Skip to Main Content
HBS Online
  • Courses
    Open Courses Mega Menu
    • Business Essentials
      • Credential of Readiness (CORe)
      • Business Analytics
      • Economics for Managers
      • Financial Accounting
    • Leadership & Management
      • Leadership Principles
      • Management Essentials
      • Negotiation Mastery
      • Organizational Leadership
      • Strategy Execution
      • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
      • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
      • Entrepreneurship Essentials
      • Disruptive Strategy
      • Negotiation Mastery
      • Design Thinking and Innovation
      • Launching Tech Ventures
    • Strategy
      • Strategy Execution
      • Business Strategy
      • Economics for Managers
      • Disruptive Strategy
      • Global Business
      • Sustainable Business Strategy
    • Finance & Accounting
      • Financial Accounting
      • Leading with Finance
      • Alternative Investments
      • Sustainable Investing
    • Business in Society
      • Sustainable Business Strategy
      • Global Business
      • Sustainable Investing
      • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
      • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
    • All Courses
  • For Organizations
    Open For Organizations Mega Menu
    • Corporate Learning
      Help your employees master essential business concepts, improve effectiveness, and expand leadership capabilities.
    • Academic Solutions
      Integrate HBS Online courses into your curriculum to support programs and create unique educational opportunities.
    • Need Help?
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Contact Us
    • Black, Latinx, and underrepresented minority professionals
      Pathways to Business

      Stories designed to inspire future business leaders.

  • Insights
    Open Insights Mega Menu
    • Business Insights Blog
      • Career Development
      • Communication
      • Decision-Making
      • Earning Your MBA
      • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
      • Finance
      • Leadership
      • Management
      • Negotiation
      • Strategy
    • All Topics
    • Sample Business Lessons and E-Books

      Gain new insights and knowledge from leading faculty and industry experts.

    • Free Guide

      Learn how to formulate a successful business strategy.

  • More Info
    Open More Info Mega Menu
    • Learning Experience
      Master real-world business skills with our immersive platform and engaged community.
    • Certificates, Credentials, & Credits
      Learn how completing courses can boost your resume and move your career forward.
    • Learning Tracks
      Take your career to the next level with this specialization.
    • Financing & Policies
      • Employer Reimbursement
      • Payment & Financial Aid
      • Policies
    • Connect
      • Student Stories
      • Community
    • Need Help?
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Request Information
      • Support Portal
    • Apply Now
Login
My Courses
Access your courses and engage with your peers
My Account
Manage your account, applications, and payments.
HBS Home
  • About HBS
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
HBS Online
  • Courses
  • Business Essentials
  • Leadership & Management
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Strategy
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Business in Society
  • For Organizations
  • Insights
  • More Info
  • About
  • Support Portal
  • Media Coverage
  • Founding Donors
  • Leadership Team
  • Careers
  • My Courses
  • My Account
  • Apply Now
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • HBS Online→
  • Business Insights→

Business Insights

Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

 
Filter Results Arrow Down Arrow Up

Topics

Topics

  • Accounting
  • Analytics
  • Business Essentials
  • Business in Society
  • Career Development
  • Communication
  • Community
  • ConneXt
  • Decision-Making
  • Earning Your MBA
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Negotiation
  • News & Events
  • Productivity
  • Staff Spotlight
  • Strategy
  • Student Profiles
  • Technology
  • Work-Life Balance

Courses

Courses

  • Alternative Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Business Strategy
  • CORe
  • Design Thinking and Innovation
  • Disruptive Strategy
  • Economics for Managers
  • Entrepreneurship Essentials
  • Financial Accounting
  • Global Business
  • Launching Tech Ventures
  • Leadership Principles
  • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
  • Leading with Finance
  • Management Essentials
  • Negotiation Mastery
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
  • Strategy Execution
  • Sustainable Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Investing
Subscribe to the Blog
*
Please complete this required field.
Email must be formatted correctly.
Please complete all required fields.
RSS feed

Filters

Topics

Topics

  • Accounting
  • Analytics
  • Business Essentials
  • Business in Society
  • Career Development
  • Communication
  • Community
  • ConneXt
  • Decision-Making
  • Earning Your MBA
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Negotiation
  • News & Events
  • Productivity
  • Staff Spotlight
  • Strategy
  • Student Profiles
  • Technology
  • Work-Life Balance

Courses

Courses

  • Alternative Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Business Strategy
  • CORe
  • Design Thinking and Innovation
  • Disruptive Strategy
  • Economics for Managers
  • Entrepreneurship Essentials
  • Financial Accounting
  • Global Business
  • Launching Tech Ventures
  • Leadership Principles
  • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
  • Leading with Finance
  • Management Essentials
  • Negotiation Mastery
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
  • Strategy Execution
  • Sustainable Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Investing
Subscribe to the Blog
*
Please complete this required field.
Email must be formatted correctly.
Please complete all required fields.
RSS feed

How to Be More Productive at Work

Woman Taking Notes at Work
  • 28 Mar 2019
Michele Reynolds Author Staff
tag
  • Career Development
  • Productivity

Do you often find yourself wondering where all of your time went at the end of the workweek? In an era of overscheduling and constant interruption, you may often end your workweek feeling like you barely touched your to-do list.

While it may feel like you’ll never be able to reach the finish line and complete all of the tasks you need to, there are certain behaviors, techniques, and tools you can embrace to be more productive at work.

What Does It Mean to Be Productive?

Productivity refers to the amount of output that comes from units of input. At work, this often translates into how much work an individual or team is able to complete in a set amount of time.

High workplace productivity occurs when less labor produces more of a business’s output, which ultimately turns into increased revenue for the organization.

By getting more work done more efficiently, you become more effective in your role and increase your contribution toward key business goals. Here are five tips to increase your productivity and make a bigger impact at work.

A Guide to Advancing Your Career with Essentials Business Skills | Access Your Free E-Book | Download Now

5 Tips to Increase Productivity at Work

1. Create Quiet Space

When searching for the causes of your lack of productivity, consider that a newsroom-style office may be part of the problem. Harvard Business School Associate Professor Ethan Bernstein completed research that rejects the open-concept floor plan. He says the popular office layout is actually counterproductive and makes it impossible to focus. Contrary to popular opinion, it also doesn't foster teamwork. That said, most don’t have the luxury of a private office, so you need to create your own space that promotes productivity.

Why is minimizing distraction so important to productivity? Many psychologists and neuroscientists believe that when your concentration is interrupted, it takes significant time to return to deep thought. A Fast Company study found that when interrupted, it takes more than 23 minutes on average to return to your task.

You can minimize distraction by turning off your phone, putting on noise-canceling headphones, and disabling notifications on your computer. Take it a step further and pin a sign to your door that says, “Work Zone: Do not disturb.” It may take some time for your colleagues to respect your new work style, but by sharing your productivity success, others may follow suit.

2. Work in Sprints

Employing the agile-like method of working in sprints may be the best way to improve productivity at work. Widely used in software development, sprints are blocked periods of time designated to complete an allotted amount of work on a specific project.

Tony Schwartz, author of The Way We're Working Isn't Working, wrote in the New York Times, "It’s better to work highly focused for short periods of time, with breaks in between, than to be partially focused for long periods of time. Think of it as a sprint, rather than a marathon. You can push yourself to your limits for short periods of time, so long as you have a clear stopping point. And after a rest, you can sprint again.”

By dividing your day into scheduled “sprints,” or chunks of time, you’ll find you get more done. Try scheduling two or three uninterrupted 90-minute work cycles each day. This may require arriving at the office a little earlier or working a bit later but it could address your productivity woes.

3. Take a Break

Just like extreme athletes need recovery time after an Ironman race or marathon, it’s important to take real mental breaks after periods of deep concentration.

University of Illinois psychology Professor Alejandro Lleras told social media company Buffer, “When faced with long tasks, such as studying before a final exam or doing your taxes, it’s best to impose brief breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task.”

Take a walk, call your sibling, or grab a coffee. But no matter what, give yourself a real electronic-free cognitive break after a solid work sprint and you’ll return refreshed and ready to get more done.

According to a recent New York Times article, making yourself inaccessible from time to time is essential to boosting focus. The article cites an American Psychological Association survey that showed constant electronic disruptions increase stress levels.

These work-style changes might not only boost your productivity but could also improve your health.

4. Avoid Multitasking

It’s a common misconception that multitasking can allow you to get more work done. However, the human brain isn’t able to handle several complex tasks at one time, so multitasking at work can actually make you less productive.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Neuroscience Professor Earl Miller told NPR, "People can't multitask very well, and when they say they can, they're deluding themselves. You're not paying attention to one or two things simultaneously, but actually switching between them very rapidly."

According to a study conducted by Robert Rogers and Stephen Monsell, participants were significantly slower when asked to switch tasks than when they simply repeated the same task. By constantly switching tasks, you’re actually losing time as your brain refocuses and processes the new tasks.

Multitasking might be your only option depending on your industry and specific role, but, if possible, try to complete one task before starting another. Dedicate specific chunks of time to certain tasks, and consider timing yourself to hold yourself accountable. For example, you might dedicate 30 minutes to checking email, then the next 30 minutes to completing an assignment, rather than juggling the two tasks at once.

Related: 6 Networking Tips for Online Learners

5. Use Productivity Tools to Your Advantage

People often say there aren’t enough hours in the day, but what if you could maximize the hours you have? By using productivity tools and software, you can easily organize tasks, stay focused, and collaborate with others more efficiently.

Depending on your role, the productivity tools you find useful will vary. Some popular productivity tools include:

  • Slack: A communication tool that easily integrates with other tools and software
  • Teamwork: A project management tool that allows you to schedule tasks and keep track of time spent on them
  • IFTTT: A conditional statement creator that allows you to sync apps and automate tasks
  • SaneBox: An email management software that organizes your inbox, identifying important emails and hiding distractions

There’s a myriad of productivity tools to choose from based on your priorities and where you find yourself wasting time. For example, if you manage a remote team and are looking for a communication channel that’s more efficient than email, Slack might be useful.

To regain valuable time, consider taking advantage of the various productivity tools at your disposal.

Get our latest business insights delivered to your inbox | Subscribe Now


Becoming More Effective in Your Role

While there’s no-one-size-fits-all approach to boosting productivity at work, with a bit of self-discipline and the right tools at your disposal, you can easily become more efficient, and ultimately more effective, in your role.

Are you interested in taking your career to the next level? Download HBS Online’s free guide about how to advance your career with essential business skills.

This post was updated on April 9, 2021. It was originally posted on March 28, 2019.

About the Author

Michele Reynolds handles brand marketing and PR for Harvard Business School Online. Prior to HBS Online, she led communications for TripAdvisor and Gazelle and has been widely quoted in national media outlets, including CBS News, Reuters, and The New York Times. Michele earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University. Outside work, she spends time with her teenage daughter, plays tennis, and visits her enormous extended family.
 
All FAQs

Top FAQs

How are HBS Online courses delivered?

+–

We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

+–

We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Written English proficiency should suffice.

Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

+–

No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

How do I enroll in a course?

+–

All programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly from program to program, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

After submitting your application, you should receive an email confirmation from HBS Online. If you do not receive this email, please check your junk email folders and double-check your account to make sure the application was successfully submitted.

Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your Dashboard. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application.

Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

+–

No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

What are my payment options?

+–

We accept payments via credit card, wire transfer, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

We also allow you to split your payment across 2 separate credit card transactions or send a payment link email to another person on your behalf. If splitting your payment into 2 transactions, a minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

In all cases, net Program Fees must be paid in full (in US Dollars) to complete registration.

What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

+–

After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

 

Sign up for News & Announcements


  • • Please complete this required field.
  • • Email must be formatted correctly.
  • • Please complete all required fields.

Subject Areas

  • Business Essentials
  • Leadership & Management
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Strategy
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Business & Society

Quick Links

  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Support Portal

About

  • About Us
  • Media Coverage
  • Founding Donors
  • Leadership Team
  • Careers @ HBS Online

Legal

  • Legal
  • Policies
Harvard Business School
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College
  • Site Map
  • Trademark Notice
  • Digital Accessibility