How To Perform Better at Work ? How Productive Are You ?
Some people are slow to get things going and get things done. Others who are more productive seem to whiz through paperwork. They possess the right organization skills and communication skills. They know how to delegate their work. They get along well with their supervisor, colleagues and employees.
"In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: They must not do too much of it: And they must have a sense of success in it." ~John Ruskin
Run through the test below and see where you stand. If you say YES to most of the following, please consider taking a closer look at your working habits and look for ways to improve your skills for a better job performance.
Most of the time the following terms describes me :
| YES
| NO
|
---|---|---|
Procrastination
| ||
Lack of organization
| ||
Misplaced items
| ||
Perfectionism
| ||
Do not use a team approach
| ||
Inability to say NO
| ||
Difficulty in listening
| ||
Not trusted by others
| ||
Do not trust others
| ||
Do not confront problems
| ||
Do not stand up for your rights
| ||
Do not set priorities to do what needs to be done
| ||
Avoid difficult situations
| ||
Spend time on unnecessary correspondence
| ||
Do not praise others for good work
| ||
Lack of confidence in difficult situations
| ||
Do not consider political agenda of others
| ||
Lack of network to the right people
| ||
Act over your impulses, emotions, and desires
| ||
Lack of concentration, difficult to focus on the task at hand
| ||
Often change target or purpose in life
| ||
Unproductive multi-tasking
| ||
Start new activity before completing one
| ||
Lack of time management skills
| ||
Overloaded with work
| ||
Overloaded with information, and lack of information management skills
|
If you said YES to most of the above questions, your productivity skills need a boost. For instance, if you think that you communicate poorly with others, feel uncomfortable showing your rights and stands, have the inability to say NO, are indecisive and lack of confidence, your assertive skills can be improved. You may want to read these articles below :
- How Do You Rate Yourself on Assertiveness?
Do you say "yes" when you mean "no"? Do you keep your opinions to yourself for fear of upsetting or starting an argument with others? Find out if you stand up for yourself as much as you should with this... - How is Assertiveness Different from Aggressiveness
AGGRESSIVENESS Some people in their effort to become more assertive become excessively dominant or aggressive instead. People who behave aggressively seek for attention by expressing their anger and...
Are you aware of what your problems are ? Do you acknowledge, take responsibility and do something to come out of these situations ? Do you consider the alternatives or a change in dealing with your day-to-day situations ? What actions can you take to become more productive ? Consider reading the article below and check on your well-being:
- How Well Do You Take Care Of Yourself ?
Very often, we cannot control the circumstances that life throws our way, but we can control how well we take care of our self. Taking proper care of our body, soul and mind can keep us in optimum shape for... - Do You Do Negative Talk ? Where do you stand on the ...
For many, self-esteem squashers from childhood, adolescence, and even adulthood result in negative talk in oneself. The degree to which a person function effectively and confidently later in life depends to a...
How to Double Your Productive Hours on Any Day
Some Good Books To Get You Started
How to be a more productive employee ? Here are the seven steps to improve your work performance
You can improve your productivity and performance at work by following these simple steps and get your work life organized:
1. Create a “things to do” list
With this “things to do” list, you can keep track of the tasks you need to do, and keeping you on track to meet your goals. It also helps you prioritize your work, and monitor your productivity. It is a useful tool to track your performance management.
2. Prioritize your “things to do” list
Break down your list according to criticality and reasonable time limits. While all tasks need to be completed, some items will be more time critical than the rest. Give an estimated date of completion to each of the items on your list. This helps you to focus on the urgent task on your list. If the list is long, it will also help you to keep the momentum to get the task completed one after another. You’ll learn to enjoy crossing items off your list too, and move on to the next one.
3. Don't start a new task until you have completed your urgent tasks
Ensure that you are able to complete your urgent tasks before you take on new tasks. Starting a new task before completing the old task may confuse, stress or overwhelm you. If new items come in, rearrange the priority to focus on the most urgent task if necessary.
4. Be flexible
At times, something more urgent comes up, and it hinders you from getting the tasks completed as planned. On such occasion, even the best time management training in the world will not help you to get all your tasks accomplished as desired. Such incident will happen occasionally, so be flexible, and let it go. When your time frees up again, immediately go back to your prioritized task list.
5. Deadlines
Deadlines will push you to get your work done. Without a deadline, one tends to procrastinate.
6. Concentration
Eliminate distractions from your work area. It could be colleagues stopping by to chat, phone calls, emails, noise, or a cluttered desk. Identify the sources of distraction that hinders you from performing at your best productivity and find ways to minimize them. One of the easiest solutions is to simply close your door and concentrate.
7. Plan Ahead
Finally, at the end of the day, before you go home, plan your work on the next day. Review the to-do list, and move incomplete items to the next day. Review the priority if necessary. If new items are coming in, re-prioritize the list.
You'll be amazed at how these simple seven steps will increase your work performance and productivity. Good luck !
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