What prevents someone from reaching his/her peak potential at work? How can one improve one’s productivity, loosely defined here as magnitude and quality of outcomes achieved versus work/effort/hours put in?
My answer to the first question is that, among many factors, it is boredom or lack of motivation and distractions that cause productivity loss.
If your work keeps you excited every day and you have the right skills for your work, the thought of being highly productive will not even enter your mind. Your work will be its own reward. However, most jobs and careers have phases where one falls into a rut and the motivation that comes from work itself starts dwindling.
Distractions such as ubiquitous electronic devices, social media, meetings and conference calls and corporate as well as personal email are another major cause of productivity loss.
There are dozens of books and a huge amount of literature on productivity improvement out there, but I will still go ahead and list some common-sense tips that may help the cause. It is a small drop in an ocean, but at least I can post these tips with the conviction of personal experience.
If you are bored at work…
Create your own motivation by setting goals. The Management by Objectives approach does work well here. Goals with deadlines set targets that generate their own excitement and motivation. Completing a goal gives immense satisfaction and drives motivation further.
Set small, specific and time-bound goals. Don’t list routine activities as goals, think of goals that will have the most positive impact for your team and organization and, by virtue of this, on your career.
Don’t set grandiose and long-term goals that will be forgotten like New Year resolutions. Ask yourself what you can do or get done in the next month and next week that is in your control and that has the potential to bring about the most benefit.
Split the next week into days and compile a laundry list of all activities to be done. This is just a regular to-do list. Next, pick no more than three activities you want to accomplish today and give them a priority order. If your day is full of unavoidable meetings, have only one task planned for the day.
Attack the prioritized tasks in right earnest. Set aside “deep work” periods of time, even if only an hour or two at a time, to allow yourself to concentrate and make progress on a task.
Don’t jump to the next task as soon as one is accomplished. Take a short break, walk around, do some stretches, talk to people, have a snack or beverage, read something interesting. The break allows you to savor the fulfillment of work done well.
Over time, if a task becomes repetitive, set a goal to delegate it to someone in your team who is willing to learn, or automate the task to the extent possible.
Try to add a self-learning task every day, and if this is not possible, at least twice or thrice a week. This will add variety to your workday and will have the benefit of building up your skill base over time.
Enjoy the satisfaction of work well done at the end of the day. If planned tasks could not get completed, don’t fret. Spend a few minutes thinking about why it happened and whether it was in your control to complete the task.
Plan and prioritize the next day’s tasks before signing off today. It gives you something to look forward to. If the next morning brings surprises that upset your plan, just re-prioritize quickly and have no regrets.
If you are really meticulous, you can even age the tasks in your to-do list. Tasks that have been on the list for a long time without getting prioritized should be dropped or delegated. Tasks that have been in progress for a long time without getting completed may also tell you that it might be better to hand them over to someone else or to upskill yourself or shed procrastination and just get on with it.
Above all, try to start the day in a happy and positive frame of mind. Try not to think of a regular day at work as a drag. Easier said than done, but a cheerful attitude can do a lot of good.
If you get distracted at work…
Most of us get distracted at work these days as technology makes it easy to interrupt and intrude into a colleague’s space. Interruptions play havoc with your time and directly lower your productivity by breaking your concentration and forcing you to switch context.
In this regard, I don’t have novel solutions to offer except working on one’s self-control.
Keep your personal electronic devices aside when you are in “deep work” mode. Don’t check your social media during work hours at all. Impossible? Well, then check it at intervals of at least 3-4 hours and limit time spent to just a few minutes.
Don’t check work email constantly either. Five minutes every hour should be ok even if there are urgent communications. If you get a bunch of emails that you need to respond to without actually needing much work, set aside time at the beginning or end of the day to clear the lot. Do the same with work chat / instant messaging as well. Update your status to Do Not Disturb on the messaging platform while you are working on a task so that colleagues don’t feel you are ignoring their messages.
That brings us to meetings and conference calls – clearly the elephant in the room as far as distractions are concerned. Firstly, not all meetings are a waste of time, some could be really enriching if you attend with an open mind. Secondly, some meetings simply cannot be avoided even if they are not valuable. So, while planning your tasks for the day, it is better to plan around meetings and not overcommit to yourself. In meetings where you are expected to play an active part, it is best to go to the meeting prepared. It saves everyone time and makes the discussion constructive and specific.
Of course, some meetings do not really require your presence. Be forthright in declining them, or if some representation is warranted, delegate it to someone appropriate in your team.
Conducting effective meetings is also a topic where there is a huge amount of guidance available and it goes beyond the scope of this post.
So, these were some simple tips and thoughts that may be able to help you make routine workdays more meaningful and may give you a sense of fulfillment. Do share your favorite tips. Wish you productive days ahead!!
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The Generalist 