7 Lessons on Productivity
14 November 2012
Read by 1792 persons
Being productive means creating something. In the business world, it also means, and above all, making money, the lifeblood of any company. Being productive means being fertile, prolific, imaginative, creative, inventive, generous, fruitful, abundant, fertile, rich, profitable, remunerative, beneficial, useful, advantageous, lucrative....
There are various ways to become productive. Here are some ideas.
1. Avoid procrastination.
To overcome procrastination, learn to do what you least want to do first thing in the morning. This will prevent you from postponing the task throughout the day. This first victory will set the tone for a satisfying day.
Think ahead and make a to-do list. There's no need to put the items in any particular order. This will only serve to keep in mind what needs to be done.
2. Learn to know your productivity peaks.
Identify your peak productivity cycles during the day. Everyone has them. And by paying attention to them, you'll eventually get to know them and be able to use them in a useful and positive way.
Schedule your important tasks for these specific hours and keep your less important activities for your "low-yield" hours.
3. Stay focused.
Set aside blocks of time where you won't be interrupted, where no one will be able to disturb your concentration with chatter or requests for service... Do your "interruptible" tasks during "interruptible" hours and save the implementation of your more stimulating projects for your "uninterruptible" periods.
4. Set (achievable) goals.
Identify the goals you want to achieve before you stop working. For example, don't leave your office without having filed document X or having responded to Mr. Y. Achieving mini-goals builds confidence to aim for larger ones in the future.
5. Group tasks.
Group your tasks to be done according to their similarity (several phone calls, several errands...) at a specific, well-chosen time, and do everything at once.
Not scattering yourself, "grouping yourself", is another way to increase your productivity.
6. Be calm.
Working in noise is to lose a major part of your concentration and therefore your efficiency. Sometimes, consider turning off the Wi-Fi/network and going to work in a place away from distractions and/or noise pollution. Also consider turning off all your communication tools (e.g., your mobile phone, PDA, etc.) for a few hours of deep concentration.
7. Plan ahead.
At the end of your workday, ask yourself what the first task to accomplish will be the next day, as soon as you arrive, and stick to what you have planned.
In all cases, the golden rule remains willpower. The will to stick to what you've decided to do.
Article written by The ReKrute.com team
There are various ways to become productive. Here are some ideas.
1. Avoid procrastination.
To overcome procrastination, learn to do what you least want to do first thing in the morning. This will prevent you from postponing the task throughout the day. This first victory will set the tone for a satisfying day.
Think ahead and make a to-do list. There's no need to put the items in any particular order. This will only serve to keep in mind what needs to be done.
2. Learn to know your productivity peaks.
Identify your peak productivity cycles during the day. Everyone has them. And by paying attention to them, you'll eventually get to know them and be able to use them in a useful and positive way.
Schedule your important tasks for these specific hours and keep your less important activities for your "low-yield" hours.
3. Stay focused.
Set aside blocks of time where you won't be interrupted, where no one will be able to disturb your concentration with chatter or requests for service... Do your "interruptible" tasks during "interruptible" hours and save the implementation of your more stimulating projects for your "uninterruptible" periods.
4. Set (achievable) goals.
Identify the goals you want to achieve before you stop working. For example, don't leave your office without having filed document X or having responded to Mr. Y. Achieving mini-goals builds confidence to aim for larger ones in the future.
5. Group tasks.
Group your tasks to be done according to their similarity (several phone calls, several errands...) at a specific, well-chosen time, and do everything at once.
Not scattering yourself, "grouping yourself", is another way to increase your productivity.
6. Be calm.
Working in noise is to lose a major part of your concentration and therefore your efficiency. Sometimes, consider turning off the Wi-Fi/network and going to work in a place away from distractions and/or noise pollution. Also consider turning off all your communication tools (e.g., your mobile phone, PDA, etc.) for a few hours of deep concentration.
7. Plan ahead.
At the end of your workday, ask yourself what the first task to accomplish will be the next day, as soon as you arrive, and stick to what you have planned.
In all cases, the golden rule remains willpower. The will to stick to what you've decided to do.
Article written by The ReKrute.com team
