We work hard, give all our strength, but for some reason we still don’t have the desired result. What is the matter and how to deal with it? Clinical psychologist Joel Minden talks about nine ways to improve performance.
My friend told me that she recently had an extremely productive day. She managed to read a lot of what she did not have time to read. She managed to do several tests. A friend was proud of the fact that in one day she fulfilled a significant part of her plans. I listened to her attentively, but did not understand what she had done. Where is the result? She never got around to practical work and planned to read many more books and articles before starting to work.
Like most people, my friend puts off projects until later, when she is “ready.” And when all the books are finally read and the tests are passed, people complain that they have no energy, time or motivation.
In my opinion, productivity is the optimal balance between the quality and quantity of work done in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort. In other words: do as much as possible, as best you can, and as efficiently as possible. Here are some tips on how to achieve this efficiency.
1. Wear a watch. Plan your time according to biorhythms. After what period of time do you get tired, start to be distracted, want to eat. How long does it take you on average to complete a certain type of task? Take breaks, change activities by the hour. They are preferable to a smartphone, because they do not distract on social networks and games and are always in the same place.
2. Set goals before you start. Think about the purpose of your work. If you don’t have a goal and a plan, you can quickly lose focus and effectiveness. If you know why you’re doing it and get it done point by point on time, you’ll motivate yourself to keep going.
3. Get rid of interference. Understand what is stopping you from being productive. Can’t get started? Set an alarm for a specific time. Spending too much time on details? Specify the goals and set a time frame for their implementation. Are you worried too much? Learn breathing exercises and other relaxation practices.
If you have a negative attitude towards work, you cannot be effective.
4. Turn off your smartphone. Gadgets are a special kind of barrier to efficiency. If you want to be productive, don’t be fooled by taking small breaks from work to check social media and email. If the gadget is turned off, you will not be distracted by signals and it will take time to get and turn it on, which means you will use it less often.
5. Work on your thoughts. If you have a negative attitude towards work, you cannot be effective. Try to think differently. If you say, «This job is so boring,» try to find what you like about it. Or start doing it differently. For example, you can “persuade” yourself to do difficult work with pleasant music.
6. Schedule a «productive hour.» At this time, every day you will do something that you have been putting off for a long time or doing slowly and in a bad mood. At this hour, you should concentrate as much as possible and try to do as much as possible. Working intensively on complex tasks for an hour will allow you the flexibility to plan the rest of the time.
7. Attack difficult projects early in the day. In the morning you are full of energy and can focus on work as much as possible.
If you feel tired, take a short break, otherwise mistakes in work cannot be avoided.
8. Take minute breaks. If you feel tired, take a short break. This is much more effective than overcoming fatigue at the expense of work. If you are tired, you work slowly, make more mistakes and get distracted more often. Stand up, walk around the room, swing your arms, legs, bend over, take a deep breath and exhale.
9. Make productivity a part of your life. Being an effective person is much more pleasant than sitting out a working day from bell to bell, trying not to strain.