There's a notable distinction between being busy and being productive. Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're being productive. Being productive is less about time management and more on managing your energy. It is the business of life. We need to learn how to spend the least amount of energy to get the most benefits.
Stop working overtime and increase your productivity: The more you work, the less effective and productive you are going to become over both short and long-term. Because being productive is less about time management and more on managing your energy. It's important for us not to overwork ourselves and get enough sleep to maintain a high level of productivity
Stop being a perfectionist: There are some problems associated with being a perfectionist, they spend more time than required on a task. They procrastinate and wait for the perfect moment. They miss the big picture while being too focused on small things. Often waiting for the perfect moment, they end up missing it. So the perfect moment is now.
Doing everything yourself: Another grave mistake is to try to become the jack of all trades. You eventually burn out and end up missing opportunities. Unfortunately, this is what subjects us to serious amount of work related stress and anxiety.
Why not let someone who is better at a task than you are, take over some of your load. Most productive people know the importance of delegating work, leaving their hands free to handle more pressing matters.
Stop saying yes to everything: Just saying yes because you cannot bear the short term pain of saying no is not going to help you do the work. Saying ‘yes’ to everything that comes your way can subject you to extreme work pressures, in addition to hampering your productivity. Learn to say ‘no’ if you want to be more productive.
Saying ‘yes’ to everything that comes your way can subject you to extreme work pressures, in addition to hampering your productivity. Learn to say ‘no’ if you want to be more productive.
Stop wasting time: Time is a precious commodity. We all know that, right. Do we treat it like money? No. Be it emails, meetings, social media, chatting with co-workers or anything else, we all waste time at work in one way or another. Meetings are the biggest productivity killers at work, followed by emails. Stop wasting time on useless meetings or make meetings fruitful, manage emails efficiently and keep distractions at bay to be more productive.
Multitasking decreases the productivity: Multitasking decreases your productivity and efficiency. According to a study conducted at University of London, multitasking can decrease your IQ and damage your brain.
Hence, the focus on one thing at a time because our brains are hard-wired to do that. When you try to multi-task, your brain starts to switch focus from one task to another, which can result in a loss of precious time, making you less productive in turn.
Success is based on smart work not hard work: Specify your goal, whether it's in your head or on paper, you should have a checklist in mind and follow it in order. Avoid repeating steps, imitating the efforts of others.
Try to avoid multi-tasking because you often get less done since your brain is switching back and forth between tasks. Pick one thing to work on and put your best effort into that until it is accomplished. Set a time limit for when you stop working on the task at hand and take a rest.
The writer is Ajay Sharma, Future of Work Experts, Founder, Get Me Experts & Flexiorg
