It’s one thing to want more out of your day and quite another to make a plan to get it.  Good intentions are great, but a plan is even better.  In terms of productivity, it’s essential that you have game plan to reclaim those hours frittered away to distraction, as well as some ergonomic principles to guide you away from work-related stress and injury.  With those two goals in mind, here are some practical yet do-able tips for getting more out of your day.

Tips for Getting More Out of Your Day

• Practice good posture! A neutral typing posture at your computer will keep you from wasting energy on strained muscles and a sore back. An ergonomic chair is crucial in achieving good posture because it adjusts to fit you and meet ergonomic ideals.  Your feet should rest flat on the ground, and you should have plenty   of lumbar support, as well as free arm movement while you type and mouse. Better posture results in a less achey body, which is sure to add energy to your work day.
• Try using a sound machine. The average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day.  Yikes.  This level of distraction is demotivating and stressful.  There are 2 easy ways to try to avoid distraction.  First, resist your own distraction by turning off or minimizing computer and cell phone programs for an hour at a time (then catch up quickly periodically throughout the day).  Secondly, turn on a sound machine to block office conversations so you can work with more focused energy.
• Strategize your energy-draining tasks. You know there are tough tasks and even people at work.  Set aside specific time to deal with these things.  Be deliberate about how you approach these tasks and people by setting aside short periods of time, maybe 30 minutes, for this work and spread it throughout the day.  Try different times of day to see when you can best cope.
• Upgrade your keyboard. Poor hand, arm and wrist posture wastes so much energy and places significant strain on your body. Ergonomic keyboards are specially designed to help improve hand posture, making your typing more efficient and more comfortable. A left-handed keyboard and a mini keyboard both allow your mouse to rest closer to the center of your body. And the mini keyboard’s compact design also decreases the amount of work required for each keystroke. Try out several keyboards to find one that fits your hands and feels comfortable as you type.

Using a white noise machine to block office distractions and interruptions and upgrading to an ergonomic chair that is adjusted to fit your body can both help restore some of the wasted energy of a busy work day.