How to improve productivity and effectiveness at work

Posted on | September 6, 2014 | No Comments

Productivity and effectiveness are among the most desirable characteristics that managers look for in their team. High productivity and effectiveness indicate a high degree of output of the right kind. The former is closely tied to time management and how well one manages the most precious resource at a person’s disposal, while effectiveness is more a reflection of right decision making and the ability to focus on the most important things. In this article, we provide four simple tips to help improve productivity at work.

Plan your work and work the plan
A vast majority of the workforce turns up at work everyday with no definite plan of what needs to be done. They do not have a daily plan, let alone a weekly or monthly plan. If you are one of those who aspires to move ahead in your career, get into the habit of making at least daily and weekly work plans. Discuss it with your manager and ensure he/she is fine with that work plan. Once you have agreement, proceed to work on the plan and execute it. Such organisation will help you move forward with definite goals in mind; achievement of goals is the only way you can expect to reach higher career goals.

Get rid of distractions and improve your focus

In the world we live in, we are continuously distracted by instant messages, e-mails, phone calls and of course, social media. It is extremely tempting to check the latest What’sApp joke or respond to an instant message from a friend. Despite the obvious usefulness of all the connections that social media and modern communication applications bring, you cannot underestimate the drain on productivity that these can have. Make sure you are conscious of this fact and develop the discipline to avoid getting distracted in the middle of work. Make the commitment to resist the temptation to be swayed by these except in pre-defined, short blocks of time.

Take a break from work once every few months
Plan to take a break from work every few months; even something like a couple of days off or short weekend getaways can rejuvenate and recharge you. During this time, ensure you are fully switched-off from work. Just as it is tempting to check out non-work related stuff during work time, it is equally tempting to ‘worry’ about work while you are taking a break. Unless something is absolutely critical and your input is necesary, put work on the back-burner, so that when you are back fresh at work you can give it your full attention.

Develop and pursue some interests out of work
It is critical to have a hobby or interest outside of work. Such pursuits puts work in the right perspective and lends balance to life. For example, you’d have seen professional cricketers in the Indian cricket team follow other sports like football and tennis (or Bollywood, for that matter).

As you can see, these tips aren’t too difficult to put into practice; it just requires you to make a commitment to make yourself more productive at work. Maximising your personal productivity will help you achieve your full potential and provide you with both professional and personal fulfillment.

- The CareerXChange Editorial Team.