Pierre Khawand says that optimizing productivity depends on working in bursts.

Some days, you feel like you got nothing done at work. It’s not uncommon: The email inbox grows, an instant messages pop up and colleagues interrupt your workflow. Productivity consultant and author of “The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook” Pierre Khawand says: “When we are working a few minutes here and a few minutes there, we are staying at the superficial level and not getting deep into anything.” Here are his strategies for digging in deeper to get more work done.

How can people reach their level of optimal productivity?

The first element has to do with how results change with time when we are working on a task. When we start to work on the task, we get results. But at some point, the results level off and then diminish, because either we get mentally tired and are no longer productive, or we need someone else to do their part before we can continue. This is all good in theory, but what happens in reality is that a few minutes after we start to work on a task, we get interrupted. When we get interrupted, our results go down to zero — this happens again and again, and again. It’s part of life in today’s work environment.

So how do we stay on task?

A key element is starting the day by identifying what we intend to accomplish that day and ending the day with a reconciliation process. That ensures that we close the loops on open issues. Instead of starting the day with e-mail, we should stop for a minute or two to reflect on what is important and what we want to accomplish. Then, put it in writing.

The idea is that we need to stay focused long enough so that we can achieve in-depth thinking, creative problem solving and get meaningful things done. Depending on the task, it can be 15 minutes, 30 minutes or several hours. Once we have accomplished something meaningful, it is time to stop our “focused” session, and switch to being collaborative — handle email, phone calls, have live discussions. This is the collaborative work where we get the most of our team productivity and equally important results. After the collaborative session, it is time to take a break — do something that gets us re-energized and ready for the next focused session. No significant productivity gains, and therefore no significant accomplishments, can be achieved if we don’t optimize our workflow by recognizing the concepts described above: focus, collaborate, then play!

Burst out:

Working in bursts manages tasks, interruptions and energy. It makes you feel invigorated and accomplished as a result.

• Alternate between focus, collaboration and play.
• Be intensely and wholeheartedly in each burst. That’s what the “burst” label is for — to maximize output.
• Each burst should build toward and enhance the next burst.

For more tips and information, see here.

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A quaint, brightly colored plant in the corner may be one manager’s idea of how to boost company morale, but we know there are more impressive moves to make. We spoke to several forward-thinking employers and learned that it takes a dash of creativity to create a more productive work environment.

Add movement: Take a look at the office layout and ask yourself if it allows space for mobility. “You don’t need to add more space to mix it up — just make use of the spots that go empty for hours,” says Kevin Kuske, chief anthropologist general manager at Turnstone, a company that designs workspaces for small businesses. With a background in anthropology, Kuske focuses on turning offices into idea incubators. “In your design, truly support mobility by having a variety of work areas and addressing practical things like having power near all couches, counters and group areas.”

Talk to the employees: Listen to the employees and learn what it is that they want. “I know that sounds obvious, but I am amazed how infrequently leaders ask people what would improve productivity, morale or engagement,” says Rick Maurer, author of “Beyond the Wall of Resistance,” a book on change in the workplace. Employees are your best resource: Go to them.

Get healthy
A healthy worker is a more productive worker, which is another reason to promote an active lifestyle within the office. Punit Dhillion is the CEO of OnocoSec Medical, and he has set up a communal bike share at the office so that people can bike to lunch. “I believe that being active boosts your energy levels and your mood. We adopted a policy that encourages staff to engage in physical activity during their breaks,” says Dhillion. That’s one way to get past that mid-afternoon caffeine crash.

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