Hours Worked vs Productivity
No matter what industry you work in, we are sure you have experienced heavy work loads more than once. Unfortunately, working professionals are often overwhelmed with work tasks and feel they can’t complete everything in one day. This results in them constantly feeling behind and they often resort to working additional hours. However, according to research done by John Pencavel at Stanford University, working more than 50 hours per week does not lead to increased productivity. The key is to work more efficiently during your productivity window.
How to Increase Productivity and Efficiency
John Rampton is the founder of the online payment company Due. He was also ranked No. 2 in Entrepreneur magazine’s Top 50 Online Influencers in the World and was named a marketing expert by Time. Listed below are his tips for increasing productivity and efficiency at work!
- Create an Appropriate To-Do-List: Sometimes we can overwhelm ourselves with our to-do-lists. Long, unorganized lists make you multitask and direct your energy towards unimportant tasks and activities. Instead, keep your to-do-lists short and only focus on your 3-5 most urgent, important, and challenging tasks for the day.
- Measure Results, Not Time. When it comes to productivity many people focus on how long something took to complete, as opposed to what was actually accomplished. Research suggests that focusing more on the importance of hours over results can create a culture of inefficiency and anxiety. Rampton suggests marking off your to-do-list as you complete tasks, so when the end of the day rolls around you can see how much you accomplished.
- Stay Positive. If you only think about how much you have to get done and how long everything will take, you will make yourself miserable and unproductive. Instead, train yourself to think positive thoughts throughout the day and take moments to realize how much you have completed. This will keep you productive and engaged with your work all day!
- Communicate. At some point, you will have to work with others. It is incredibly important to have strong communication and collaboration skills. Preventing misunderstandings, additional work, and wasted time is as simple as being clear with your wording and reaching out when you need to!
- Create and Stick to a Routine. Everyone works differently, but we all do better having a routine. Figure out a routine or schedule that works for you and stick with it for the best productivity and efficiency results. Rampton cites Hallie Crawford, a certified career coach, speaker, and author, when he says, “We are creatures of habit, and so are our brains. When we establish routines, we can carry out tasks faster since we don’t have to ‘think’ about the task – prepare for it – as much ,and can work on autopilot.”
For more tips on improving your productivity and efficiency, click here!