How to improve productivity and effectiveness at work

Car123 — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 12:44:49 +0000

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.

Why being healthy makes great career sense

Car123 — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 01:35:29 +0000

In the cut-throat race to move up the career ladder, a critical aspect that can determine how high one can eventually move up is ignored, and that is the physical and mental health of the individual. Health has a much greater role to play in career success than one gives it credit for; but if you think about it for a moment, it is not difficult to fathom why.

A healthy body generally means a more alert, energetic and productive individual, all of which are attributes that any organization will love in its staff. Not only do unhealthy employees result in direct costs to companies in the form of sick leave and other medical perquisites that companies may be offering their staff, but they also cost in huge intangible costs in lost productivity and infectious effect of having un-energetic team members. Is it any wonder that many companies take thorough medical tests before they recruit employees?

Secondly, being physically healthy has a great impact on the mental/ emotional health of an individual. The healthier you are physically, the better you feel about yourself; this comes across in how you deal with others in the team or clients for that matter. There is greater focus because the body is not diverting the attention of the mind while you are trying to work. Not only will a healthy body enable you to work longer or harder when the occasion demands, more importantly, it will help you get more out of yourself during regular working hours. What’s more, focused effort invariably leads to better quality output.

As any career coach will tell you, efficiency, productivity and high-quality are attributes that carry great weightage when companies look to move individuals up the corporate ladder. So, if you are committed to moving up in your career, take care of your health. It only takes acknowledgement of the importance of health and a commitment to work towards maintaining or improving it. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will a great start: eat healthy, do physical exercise regularly (long brisk walks or having a run daily) and give your body rest with adequate sleep. These are extremely simple tips- and nothing more than common sense really—but these are powerful tips that can make a huge impact to your career.

So, get started – and give your health a deeper look.

- The CareerXchange Editorial Team

Career Tips, Career Guidance & Career Opportunities » productivity

How to improve productivity and effectiveness at work

Why being healthy makes great career sense