the five mistakes you're making at work

Emails, meetings and spending too much time on social media cause less productivity, new survey claims

IF YOU are like most people by the time you read this story, you would have already committed the number one sin.

It’s not eating your breakfast at your desk (I personally think there is nothing wrong with that), hanging out in the kitchen catching up on the office goss (this has positives too), or trolling the news sites to update yourself on all the world’s woes or not so woes (news.com.au is great for that).

No, the number one sin is actually doing your job. Well, sort of.

According to a new survey the worst thing a person can do at the start of their work day is open their emails.

Research conducted by executive training and coaching firm pac executive Human Capital, found almost 70 per cent of Australians are most productive during the hours of 7am and 12pm.

However most waste this “magic time” by checking and responding to emails that bear no relationship to the projects that lead to organisational success.

“I think most of us knows what it takes to be productive but knowing and doing are two different things,” director Cholena Orr explained.

“We are getting more emails every day and it’s fair to say Australians are addicted to their emails.

“Around 50 per cent of people check their emails every 10 minutes or so. And when you are trying to do good work, checking your email constantly is not what is going to make you productive.”

Women are apparently the worst offenders for opening and responding to their emails first thing in the morning.

Ms Orr says most emails are generally requests from people wanting matters to be resolved in their time, not your own and the best way to overcome this was to respond in your time.

But it’s not just emails that are time killers. Meetings, interruptions, lack of sleep and social media are also to blame.

So what do we do to become more productive employees?

These are the five sins are how to beat them

Reading and responding to emails are the number one no-no. Source: Getty Images

1. Emails

According to the firm’s research, it takes anywhere between one and 24 minutes to refocus after we answer an email. And when you think about how many emails you read and answer first thing in the morning, that’s a lot of time gone.

So Ms Orr’s solution is to email batch, schedule a time in the morning after you arrive to check your emails. She says by doing this you will find that you get through your inbox more efficiently and will be better able to concentrate on more important work.

She also says to only check your email two to three times a day, depending on your business needs, to minimise disruption.

2. Meetings

The survey found that 55 per cent of professionals wasted a quarter of their day being tied up in meetings. And while Ms Orr says some meetings are unavoidable, many are and can often be resolved by a quick phone or email.

She says if people were more selective in what meetings they attended they could save as many as five hours per week.

3. Interruptions.

It’s the one thing we can’t control and is the major productivity killer for 78 per cent of white-collar workers.

The solution — develop a ‘do not disturb time’ in your workplace.

Ms Orr says this can be done by literally having a ‘do not disturb sign on your desk’ or placing headphones on or letting colleagues know that you’re unavailable at a certain time each day.

4. Dwindling focus levels.

Lack of sleep, not enough exercise and an unhealthy diet all contribute to loss of focus. So how a person manages their own focus levels is key to staying focused.

How you ask? Given most people can only focus on a task for 45 to 90 minutes at a time, the best way to increase productivity is to chat to colleague or making a cup of tea during the gaps.

5. Social media.

It’s probably the most controversial of the five with 25 per cent of Australian professionals checking Facebook up to five times a day.

Ms Orr says Gen Y are the worst offenders with 53 per cent saying they check social media up to five times per day during work hours.

She says while too much social media can negatively impact productivity, short social media breaks can actually be beneficial.