11 simple things you can do to be more productive and impressive at work

11 simple things you can do to be more productive and impressive at work11 simple things you can do to be more productive and impressive at workThe path to professional success is long, and often winding. Its a combination of working hard, pursuing your passions, and meeting the right people.But there are steps you can take immediately to get closer to your goals. Below, weve collected a bunch of quick and dirty strategies - supported by research and expert opinion - to be more successful at work. Youll learn how to impress your babo (and make your coworkers jealous) and stay productive even when youre feeling uninspired.Read on for our top tips.Show up on time - or earlySimply put, your boss will like you more.Research from the Michael G. Foster School of Businessat the University of Washington suggests that employees who get into the office early are generally perceived by their managers as more conscientious and receive higher performance ratings than employees who arrive later .And it doesnt matter if those who get in later stay later, too.In the Harvard Business Review,the paper authors writeIn three separate studies, we found evidence of a natural stereotype at work Compared to people who choose to work earlier in the day, people who choose to work later in the day are implicitly assumed to be less conscientious and less effective in their jobs.The one caveat? If your boss is a night owl, they probably wont judge you as harshly for showing up on the later side.Dress upResearch suggests thatdressing more formallycan make you both feel and appear more powerful.In one2014 study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, men dressed in either a suit or sweats engaged in mock negotiations with a partner. Results showed that the men were more successful in the negotiations when they were wearing a suit.Bumping into your CEO unexpectedly might sound like the beginning of a nightmare. It doesnt have to be.According toetiquette and civility expertRosa linda Oropeza Randall, its an opportunity to show yourself off. If you dont know the person very well,introduce yourselfand tell them which department you work in. Then read their body language to see whether theyre interested in chatting further.If youre already pretty chummy with your CEO, you can simply say something like, Do you have plans for the holidays?Schedule a power hourTime-management expert and authorLaura Vanderkam recommendsdedicating the first hour of your workday to an important project. Ideally, youll be uninterrupted by emails, phone calls, or knocks on your door.She calls it a power hour.As Vanderkam previously told Business Insider, We have to consciously choose to spend less time on email and carve out time for the important work that matters to us.You might think listening to music helps you get stuff done faster, but in fact research suggests that it makes youlessproductiveon most tasks. For example, a2010 studyfound that people performed worse on a memory ta sk when they listened to music in the background, compared to when they worked in quiet.According to Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist and musician, a better bet is tolisten to musicfor 10 to 15 minutes before you get down to work, so youre relaxed and in a good mood.Listen to music right before you departure an assignmentYou might think listening to music helps you get stuff done faster, but in fact research suggests that it makes youlessproductiveon most tasks. For example, a2010 studyfound that people performed worse on a memory task when they listened to music in the background, compared to when they worked in quiet.According to Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist and musician, a better bet is tolisten to musicfor 10 to 15 minutes before you get down to work, so youre relaxed and in a good mood.Take a lunch break with coworkersOne survey found that 80% of workerseat lunch at their desks.And yet stepping outside, even for 15 to 30 minutes, during your lunch break can be beneficial. A s a professor at University of California, Davis Graduate School of Managementtold NPR We know that creativity and innovation happen when people change their environment, and especially when they expose themselves to a nature-like environment, to a natural environment.Meanwhile, a2015 studyfound thateating lunch with coworkerscan boost team performance. Specifically, firefighters who prepared and ate meals together displayed more cooperative behavior.Find a peer mentorYour manager shouldnt be the only person at work to give you feedback.According to Suzanne Bates, CEO ofBates Communicationsand author of the new book All the Leader You Can Be, successful leaders often havepeer mentors, or coworkers who they regularly exchange feedback with. Bates says having a peer mentor can help you rise faster in your organization.She recommend choosing someone who works in a different geschftliches miteinander or department at your organization. Its even better if youve worked with that person on a cross-business or inter-department project.Meanwhile, bestselling author Simon Sinek says themost successful leadershave a buddy, or someone who also aspires to leadership. Buddies regularly exchange knowledge and advice in order to keep each other from getting too caught up in the trappings of wealth and fame.Ask your team for feedbackDont forget tosolicit feedback from people who are junior to youas well.Kim Scott, a former Google and Apple exec, and the author of Radical Candor Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, recommends asking your reports, Is there anything I could do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me?Then - and this is the hard part - wait silently for six seconds. Your employees will have to come up with some piece of constructive criticism just to make things less awkward.Speak up in a meetingYes, it can be scary - but it pays off.Jenna Lyons, former president and executive creative director of J.Crew Group Inc.,told Mottoshes impr essed by employees whospeak up and share ideas.I find it impossible to understand where a person stands if they dont join the conversation, she said.Opinions arent reserved for those in the eckball office. Find your voice, and make sure to balance your input you should be contributing roughly equal parts complimentary support of others with thoughtful, constructive criticism. And never be afraid to pitch an idea we all have good ones, and we all have bad ones, Lyons said.Towards the end of the day, reflect on what you accomplishedIts simpler than you think.A 2014working paperfrom researchers at Harvard Business School and elsewhere found that15 minutes of reflective writingis enough to make you more successful at work.In one study, employees at an Indian outsourcing company spent the last 15 minutes of the workday either going through further training or writing and reflecting on what theyd learned that day. Results showed that the second group performed about 23% better on a final assessment.In the field study, we were asking people to work less, one of the study authors previously told Business Insider. Its counterintuitive, because you think you want to use those 15 minutes to keep working, but it actually leads to performance.Plan the following work dayDont wait until tomorrow morning to figure out what you need to be working on. Workplace expertshave told Business Insiderthat its important to get your most important objectives for the next day down on paper.You may have two or three of them that are top of mind, but commit them to writing so you have a core foundation to work from the next morning, said national workplace expert Lynn Taylor.This practice also helps youstop fixating on work obligations- and actually relax a little. A2015 study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, found that writing down how you plan to complete any unfinished tasks the following day allowed many people to stop thinking about those tasks .This article was originally published on Business Insider.