How to be More Productive at Work or Study

Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.

What ideas do you have for being more productive in your job?

How do you decide what is most important to do every day?

Ever wish you could get more done while you're in the office? Many others think like you because the thousands of productivity apps on the market show that today's workers are always looking for ways to be more efficient.. Here are 10 simple, low-technology to improve your productivity.

Make your workspace efficient. Before you do anything else, at the start of each day to organize and de-clutter your workspace. Having a clutter-free environment helps you think more clearly and produce better results. By cleaning up and organizing your space, you will greatly increase your productivity and limit the time you spend searching for items.

Add color or live plants. Color can have a big effect on your mood and productivity throughout the day. Blue creates the feeling of calmness and helps you concentrate, while red is very good for work that needs accuracy and attention to detail. Plants can also help people concentrate by reducing headaches and tiredness: A study found that plants increase workplace productivity and creative performance by up to 30 percent.

Decorate your workspace. In addition to color and plant life, a few personal items in your workspace can make you feel more comfortable and relaxed, which can ultimately increase your productivity. Add meaningful career items, such as diplomas and awards, and other decorative items that make you feel successful.

Get your most dreaded job out of the way. Everyone has at least one task on the to-do list that does not get done. That task is actually the one you should try to complete first. Instead of waiting until the last minute to finish a task, get it off your plate as soon as possible. Then your other tasks will seem less daunting by comparison, and you'll stop worrying about that one task all day. This will make you more productive. 

Ignore your emails for the moment. Constant email alerts popping up on your phone or desktop can really break your concentration. Instead of reading every email as it arrives in your inbox, try turning off your notifications and only checking messages at a time you decide like every 30 minutes or one hour. When you're working on something urgent, set up an automatic reply for a few hours or an afternoon. In your reply tell the sender that you will be unavailable to reply for a short time.

Move around. Don't just use your main desk chair. Spend portions of the workday standing or working at height-adjusted work surfaces, if possible. You can also make a habit of having walking meetings rather than sitting and having conference calls.

Prioritize tasks that take less time. It's easy to procrastinate on short, easy-to-do list items and tell yourself you'll get to them after you've finished your big project for the day. But what if that project takes longer than expected? To avoid rushing at the end of the workday to finish many quick tasks, get them done earlier. A general rule of thumb for finishing jobs is that if it takes less than two minutes to do, then do it now.

Take short breaks. Whether it's a walk around the block, a run to the nearby coffee shop, reading a magazine or visiting with a colleague, taking short breaks — about 10 to 15 minutes every two hours — helps improve your body’s circulation and reduces tired eyes and the increase of muscle tension. Walking away from something you're working on can also help you to have a new perspective when you return.

Listen to music. Wearing headphones doesn't always mean you’re not wanting to be social with others. When working, listening to your favorite music can help you get into a good working rhythm and finish the things on your to-do list. It also sends a subtle message to your co-workers that you don’t want to be interuppted.

Change locations. If your employer allows it, take one day a week to work from a different environment, like a coffee shop or a co-working space. The change of place and view and the chance to meet and talk with other people may give you a feeling of new energy. If you can't work out of the office, try finding a quiet space away from other interruptions where you can concentrate.

 Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.