Productivity depends on many factors. If you search online how to increase your productivity, you will find endless tips on things to do and not to do to increase your productivity, from stopping multitasking to getting enough sleep. In this article, I describe the one thing I consider fundamental to be productive in the long term: setting goals.

Setting goals has never been as important as it is today. The modern workplace presents a myriad of demands from our bosses and colleagues, as well as plenty of projects to get involved, meetings to attend, courses to take, and the list goes on.

Setting goals is going to allow you to identify where you need to put your time and energy to get the important work done at the right time, and therefore be more productive.

If you are not clear about your goals, you will be pull in many directions, and you will be at risk of spending your time doing urgent work instead of important work, which can make you feel unproductive.

The key to be productive is making the most of your time at work. People often talk about time management, but in my opinion, lack of time is never the problem – after all, we all have the same 24 hours every day. The real problem is deciding where to invest your time and energy to make the most of your time.

Setting goals offers you exactly that – it helps you identify what is important and where you need to invest your time and energy.

Your goals help you to measure your productivity. Set your goals for the year, the month, the week, and the day. What do you want to achieve in any of those timeframes?

By setting goals, you will not measure your productivity by the number of hours you work, but by the outcomes you get.

When setting your goals, make sure you are realistic given the time you have at work. If you set unrealistic goals, you will feel you frustrated if you can’t achieve them. So, be honest with yourself about what you can achieve in any given timeframe.

How many hours do you work per day or per week?

What can you realistically accomplish in that time?

Once you have set your goals, ask yourself:  What do I need to prioritise to get a step closer to my goals?

Set your goals, identify what tasks you need to prioritise to achieve those goals, and focus on your priorities – that’s how you increase your productivity.

What about you? Which approaches do you use to increase your productivity?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.