You come in at work and settle in with a cup of coffee. It’s a busy day and that’s why you want to focus. You grab your agenda and to-do list, but after five minutes you are already distracted. Facebook reports that it is Eva, Rajesh, and Magda’s birthday, your colleagues are discussing their holiday plans and then your manager comes with an important announcement. Recognizable?

Productive eight hours

You can be productive throughout a working day if you structure your day well. Scientific studies have shown that your brain is “active” for 1 hour and then “passive” for 15 to 20 minutes. When your brain is ‘active’, it means that you can be productive. When your brain is ‘passive’, things get a bit more difficult. It is therefore essential for a productive working day that you plan your tasks correctly and introduce the right structure into your working day.

Tips for structure

It is important to know how to structure your working day. We have collected 4 tips that you can use immediately.

1. Write down which tasks you want to tackle today and split these tasks into 1-hour periods. This can be 1 task, but it can also be several tasks in 1 hour. Then you take a break after this hour. Preferably at least 15 minutes, the duration that your brain is passive. I understand that this is not always possible, but getting up from your workplace should be possible, right?
2. At the end of the day, make a plan for the next day. You can then immediately start in the morning with what is really important. In addition, it is a good end to your working day. If you remember something later, you can email that to yourself so you can add them to your schedule in the next morning.
3. It is important that you avoid interruptions (as best as possible) during the periods when your brain is ‘active’. Have a chat with your colleagues after an hour of concentrated work or get up after that hour to get a drink or a snack.
4. Routine, monotony and boredom kill a productive working day. How can you stay motivated and focused when you feel like you have to do the same thing every day (and you don’t like it)? If this is the case, it may be time to think about where that feeling comes from and how to fix it. Are you comfortable in your own skin? Do you still enjoy your work or are you ready for something else? Or do you simply not organize your working day very well?