Career Growth6 min read

How to Be More Productive at Work

Productivity is not about doing more things. It is about protecting time for the work that matters and cutting the interruptions that steal it.

The Short Answer

To be more productive at work, decide your top three priorities each day, block focused time on your calendar, batch email and messages instead of reacting all day, cut or shorten low-value meetings, do your hardest work when your energy is highest, use AI and templates for repetitive tasks and end each day by planning tomorrow.

Most people are not lazy. They are interrupted. Microsoft found employees are interrupted every two minutes during core hours, 275 times a day, and Microsoft found 80% of the global workforce say they lack enough time or energy to do their work.

Productivity starts by deciding what matters and defending time for it.

Productivity

Seven habits that make you more productive

  1. Top three daily. Decide before you open email.
  2. Block focus time. Protect it like a meeting.
  3. Batch messages. Check at set times.
  4. Cut meetings. Shorter, fewer, with agendas.
  5. Match work to energy. Hard work at peak hours.
  6. Automate the repetitive. AI and templates.
  7. Plan tomorrow today. Five minutes at the end.

Decide what matters first

Before you open your inbox, write the three things that would make today a win. Everything else is secondary.

Protect focus time

Block 60 to 90 minutes for deep work, silence notifications and close your inbox. One focused block often beats hours of switching.

Batch and automate

Check email and messages at set times. Use AI to draft routine emails, summarize notes and create first drafts. See How to Use AI to Write Emails and How Managers Can Use AI to Save Time.

Saving time with AI is the focus of Take Back Your Time with AI, and making the most of your potential is the heart of You Are Capable of More.

Your Takeaway

Decide your top three priorities, block focus time, batch messages, cut low-value meetings, match hard work to your energy, automate repetitive tasks and plan tomorrow before you leave.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How can I be more productive at work?
Set your top three priorities daily, block focus time, batch email and messages, cut low-value meetings, do hard work at peak energy and automate repetitive tasks.
Why am I not productive at work?
Constant interruptions, unclear priorities, too many meetings and low energy are common causes.
What is the best productivity technique?
Protecting a daily block of focused time for your most important work is one of the most effective.
Can AI make you more productive?
Yes, for repetitive writing, summarizing and first drafts, as long as you review the output.
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Chris Sund, keynote speaker and author of You Are Capable of More

Chris Sund
President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare and Nebula. Bestselling author of You Are Capable of More, winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival, and a contributor to Inc. and Forbes.

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