Productivity is usually associated to the amount of useful work done, targets accomplished and goals achieved. But in this world of distractions, where a million things are competing for each second of your attention, the focus span is reducing and getting some actual work done is increasingly becoming a battle against time. Things could be better though if we knew beforehand about these little monster killers of our time and energy, and the answer to the million dollar question we often ask ourselves; ”where did the day go?”
Here’s a list of 10 statements that account for poor productivity in our daily life:
1. I can’t do this now!
Some people spend the whole day jumping from one mail to the other and finishing one task to start the next and still at the end of the day when they take stock of the work done, they realize they haven’t achieved much of what they set out to. It’s because they are exercising, what I like to call, second degree procrastination, the one in which you pass on the most important tasks of the day to do some other light work either because your main work is too complex or time consuming. They beat the bush playing around small tasks and answering simple e-mails which do not require much focus or work.
2. I can finish all of this at once!
Much as we would like to, aren’t physically and mentally built to handle too many things at a time. Doing so results in lack of focused work, mistakes, forgetting things and anxiety. It is important to stick to what you are doing and take it to the finish before you pick something else up.
3. Got a lot to do, no breaks today!
Taking a break is not necessarily a waste of time or a time to chit chat and make unnecessary conversations On the contrary, taking healthy breaks and making for some no-work zones in your every day schedule allows you the breathing space to relax, rejuvenate and take stock of your projects progress and your own performance.
4. No schedules for me, I am flexible!
Some people believe that restricting their work in schedules and binding it in to-do lists are an impediment that does not allows them to do a lot. In reality, your mind is great at executing patterns and following routines. Organizing your days work in a sequence, defining boundaries to obstruct unnecessary tasks and establishing a structure around your work can greatly improve your efficiency.
5. It’s all in my mind, I remember everything!
If you are used to going around with a mind that is full of ideas, thoughts and to-do lists, you are less likely to focus on the task at hand. Do a brain drain and write down everything on paper or just email a list to yourself. Work light headed!
6. It’s just a little time on the net!
OfficeTime.net conducted a survey of over 600 small business owners, freelancers and professionals and found out that an average person spends at least two hours per day surfing the Internet. That’s a lot of time! A little Facebook, twitter here, a little YouTube, Amazon there can eventually all add up.
Define boundaries around your work, deter those interruptions, put the phone on silence, turn off those notifications and block the sites that consume your precious minutes.
7. I will complete all the major work today!
Trying to execute tasks throughout the day can be counterproductive as we do not have the same energy levels all through the day. This requires understanding your body and the hours you feel energized maximum. It is advisable to deal with complex tasks when you have your energy at the highest, and when the energy is waning away, is the time we should assign for work that does not require too much mental effort or is light work.
8. I believe in finishing- as- you- go!
Such impulsive workers take up impromptu meetings, leave the work at hand to cater to phone calls and respond to mails and texts during meetings. In short, they pick up any form of unscheduled work, taking up tasks at random without really assigning any priority to them on a first come, first serve basis. This is a major enemy that can affect your performance.
Control that impulse, assign priorities and start with finishing what is critical and needs to be finished before EOD.
9. I will skip that Lunch/breakfast!
Feeling overwhelmed with meetings, emails and phone calls…..presentation lined up back to back, no time for food today please!
If you find yourself allowing for such mini hunger strikes on a busy day, it can backfire and you can end up making mistakes and losing focus. Your body needs both food and rest to perform at its best. A lack of any of the two can result in decreased energy and even sickness.
10. I can do that, No problem!
If you accept everything that comes your way then you are more likely to put up a bad show. It can be difficult for some people to exercise “NO” and they end up having too much on their plate. Everyone around you is happy but now you are stuck with more work and less time. Not a very appealing situation to be in!
Know your limits, learn to turn down irrelevant commitments, let go of all that is unnecessary, freeing up more time for what’s important.
Avoid these productivity killers to get more done with less efforts and lesser stress.
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