Businesses are always searching for new ways of boosting productivity by working smarter, not harder.

With automation increasingly enhancing operational efficiency, the ways to improve productivity are changing.

And with remote working also blurring the line between work and family life, it is more important than ever to maintain a healthy balance.

Leaders at tech companies Prezi, Slack and Asana share their top tips for maximising productivity in 2019 in today’s digital world.

“Understand the importance of wellbeing”

Peter Arvai, co-founder and CEO at Prezi

“No matter your job or the industry you work in, if you want to excel in the work that you do you need a solid foundation to start from. While each person has different individual needs, the basics are pretty much the same for everyone: eat well, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and look after your family and friends.

“The more you compromise on these fundamental needs, the more it will show in your performance at work.

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“If you happen to be in a management position, you will also hold significant responsibility for other people’s wellbeing. Not only will you need to lead by example in the way that you look after yourself, but you also need to be the best possible version of yourself at work to support your co-workers.

“If leaders want to meaningfully contribute to their colleagues’ wellbeing in 2019, they need to realize that the practice of taking care of others ultimately starts at home.”

“Focus on making your working life more productive outside the office and your professional life will follow suit”

Stuart Templeton, head of UK, Slack

“Working for a company that is focused on making people’s working lives more productive, it’s hugely important to me to set an example to my team and clients, bringing my productivity A-game.

“As an increasing amount of our mundane tasks are automated, knowledge workers are moving away from a daily routine, taking on more creative and human roles. But, I’ll be the first to admit productivity is not just about the tools you use and saving time through clever tech, it’s also about making time to ensure you’re more alert and ready for work.

“I’ve made a conscious effort to introduce exercise into my daily routine. Three times a week I’m on my new static bike at 6am, riding for an hour. It takes some discipline, knowing I could have an extra hour in bed, but it’s worth it for clearing my head and feeling ready for the working day come 9am.

“Another trick to staying productive at work is being able to say ‘no’. This year I plan on keeping my diary totally free of meetings every other Friday, giving me time to catch up, plan ahead and focus on important tasks at hand, so that I can enjoy the weekend and switch-off.”

“Put work into your teamwork, not just your individual progress”

Robbie O’Connor, head of EMEA, Asana

“In today’s evolving world of work, good teamwork is imperative to getting things done. However, teamwork isn’t as simple as it used to be. In the past, physically working together as one team in one place was the norm, but today most teams are working in different locations. This means that working together as a team unit can be challenging and miscommunication can happen.

“As individuals we need to do more to ensure that teamwork happens in our new work environments and a key element of this involves greater transparency. Our research shows that over half of UK employees feel more motivated when they understand and feel involved in achieving an objective.

“If you’re managing a project, look for ways to involve your team from the beginning and ensure that they are kept fully in the loop throughout the process. This might mean a change of behaviour, entrusting colleagues by bringing them into conversations that may have happened privately in the past.

“Also think about ways that you can give team members greater responsibility and where possible, accountability for work. Work management tools like Asana, allow you to assign tasks to team members with clear deadlines clearly showing who is doing what, by when. Embracing these new behaviours into your teamwork dynamic could be key to empowering individuals in those teams to do their very best work.”


Read more: Can automation deliver the utopian dream of a shorter working week?