Life hacks for millennials to simplify the workday

“No one else knows exactly what the future holds for you, no one else knows what obstacles you've overcome to be where you are, so don't expect others to feel as passionate about your dreams as you do.”― Germany Kent

Becoming a marketing manager was an exciting transition for me. It’s tough, and demands having a lot of ideas to lead the team. I have been working with a team that is looking to create a positive impact at work and everyone they work with. Yes, I am talking about Millennials.

"Looking for a saner way to manage your teams and your work? Start using ProofHub."

Meet the millennials

Netflix. Beyoncé. Paris Hilton. 50 Cent. Call of Duty. Nicki Minaj. Snapchat. What exactly makes a Millennial?

This generation has grown up in a world where the majority of people are a part of constant connectivity where you can access to anything or anyone in just a click.

I believe on the whole these three things are true for Millennials:

• Millennials communicate is a whole new form. And it’s SOCIAL
• Millennials have new expectations of WORK
• Millennials will demand of new breed of LEADERS

But out of curiosity, I asked the founder of ProofHub about his perception on Millennials. I got an amazing reply, “This generation is concerned mainly about the journey. They are carefree and do not care about the end results. They want to enjoy the work itself.”

There are a few facts about the Millennials, according to stress in America, a study commissioned by theAmerican Psychological Association, Millennials are the most stressed demographic. On a scale of 1 to 10, Millennials lead the way with a 5.4 average, whereas Boomers registered 4.7 and Matures gave themselves a 3.7.

This observation reminded me of my piece of article ‘A generation of millennials or a generation of stressed workers?’ in which I exemplified upon the factors that I believe are the biggest contributors to stress at work.

So, how are the things going on in your office? Pretty well? Workplace environment may be fun or full of stress, everyone may be comfortable, maybe too comfortable or maybe too tensed.

Right?

In my experience, as a matter of fact, Millennials want to be a source of fulfillment working certainly in an environment where there is work-life integration. So, here is a quick list of for Millennials that can help them simplify their workday as it has greatly helped my team

Keep an eye on FOCUS BLOCKS

A big mistake that Millennials make is that they force themselves to work during all the time that includes working in the most unproductive hours of the day. So, it is better to look for your creative hours and give your best during that time and avoid working when your mind shuts off.

You can maximize peak periods of productivity by creating focus blocks. Dedicate yourself certain chunks of time for you to sit down and go through the piles of email and whatever that is secondary for the day.

You are the “BOSS”

Staying productive is another challenge for Millennials, especially when working from home. This is the case when you do not have a person keeping a check on you throughout the day. In such a scenario it becomes difficult for them to stay on top of tasks and overcome the struggle of procrastination. One of the best solutions to this problem is to “work like a boss”. Try to accomplish your tasks by thinking like a boss and make the most of your time.

Learn to say NO

Millennials have the tendency to over-commit. They do not realize the bunch of tasks already at hand and commit to new tasks. So, you should set some strict guidelines for yourself and keep a track of whatever you have for yourself. It is difficult to say NO and would appear to be weird at first but with time, it will become easier.

What is your “ZONE”?

What boosts your productivity the most during the day? If you are not working as effectively today as you did yesterday, you need to check how you allocate your time. Listen to music that may get your creative juices flowing or work in a silent environment to help you maintain the focus. Get in the zone that boosts your productivity and take advantage of it each day.

Use Organizational Tools And Apps To TRACK ACTIVITIES

The right tools at hand will help you create more mental bandwidth and organize all your activities. You can mark notes, to-do lists on project management software like ProofHub and set important dates and appointments on calendars.

Always checking the notifications on PHONE? Give it up!

As your phone buzzes do you immediately check to see what is there? How many times in a day to you check your phone notifications? For a drastic approach, you can keep your phone in airplane mode. Checking phone notifications is a proven productivity killer. Uninstall those addictive games on your phone that consume most of your time. Avoid your phone to prevent ruining your life.

MONDAY blues? Prepare for Monday on Friday

Monday blues is a negative emotion that Millennials get at the beginning of the week. Give the last 25 minutes of Friday to organize things for the next week by setting an objective for actions to take on Monday. You can surprise yourself by leaving a treat for yourself on your desk and start your Monday with a bright smile.

In the end, there is a hope that Millennials will advance through in their work and redefine success.

Stew Friedman, writing for his book and for Harvard Business Review, claims that many successful people have succeeded because they integrate well their integrate work into everything and do not separate their lives into work and life.

The next generation is the future and the future will be theirs and they will have to bring a perspective change in their work.

Originally published at YourStory

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Vartika Kashyap runs the marketing team at ProofHub — a project management software for teams of all sizes. She is a seasoned marketing professional who is an expert in digital marketing and entrepreneurship. She’s been featured among LinkedIn’s Top Voices for the year 2016. Connect with Vartika on LinkedIn, Medium and Twitter.

Also follow our company page @ProofHub to get the recent updates about our tool, published articles, motivational quotes & presentations.

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