar with that new deadline or send out that important email.

Research shows that trying to accomplish multiple tasks at once compromises productivity. It's also likely that you're not doing either task very well.

"The first piece of advice I would give someone who wants to be more productive is to get out of the mindset of doing more things, and into the mindset of doing more of the right things," said Greg McKeown, author of "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less."


Focus on what matters

Technology can often be a big distraction, and getting rid of external triggers like cell phone notifications can help you focus better on your work.

Social media can swallow up a lot of time, and tech companies have spent years working to make consumer technology as addictive as possible.

But that's starting to change. Companies including Apple and Google have implemented features aimed at curbing phone usage, and apps like Instagram have features intended to help you manage your time with the app better.

Through Apple's Screen Time, you're able to set daily limits on certain apps on your iPhone. The apps you designate will lock after you reach your limit. Granted, the lock is easy to bypass -- it's more of a reminder that you have reached your limit.

Another way to avoid the distraction is to delete the apps that are not essential to your work or everyday life.

McKeown said putting speed bumps between you and social media can help you avoid wasting time and prioritize the things that are important.

"By making it a little harder to be distracted, it becomes a little easier to get going on the projects that matter to you," he said.


Don't get interrupted

Most people are more productive when they can have a batch of time for uninterrupted focus, said Ashley Stahl, career coach, author and host of the "You Turn" podcast. Scheduling meetings in the morning or at the end of the day will help you stay focused and maintain your workflow.

"On days where you're focused and writing, for example, a 1 pm phone call could be really damaging for your focus," Stahl said. "Dangling mid-day meetings usually cut you off from the source of creativity you may be seeking."

It's also a good idea to let people know when you're available. Having an automatic reply message on your email is an easy way to let people know what times you're on email. For example, 'Thanks for your message! I check emails daily from 8 am to 11 am, and will get back to you as soon as possible,'" Stahl suggested.


Take a break

Being glued to your desk isn't the best way to get things done. Creating space just to get up from your desk and have a break or go for a walk is critical for the mind to be able to relax, so it can then get back to focused work, McKeown said.

"If you try to be on 24/7, you're going to burn out your mind quickly," he said.

By not taking any breaks, your decision-making is affected and you become more reactive, McKeown said. That's when you're likely to start wasting time on surfing the internet, reading updates on the news or scrolling through endless pages of social media.

The reason this is so significant, McKeown said, is that it's not just how many hours of focused work you give a task, but how many healthy, energized hours you can put into it.

"Yes, you can spend all the hours, but you're not working at anything like your highest ability," he said.


Get organized

Planning and organizing will help you get an overview of your workday as well as your long-term goals. It could be anything from a mindmap to flesh out ideas to post-it notes with all the things you need to do for the day.

There are also apps that can help you manage your to-do list and planning, including Todoist, Memento and Trello.

Before you start your workday, take 30 minutes to plan your day and figure out what you need to do, and in what order. Scaling down and tackling clutter will help you become more productive at work.

Figure out where you're adding chaos into your own life versus where you can remove something that feels like a block from your focus, Stahl said. It could be as simple as cleaning your desk so you can focus and not be so distracted, or as complex as ditching a habit like saying "yes" when you actually feel like saying "no."

"Usually people think that to solve an issue in their lives, they need to go get something, or add something to the equation," she said. "But to me, simplicity means removing something that may be a block from your focus."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×