3 Job Evils That Pollute Your Productivity

You're not getting anything done today, but don't blame your Twitter feed. The business of just doing your job could be the primary thing keeping you off task.

There are the marathon meetings -- three 90-minute ones back-to-back in one day -- plus the stacked catalog of unanswered emails in your inbox. And hold on, now your cellphone is brringgg-ing to notify you of two more meetings tomorrow, even though that's the day you planned to finally tackle the things on today's to-do list, which, truth be told, is the to-do list from three days ago.

How are any of us supposed to get anything done?

Try these tips for handling the necessary elements of your job -- ones that also happen to be draining your productivity:

Your to-do list. Lists are helpful for keeping you on task, that is, if you know how to draft and use one. Most of us compose aspirational lists -- adding more in a given day's time than would be possible to accomplish -- or we make broad lists that include large umbrella projects while leaving off all the incremental components of that project that must be finished first. As a result, most people don't cross out as many to-dos as often as they intended.

"I've told people to work from a master list," says Cathy Sexton, productivity speaker, trainer and coach. "Then preferably, put a time and a due date next to every item on your list, based on the time it'll take to complete and the task's urgency. That way, on Monday you're looking at the three things you need to accomplish for that day, not the 10 or 15 things you need to have completed for that week."

Don't leave the heavy-hitting projects until end of the day Friday, however. "It may sound very elementary, but you have to prioritize the order of your to-do list," says Craig Jarrow, author of the Time Management Ninja website. "You could make a list of 100 tasks to complete of varying importance, but you need to put the most important ones at the top, then tackle your list in the order by which you list items. Then I encourage people to make a subset of their to-do list, called 'the today list.'"

Lastly, keep your list front and center on your work desk as a Pavlovian reminder to stay on task. Sexton's responsibilities are marked on her calendar, which she keeps visible on one of her computer monitors at all times. Jarrow suggests writing and updating your list with a portable pad and pencil.

Your inbox. Some jobs are dictated by the demands of incoming mail -- like customer service, for example -- but many emails don't pertain to a professional's pressing responsibilities; rather, they're pressing tasks for someone else. "If you don't have your priorities organized, it's very easy to pick up the first interruption that comes your way," Jarrow says. "Email is a really easy way to pass off work in the workplace, because you end up in constant reactionary mode to what's happening in your inbox."

Jarrow suggests blocking off two or three times a day to check your email. "Then stick to those times. You should even shut down your inbox if it's not during those periods, because otherwise the notifications about new email will interrupt your workflow and you'll revert to reactionary mode."

Get a firm hold on what in your inbox is wheat or chaff, because that will also cut down time. "When you do look at email, you'll probably find you can skip over and discard about 50 to 75 percent of what's there," says Bob Pozen, senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and author of "Extreme Productivity." "Maybe it came from a charity you've never heard of or an organization you forgot you belonged to. Or maybe you were unlucky to have been included in a 'Reply All' email. And that's important -- never hit 'Reply All.' It just generates a huge amount of emails, most of which aren't useful."

Make sure to take action immediately on the remaining email you find, using what Pozen calls the OHIO rule: "Only Handle It Once. The emails you get that are important shouldn't be put in a holding pattern. Answer them right away."

Meetings. Similar to email, some occupations are centered around meetings. But most of you are probably going to too many meetings. To ensure your workdays don't become clogged with one powwow after another and leaving little time for work, schedule blocks in your calendar for taking breaks and working uninterrupted -- then stick to those as much as possible. "Block your own time before the rest of the universe eats up your calendar with their own tasks," Jarrow says. "It's better etiquette to be able to say, 'I can't come to this meeting at this time because I have something scheduled,' than to say, 'I can't come because I have more important things to do.'"

Also avoid back-to-back meetings. "Most of our Outlook calendars look like a Tetris game, with each meeting touching and sometimes overlapping," Jarrow continues, suggesting a grace period between meetings to regroup and make it from one meeting to the next. "Try to close your meeting on 10 to the hour. Or even cut the meeting down by half. Meetings tend to expand to the time given, and you'd be surprised how much you could accomplish in 30 minutes."

Also note these last-minute reminders for having the most productive workday:

1. Start your tasks immediately. You're more focused and fresh at the beginning of your work shift. It would be a shame to squander that time lollygagging on Facebook and ESPN.com. "Productivity is a combination of efficiency and effectiveness," Jarrow says. "A lot of people lose the first half of their day by arriving late or gossiping with co-workers."

2. Reward yourself with breaks. Downtime is essential to recharge, and that's your chance to catch up on the goings-on of your office and Twitter feed. "Unless social media is a part of your job, then those sites are tabs you shouldn't have open while working," Sexton says. "Save the personal sites you love for your breaks and personal time. It'll give you something to look forward to."

3. Have at least one get-in-the-zone technique that works for you. There are many effective tactics -- from the Pomodoro Technique to your special Spotify playlist -- but there isn't one to rule them all. And not every technique will be compatible with your working style. "It's human nature to try something new and instantly think it's going to work for us," Sexton says. "But there's always a learning curve and trial and error to trying a new productivity app or technique. There is no magic bullet."

4. Do unto others ... Want less email to answer? Then stop sending out nonessential mail yourself. Want to have fewer meetings? Then take the lead by scheduling fewer meetings yourself. "Discussion and debate are the main reason to have a meeting," Pozen says. "If all you need to do is convey information, then there are many other methods with which you could do that."

Jada A. Graves is the Careers product manager at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter @jadaagraves, circle her on Google+ or email her at jgraves@usnews.com.