A University of California Irvine study found it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption. For HR professionals — constantly switching between recruitment, payroll, compliance, and employee issues — that lost focus time adds up fast.
You don’t need a productivity guru. You need practical systems that work within the reality of an HR role. Here are nine that you can start using today.
1. Work Out a Daily Plan
When you create a daily plan first thing every morning, you give structure to your day. With this in mind, you can list out all the tasks you need to accomplish for the day. Think about what must be done today, what can be delayed until tomorrow, and what your overall goal for the day should be.
2. Sort Out Your Inbox
There are two types of people in this world: those with zero unread emails, and those with 5,000. Whatever the case, mastering your email/Slack/messaging app inbox is crucial to productivity.
As an HR professional, you’ll likely get hundreds of emails a day. Don’t read or respond to them the instant they arrive. Instead, spend something like two hours each day managing your inbox. Using that window of time to respond to each email ensures deep focus for the rest of the day.
3. Adopt the Pomodoro
Time management is key to productivity. And the time management technique that’s gotten the most praise is the Pomodoro technique.
Invented in the 1980s, the Pomodoro technique was named after a kitchen timer – and that is what you need. Essentially, the technique entails:
Set your kitchen timer (or any other timer, really) for 25 minutes. Work on your chosen task for the 25 minutes. Once the 25 minutes is up, take a five-minute break regardless of completion. Continue the cycle until your task is done. The work-then-break cycle ensures focused attention, with a break to manage stress levels. You can easily adapt this to the office – just use a quiet timer to avoid disturbing your colleagues.
4. Stop Multitasking
It doesn’t matter how good you think you are at multitasking. Research has shown that trying to multitask lowers productivity and increases errors. Our brains are simply not designed to multitask. This is why scheduling and daily plans are so important as it helps organize your time.
5. Don’t Get Distracted
According to a study by University of California Irvine, it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on track after an interruption at work. It might be tough for HR not to be distracted, but you do need this headspace to do deep work like resource planning, writing job descriptions, and other focus tasks.
To do this, schedule an hour or two each day for serious, head-down work. No meetings, no notifications, no chit-chat – just a pure state where the productivity should flow freely.
6. Learn to Say “No”
As an HR professional, it’s hard to say “no” to someone. You want to help out and be a team player, but sometimes you need to set boundaries to stay productive.
Doing tasks that are ultimately not within your job scope is a surefire way for productivity to slip away from you. Of course, it is important to help where possible – but not at the expense of your own work. Consequently, set your priorities and deadlines and stick to them. This will help you say “no” easier.
7. Go Natural
Being cooped up in a stuffy office is no one’s idea of a productive time. Natural light and fresh air are crucial to wellness and productivity; hence productivity will increase in a healthy environment. It’s also no coincidence that modern office design emphasizes bright, open spaces with plenty of ventilation.
8. Make Time for Yourself
It may sound counter-intuitive, but people who take breaks tend to be more productive. Making time for yourself is important not only for productivity, but also to avoid burnout. Taking a break and relaxing enables you to recharge your energy, get back your motivation, and return to the job with renewed productivity.
9. Automate Tasks with HR Software Like Leave Balance
The HR function is full of repetitive tasks, such as payroll, expense claims, leave tracking, and more. Doing all these manually is slow and error-prone.
Leave Balance automates leave tracking and payroll calculations, freeing up hours of manual work every week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best productivity technique for HR professionals?
The Pomodoro Technique (25-minute focused work blocks with 5-minute breaks) works well for HR because it balances the need for deep focus with the reality of frequent interruptions. Pair it with inbox batching for the best results.
How can HR reduce time spent on administrative tasks?
Automate repetitive processes like leave tracking, payroll calculations, and onboarding workflows with HR software. Even simple automation can reclaim 10+ hours per week for strategic work.
How do you stay productive with constant interruptions?
Block 1-2 hours daily for focused, interruption-free work. Turn off notifications, close your door (or set Slack to DND), and batch all messages for designated response windows.
Does multitasking actually work?
No. Research consistently shows multitasking reduces productivity and increases errors. Single-tasking with structured time blocks is far more effective, especially for detail-oriented HR work like compliance and payroll.