All posts tagged work productivity

Motivation 101: How to Love Your Job More

Posted by on September 13, 2016

” Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do” -Steve Jobs

 

If every person in the planet was lucky, he or she would be doing what he or she loves best and get paid for it. Unfortunately, some of us are constrained to mediocre jobs that do pay well in order to survive day to day. However, if you loved your job, you would find yourself looking forward to going to work whether you may be working in a retail conglomerate or in seo consulting services .In fact, a wise and popular maxim coined by Confucius has had a rather interesting view on jobs and professional careers. He has said that if a man chooses a job that he loves, he will never have to work a day in his life. Similarly, Simon Sinek has asserted that stress results from working for something we do not care about, while working for something we love is called passion.  Without a doubt, a huge fraction of our lives is spent working, so it is only natural for us to desire doing something we do love and get paid for it. Though seeking a job you inherently love is incredibly laudable, albeit a bit hard to do, it is not exactly realistic nor is it practical. People may complain about being discontent with their 9-5 jobs, but you do not exactly see a mass exodus of employees seeking better jobs elsewhere, making radical career changes or doing freelance work all in the name of passion.

Leaving our jobs where we generate steady income to chase our passions is detrimental to stability. Not to mention that it breeds uncertainty for the future and may not exactly provide food for the table to eat. This is not to say that all those who do are not awe-inspiring –they are, but in most cases, we have to be realistic and think about what would serve us better day to day.  Fortunately though, there are countless and commendable ways to love your job more and in such a way that would motivate you to work even better.

 

1.) Realize that the job you have does not define you.

However, realize that how you perform it does. When it comes to your job, there is a lot that can be said for attitude. You can be smart and have the right set of skills, but all this will be for naught if you do not have the right kind of attitude complemented with the right kind of work ethic. Despite what many might think, any job can be done exceptionally well if it is done with compassion and done with care. Your attitude in going about your work has a leverage on what kind of work output you do. How you treat people, your mood does not go unnoticed and it has a profound effect on the people you work with it. Admittedly, there are inevitable scenarios wherein you cannot control the situation but you can always choose how to react and live with it.

 

2.) Stop focusing on the money

You might be in the job because it pays well, or you might have taken a job you disliked because the salary offer was rather exorbitant. But what you need to keep in mind is that for unfathomable reason, money will never be sufficient enough so stop using it or the lack of it for that matter as an excuse. Whatever income you might have at the end of the day, there will always be things you had wanted to do or you could have done had there been more. If this is the kind of tack you are used to, then try tracking the money you make and see where your money is really going. This can aid you to focus on thing that you really want. Sure, having an income might be one of the biggest lures of a job, but is only one small aspect of what you do. At the end of the day, your work should be more than just a paycheck in order for it to be fulfilling.

3.)  Find significance in what you do

Contemplate and do some introspection.  Finding meaning and significance in what you do may require you to think outside the box and give some thought about what you have been doing. Take some time to ask yourself pivotal questions as well. Do you provide essential service? Do you get to see the finished product? Do you direct how things are done? Do you feel like you are going anywhere? Then ask yourself this imperative question: How can I make this job better or done differently just because I am the one doing it? Thinking outside the box and asking yourself some reflective questions would put things in perspective. As a result, satisfaction increases as well as a sense of well-being. Remember why you took the job in the first place and what drew you to it.

 

4.) Ask yourself if it is really worth it

When you have gone through the three phases above and still could not find any aspect in your job that is amiable to you, then consider the reasons why there is nothing in your job that you love. Is it turning you into a person you can never be or dislike? Do you see yourself not going anywhere? Perhaps, you do not need a new job but simply the direction. Do you like the person that you are while doing this job? If the answer is in the negative, then are there changes you can incorporate to change it? Or is the job itself the inherent problem?  Maybe it is not the job that you are doing which is unsatisfying, but rather the different course you have taken since you have started. You might have veered off course from your original responsibilities and are constrained to do something you find no value in doing. If this is the case, maybe all you would need to do is to refocus. As much as possible, try to say no in doing things which have nothing whatsoever to do with your current job. Do not simply attend meetings or events because it is expected of you. Attend them because you want to.

 

Having a self-awareness about your job gives you a realistic view of what you expect of it. It also assist you in warding off feelings of malcontent and dissatisfaction. More often than not, it is not that we no longer love the job we have, but rather we have been so used to it that we no longer appreciate what we do or have lost sight in the value of what we do. At the end of the day, when you are feeling rather unhappy with you job, instead of asking yourself “how can I get the job I love?” ask yourself, “How can I love the job I have?”

 

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10 Laws of Productivity

Posted by on September 11, 2016

“We often fool ourselves into thinking we are being productive when we are simply getting ready to get ready.”
-Intentionally Refined –

Let’s be clear on one thing: Productivity at work can never be achieved when you are not willing to cooperate. Whether you are aware of it or not, we all do procrastinate. Perhaps, we may not be noticed that we are already procrastinating since some of them are small. But mind you, these small things when frequently done, it will also give a great impact to your performance at work. How much more when you are working in an SEO Company? Slacking off is a no-no, to prevent receiving calls from disappointed clients. Procrastination is a struggle you need to beat!

But if you think that procrastination is the only reason why we can be productive, then you better think again. Our attitude towards our work also matters. When we tend to be passive, sluggish and lax, then we are also losing our productivity at work. And since we are already used to that attitude, it might be difficult for us to cope with the things around us such as meeting strict deadlines. Again, you do not want to entertain angry clients.

Productivity is a major factor at work. It gives a great impact to the growth of your one’s business. However, if you think that you or your employees are already slacking off, then you have to do something to prevent such. Below, we list down top ten laws of productivity that you might want to apply to your work or business.

1. Break the seal of hesitation

Whether you realize it or not, we tend to hesitate especially when we are not sure of the things that are going to happen next. Of course, we do not want to act impulsively that might pose risk to our business. However, this can also cause some delays in our plans. We tend to lose ourselves in planning (and dreaming) indefinitely. You should break the seal of hesitation and must challenge ourselves to take some action sooner rather than later. The minute you start acting, it will give you valuable feedback that will also help you refine your original idea.

2. Start small

Itis good to think big, especially when we already have a good concept on our mind. In fact, through thinking of a bigger idea, it can give us motivation to do and achieve such goal. However, there will always be some dangers when you tend to dwell on that “big idea” of yours. Achieve such would be impossible when you do not start from scratch. Perhaps, you can do some trial and error on your plan. One way or another, you will realize that there are flaws in it that you need to improve. With that, you will learn how to improve through your personal experiences.

3. Prototype, prototype, prototype

Every successful strategy will always have a plan. A trial and error is an essential part of any creative’s life. That simply means, you have to test each strategy whether or not it applies to reach a particular goal. If there are flaws in the process of planning, then you have to improve a particular tactic to achieve the outcome that you want. A prototyping and iteration is the key to transforming a so-so idea into an effective and successful outcome. Instead of being stuck on the failures, you have to move forward and try a new strategy to make it better.

4. Create simple objectives for projects, and revisit them                regularly

Whether you realize it or not, we usually have hundreds to thousands of ideas when it comes to a particular project – which leads to a bigger picture. However, if you want to have a higher possibility of success, then you need to create an objective what your project is all about. In this way, you will have a clearer view of the possible outcome.

5. Work on your project a little bit each day

When it comes to working on in-depth projects, it requires us to have a serious infusion of our creative skills – to develop an engaging business plan, or just learning a new skill. Having a momentum and the right focus is important to achieve a desirable output. But if you tend to do a serious project urgently without any assurance of success, you may not get the right result of a particular project. That simply means you have to make sure that whatever strategy you use, it should be the right one.

6. Develop a routine

Developing a routine is one way to ensure productivity at work. It is a part of being able to work on a specific project without any doing some other things that are not related to the project. Yes, having a routine can be dull and uninspiring, but it can create a founding for sparking true insight. Moreover, a routine is also helpful especially when it comes to strict deadlines to meet since there will be an assurance you will do that particular project.

7. Break big, long-term projects into smaller chunks or “phases.”

Whether you like it or not, you cannot achieve more major project when you don’t start with the smaller ones. That means you have to break the project into smaller phases for you to be able to accomplish each task faster and easier. This is also crucial when it comes to staying motivated and inspired to finish a particular project.

8. Prune away superfluous meetings (and their attendees)

There are activities such as unnecessary meetings that can drag down the productivity of one’s person. Perhaps, it is understandable why there are meetings. However, there should be a concrete reason as to why there is a meeting, and make sure that there is a clear objective on what the meeting is all about to prevent any delays with the projects.

9. Practice saying “No.’

It is nice to know that you can do anything for as long as it is related with the projected that is assigned to you. However, you also have to know that creativity is not infinite. To achieve a better outcome, you should be aware the right pacing when it comes to the tasks you are handling.

10. Remember that rules – even productivity rules – are made to be broken

Although you may have a daily routine of your work, always remember to be flexible enough when it comes to sudden changes. Your task would depend on the situation you are in. And whether you realize it or not, breaking habits offers a new perspective and helps you recharge to head back into the fray.

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6 Ways Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Productivity

Posted by on August 4, 2016

“100,000 police-reported crashes are the result of driver sleepiness every year.” – National Highway Safety Administration
This and more societal issues has been linked to insufficient sleep among adults both male and female. Over the years, experts have conducted various researches to prove the direct relationship between the amount of rest one gets at night with that of their overall work performance during the day.

In a research conducted on 7, 428 employees across the United States, a stark 23% have been reportedly experiencing insomnia for at least three times a week. This was way back 2011, and considering the increased number of factors that distract adults at present, we could just imagine how the results would have doubled, even tripled in various business hotspots as of today.

People who have trouble sleeping eventually find themselves having some issues as well at work. Compared to employees who get sufficient amount of sleep, insomniacs are more likely to miss deadlines and even absent from work.

Below are 6 of the most common ways by which the lack of sleep can be detrimental to your job productivity:

It can potentially lead to headaches and migraine.

AHS (American Headache Society) President, David Dodick, MD once pointed out that sleep disruption is among the ‘most important migraine triggers.’ While no precise explanation directly links sleep to headache pain, research has proven that the two have a tendency to go together.

For employees who regularly work at fluorescent-lit cubicles, this can mean a terrible thing as headaches and migraines impede one’s ability to think straight and focus on the tasks at hand.

It impedes creative thinking.

Whether you work in a technical industry like an SEO company or something creative like web design and content writing, creative thinking is a vital thing. It’s the primary factor that spurs original ideas and is a huge requirement for any industry competing with tons of other ventures.

A person’s brain is wired to produce all of those brilliant thoughts, but only if it’s at its best. Lack of sleep, especially for consecutive days, tires the brain, eventually affecting its ability to create and innovate.

It affects your relationship with your colleagues.

“People who have problems with sleep are at increased risk for developing emotional disorders, depression, and anxiety,” says Dr. Lawrence J. Epstein, MD, instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

This statement is backed up by the research of the University of Pennsylvania who had some subjects limit their sleep to 4.5 hours a night for whole week duration. The results showed these topics exhibiting increased feeling of stress, anger, sadness and mental exhaustion.

In any office setup, this finding could mean a significant blow to the healthy relationship exercised by the employees. Anyone who starts to feel distressed could potentially go off one someone, which can, of course, put a rift in the involved party’s professional relationship.

It impairs your attention and decision-making skills.

If you ever found yourself having serious troubles focusing on one thing, then putting off those distracting items such as social media and email could help. However, doing so isn’t much of a guarantee that you can automatically switch on your focus back to normal.

In a lot of cases, the reason behind the inability to keep one’s attention intact is the lack of sleep. Once focus is affected, decision-making skill is also compromised. If it continues, the result can be a rapid decline in a worker’s productivity – something which is a reasonable ground for termination on worst case scenario. Admittedly, we all don’t want that happening.

It impacts learning and memory in a negative way.

A human brain has this so-called ‘brain wave ripples,’ an event that is responsible for collating memories from the information received in your hippocampus. According to a 2009 joint American and French research, these ripples happen during the deepest part of your sleep.

In other words, suffering from frequent sleep disruptions is ultimately detrimental to your brain’s ability to store valuable information. At work, this is a tremendous setback considering the natural need to organize and remember tasks.

It reduces your immunity.

“The more all-nighters you pull, the more likely you are to decrease your body’s ability to respond to colds and bacterial infection.” – Diwakar Balachandran, MD, Director of the Sleep Center at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

A human’s immune system is rather complicated, and it functions to protect us from a lot of external invaders like viruses, which could harm our body. Research has linked sleep deprivation to the weakening of a person’s immune system, therefore opening you up to more harm. Unless you want to be flagged for constantly being absent at work because of sickness, getting sufficient sleep for about 7 hours in average is highly appropriate.

Companies across different industries require their employees to be as productive as they can while at work. It’s understandable considering the high market competition in business. For employees, this means being more responsible for their health and making sure they have ample of energy to deliver what the company expects from them.

Sleep doctors and researchers recognize that there are people who have troubles getting themselves to sleep, and it’s good to know that there are proven-effective techniques to help you become more comfortable during bedtime. For starters, we have the following:
• Dim the lights in your room.
• Turn off all electronics or devices that may distract you.
• Try aromatherapy.
• Take a warm bath before hitting the bed.
• Relax your body.
• Read a light resource like short stories. Even children’s book will do.
• Change to comfortable clothing.
• Invest on quality bedding.
• Be mindful of your sleeping posture. Be sure you have your whole body in a relaxing position.
Staying productive requires discipline, and it’s our responsibility to determine something that’s affecting it while we are at work. Keep your productivity level up by getting enough sleep.

Don’t undersleep, never oversleep, and settle for a healthy 7-8 hours night rest!

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Work Concentration 101: How To Minimize Distractions at Work

Posted by on December 11, 2015

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On a typical Monday morning, you sit down on your designated seat behind your desk and stare at your computer screen. You do not immediately tackle on various assigned work tasks. No, of course not. You need to have the cogs of your brain well-oiled and properly working before you begin working on tedious tasks. So you go on about your usual work routine, doing the tasks delegated to you all the while allowing room for little things to sidetrack you and before you know it – voila! It’s already Friday! And you still have so much left to do in so little time. You’re left wondering just where did the time go.

Well, my friend, all those time allowances you made for diversions may seem nondescript and menial in comparison to the time you have allotted for work. But when you add them up, they can really accumulate and cost you valuable time in which you could have accomplished a pivotal task. It’s okay; you do not need to beat up yourself for it. Distractions at work are inevitable. Considering that the average attention span of an adult is approximately only five minutes and complement that with a work machine teeming with endless sidetracking capabilities, being distracted is not only a possibility but a guarantee.

However, making up for lost time is not as straightforward as getting back to the task at hand. Recovering the time you lost inescapably means attempting to retrieve the momentum you had lost before you were sidetracked and that is not always easy. That’s why distractions should be kept to a bare minimum. If you are looking for ways as to how, read on.

TECHNOLOGICAL DISTRACTIONS

If you are working in a corporate setting, being equipped with a desktop computer is one of the many perks and getting sidetracked is almost a certainty. Perhaps while you are penning your report or making weekend plans, you are also browsing your friend’s vacation photos, watching a cat video on YouTube while the report you are to send is buried ten tabs beneath your current tab.

Change your mindset: The initial step in managing technological distraction is simply to acknowledge that these exist and that they derail you. To manage any type of distractions, you need to change your mindset. Get on your computer with having the best of intentions to work on the report.
Set a time limit: Set a time limit and be conscious of the time you are allotting for yourself and the task on hand. Let’s say you have designated thirty minutes on the task. Make sure the entire thirty minutes is spent on the report itself without having even just a single minute cruising on Facebook. Doing it this way will significantly increase your work productivity.

Take a stroll instead of a scroll: More often than not, staring at a computer screen for too long can cause stress and may affect your work productivity. Screen breaks are essential. However, most employees make the mistake of hovering over to social media whenever they are granted this opportunity. In doing so, they end up taking a break longer than they intended and lose the momentum they had built initially.

In lieu of a technological screen break, opt for something more refreshing instead. Give your eyes a break and take a five-minute stroll within the office. It helps you relax your eyes and mind and gives your legs that much-needed exercise as well. Just remember not to pause for a slight chit-chat on your way back.

SOCIAL DISTRACTIONS

Office chit-chat is healthy; it fosters cordial relationships with colleagues and generates inter-office friendships. However, too much social distractions at work can pave the way to work inefficiency. That’s why social interactions, albeit healthy for camaraderie, must be exercised within reason.

Have a sign: If you do not want to be interrupted, attach a sign to your work cubicle that says something like “Focus Mode” or “On a Deadline”. If it may seem rude, talk it over with your work group or your team and let them know that you are working on something crucial and would want to be interrupted as minimally as possible.

Ask them to email: Alternatively, you can ask them to email you instead especially when you are “in the zone” and cannot be interrupted. Follow them up in person afterward.

Discuss interruptions over coffee: You may have colleagues who are either too dense to take the hint or are simply big on gabbing. For these colleagues, discuss your concerns over coffee. Let them know firmly, while maintaining a gentle tone, that you have a lot on your plate that you need to get done.

ENVIRONMENTAL DISTRACTIONS

Many people may not recognize this, but the very environment you work in such as your work cubicle can very much contribute to your work efficiency and productivity. You may not know it, but the unremarkable office clutter you have sitting atop your desk may contribute to the distractions sidetracking you from accomplishing important tasks.

Build a wall: It may make you seem like the standoffish colleague, but desperate times call for desperate measures. This is especially true in meeting deadlines. Modifying your work environment can help you deal with distractions. It is essential for you to create a visual cocoon for yourself if you can. If there be a need, create barriers that would assist you in keeping your eyes on your work and make you less accessible to outsiders. Try setting up plants, having a lamp between you and the outside world or stacking up books. The less opportunity for your eyes to wander, the better focused you will be.

 

The truth is, the office place itself is a place with copious opportunities for distractions – reading text messages, updating social media, getting wrapped up in office banter, etc. These are just a few of the things that may detract you from work and office productivity. Remember, these distractions do not only provide an avenue for a short “breaks.” Instead, the stress and frustrations they predictably cause you during deadlines keep you from being an effective worker. If you are already aware of what is keeping you deflected, gain a better traction at controlling the little impulses that prompt you to get sidetracked. In this way, you will have more done, be an efficient employee and have an overall great feeling about it.

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