It can boost your employees’ productivity and help tick off the more unpleasant tasks from your to-do lists. We asked our employees for their top productivity tips and ‘power hour’ how-tos.

Could a ‘power hour’ make your employees more productive? Whether used as a way to help focus on a particularly arduous task or as a way to power through the least pleasurable to-dos on your list, making them a non-negotiable in your working day could be the key to making the most of your time.

Helping to boost both motivation and concentration levels, we’ve started to implement ‘power hours’ among our employees' work schedules. We asked some to share their top productivity tips, from what a power hour means to them, to what they’ve found works and how it's helped them, to how it can help you. Hopefully, their advice can provide some ample workplace inspiration for keeping stress levels low.

“I try to spend the first hour tying up loose ends or working on little tasks so that when power hour hits I know exactly what I want to achieve,” Millie Da Costa, Social Media Manager.

“When I know I’ve got to crack on with taxing or challenging tasks, I start by tying up any loose ends or work on smaller tasks, so I can crack on with the more important stuff. I find this little pre-prep before power hour starts helps increase my productivity as I know what I’m doing and what I want to achieve.”

“My personal productivity tip would be to turn off all notifications on your mobile and emails as each time it pops up, it can disrupt your train of thought. Also, blasting some great music like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers really loud helps to stop my mind from wandering to something else whilst I work.”

“Diarise it- List it as a conference call to trick yourself into taking it more seriously” Izzy Cude, Project Manager.

“Productivity is a very personal thing- it’s all about understanding what sort of routine you need to help keep focus and energy. We work in a very collaborative and buzzy environment, so I’ll be in and out of meetings and fighting distractions all day. For me, the key is to have proper breaks, and be totally uninterrupted so I can really focus and be in the right headspace.”

“ I like to have all my work in front of me and make a list of the things I want to achieve during my power hour in order of high priority, to low priority. Within the power hour I focus only on the listed tasks which will later allow me to have more headspace for new projects. By having this assigned time, my work diary is more organised and tasks get completed efficiently.

“My biggest productivity tip is my ‘2 minute rule’ when it comes to emails” Jonny Whitehead, Director.

“My power hour is when I’ve had my first coffee, I’m rested and my head is clear, but I’m also running at triple speed. I'm the first one into the office so it’s super quiet. I primarily power through my emails, and then plan my to-do list and priorities for the day before the madness starts. I have a ‘2 minute rule’ when it comes to emails. If you can respond and action something in 2 minutes, it’s best to just get it done straight away. Then you have time later on to concentrate on the meatier business issues.”

“I notice everyone's productivity dips before lunch, so that’s why we all sit down for lunch and properly switch off from work and get some decent food, before tackling the afternoon. I can’t claim to have mastered the art of productivity entirely but know for a fact that I'm hopeless on an empty stomach!”