Dynamic Happenings

6 P’s of Increasing Your Productivity at Workplace

Is work-life imbalance taking a toll on you? Does your boss constantly ask you
to increase your productivity? Are your work targets spinning out of control? Are
you always in a tug war with those never-ending deadlines? If yes, we totally
understand what you are going through. The good news is that you can choose to
switch to a more meaningful and productive life, anytime you want to. Here’s how!
To take a step up on the career ladder, time is perhaps the most valuable asset. A great deal of success depends on how you use those hours to achieve your personal and professional goals. You can either see it slip through your hand like sand or you can take charge and use it smartly to increase your productivity. Here we are focusing on the latter as it is the key metric in enabling businesses and individuals to thrive in the current times.

Here are 6 P’s of increasing your productivity at workplace:

1. Be ‘P’roactive – A wise man once said, “The weaker mind reacts. The stronger mind proacts.” Reactive people often blame their environment for their failures. In contrast, proactive people create their own environment for achieving success. The law of chaos is universal and affects us all the same. No matter how much you plan, things do get messed up. We all know the drill – you have a meeting scheduled and your car won’t start, you wake up with a heavy head, you get stuck in traffic and so forth. To make up for such contingencies, you have to be geared up in advance. In the corporate world, Proactivity equals to Productivity.

2. ‘P’rocrastinate No More – While being proactive is something you should start doing, procrastinating is something you should start undoing. The most prevalent factor hampering productivity is the habit of procrastinating. The good news is that procrastination is not about lack of time or resources but just a matter of habit and can be changed with a little determination. Vow to yourself not to postpone a task for tomorrow when it can be done now!

3. ‘P’lan Your Day Ahead – A wise man once said that the most effective ideas are often the simplest one. When it comes to increasing productivity, the simplest solution is planning things ahead. Use a planner if you need to. Dedicate the first 10 minutes of your day to make a list of the tasks you are going to complete today. Putting tasks down on paper will lessen the chances of forgetting them. As the day progresses, you can add new tasks and cross off the completed ones.

4. ‘P’rioritize Your Goals – It’s impressive that you already have your To-Do list ready but even more importantly, you have to prioritize your tasks. According to the Pareto’s 80-20 principle, 20% of your time yields 80% of the results and 80% of your time yields 20% of the results. Think through your deadlines and pending tasks for the day. Decide what’s more important to you. Focus first on finishing those tasks that needs you to invest most of your time and effort.

5. Use the ‘P’ower of Technology - Unlike our forefathers, our life has become very complex. But for heaven’s sake, we are blessed with technology. If you are not taking full advantage of technology to simplify your life, you are just acting primitive. There are many tools and apps available for organizing, scheduling and managing your day-to-day tasks. By making the best use of such tools, you can streamline your tasks and gain balance in your life.

6. ‘P’ause and Play – As per the conventional wisdom, the more hours you burn, the more work is done, right? Wrong! According to leading human resource reports, employees who take timely breaks often tend to be healthier, happier and more productive than those who burn themselves for long hours at a stretch. As they say “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Take breaks, walk around, and catch up on a casual chat with your colleague. And if you are lucky enough to have a pool table, dart board or table tennis at your workplace, all the better! If you feel like it, and if your manager allows, work out of the office for a while. It’s good and totally professional to take breaks and get refreshed and recharged!

At the end of the day, high productivity boils down to one thing - How well you plan, prioritize and perform. These smart ways and lessons will be extremely useful. Adopting these 6 P’s in your life will help you gain a competitive advantage over your contemporaries.