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'Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.' - Paul J. Meyer.

Introduction

Productivity is into very much discussion now a days. It's absolutely good both for an individual and also for the organisation whom one is working for.

It can be a direct reflection of our success in life. But not all of us understand what productivity means. Off and on checking our work list is not what productivity is all about. The definitions and magnitudes of productivity have dynamically changed.

What is Productivity?

Everybody talks about this concept scaling it on a broader basis. Productivity can mean different things in different contexts. Understanding the different layers of productivity can help you relate on improving the country's productivity. We also talk about business productivity as revenue divided by hours worked. Hardly, people talk about aggregate productivity level. Hence, the results are also not same for everybody. The role of productivity must be understood in our lives. Productivity can be regarded to as the value obtained when we work on something. The value of work must align with the organisation's priorities.

Why is Productivity important?

The efficient working of any organisation is the much needed demand of the present times. Profit maximisation within a stipulated time frame has become a goal for almost everybody. Fostering employee productivity that drives business outcomes is an essential part of business success. It also contributes to more happiness and fulfillment. The let-down feeling is subsided in one corner. The pandemic has further transformed the meaning of productivity for everybody. For business, productivity signifies the health and growth of the company. Productivity is important because it keeps us progressing towards our full potential. Being productive allows us to manage our work, home lives, hobbies and family commitments with ease and peace of mind.

The Benefits of Improved Productivity

Although being productive is a goal for many but it's also a goal that many people struggle with. Naturally, the challenges employees face with productivity ultimately reflect in the company's overall output too. By being more productive, people can complete their work efficiently, tackle errands quicker, and enjoy more free time.

It can help employees enforce healthy work and life boundaries and feel more in control of their circumstances. Generally, people enjoy work when they are productive.

Productivity is also associated with performance. Each person's productivity and performance contributes to business success, leafing to lower prices, higher profitability and potentially higher pay for employees.

There are many courses available which help to improve skills and productivity. With the expansion of business and industry, the overall productivity is increased. When businesses in a country are producing more goods and services, the country's economic output is higher than it's input. This increases the gross domestic product ( GDP ) which indicates economic growth. High economic growth leads to a high standard of living which benefits the whole country.

It is always the output focused more than the input injected. Hence, the output can be good only when the person is productive in means.

Motivating employees is a key part of productivity and being motivated and inspired contributes to your personal productivity. There are many ways to foster motivation and increase productivity on both the micro and macro level. There are many techniques to improve productivity.

Understanding what motivates your employees and developing a strong company culture can ultimately drive productivity, performance and profitability.

When we are productive, it takes less time, effort and mental demand to achieve what you want. When the output is the same but it takes less input to achieve it, you are more productive. The large production in a business is equated with greater productivity. The output isn't always easy to quantify. But the level of effort, time and resources that have been used can be calculated to some closest approximation.

Traditionally, higher workforce productivity meant employees are working more efficiently and creating more goods in less time. This leads to increased profits, since companies spend less to generate greater revenue. Meanwhile, low productivity can indicate issues in the processes. Even when employee management is high, if the production process slows due to lack of materials, productivity levels drop. Governments measures on multiple strands to understand overall producitivty and analyse the trends. While one productive person makes a difference, national GDP and corporate productivity rely on extensive employee engagement to deliver results.

More Productivity Ideas:

Most productive strategies focus on short-term efficiency: how to manage your to-do list effectively, how to get more done each morning, how to shorten your weekly meetings and so on. These are all rational ideas.

We often fail to realize that there are certain strategic choices we need to make if we want to maximize our productivity for the long-term. A different perspective must be developed about it. Taking actions is always important. Half the battle is already won when you stay focused amid all distractions.

27 Productivity Hacks for Getting Things Done

Getting things done, getting the right things done- makes you happier. Feeling productive makes you happier. Feeling like you are making better progress towards goals, that your efforts have value, that you are improving at faster rate and all those things make you happier.

Here a list of changes that can have a major impact on your productivity. Some can be adopted easily while others might take a little longer, especially if you need to create a new habit. It's important to become efficient in life.

1) Maximisation of the most important tasks:-

We all have things we do that make the biggest difference. Elimination of all the extra stuff to the greatest extent possible so you reap the benefits of spending time on the tasks that make you.

2) Emphasis of Deep Work in Distracted World:-

Concentration in work is utmost important. It's the perfect solution to all the distractions that happen to distract our work. Carl Newport has discussed this idea in his book.

3) Allow yourself less time for key projects:-

Time is like a new house. We eventually fill a bigger house with furniture, and we eventually fill a block of time with work. Limit the amount of time you allow yourself to complete an important task. You will be more focused and motivated, your energy level will be higher and you will actually get more done.

4) Chunk 'Housekeeping Tasks':-

Even though we would like to focus solely on our most important tasks, we all have other stuff we need to do. Instead of sprinkling those activities throughout the day- take care of them in a pre-planned block. Schedule that block when you are tired or in need of a mental break.

5) Say 'No' a lot more often:-

You are polite. You are courteous. You are helpful. You want to be a team player. You are overwhelmed. Say no atleast as often as you say yes. You can still be polite while protecting your time. And you should protect your time- it's the one asset no one can afford to waste.

6) Build in frequent breaks:-

Small, frequent breaks are a great way to refresh and recharge. The key to not burning out is to not let burnout sneak up on you. Scheduling regular short breaks ensures that won't happen.

7) Actively schedule free time:-

Free time shouldn't just happen by accident. Free time shouldn't be something you get around to if you get a chance. Plan your free time. Plan activities. Plan fun things to do. Not only will you enjoy the planning and the anticipation, you will actually have more fun. The happier you are, the more motivated and productive you will be over the long term.

8) Exercise first thing in the morning:-

Exercise is energizing. Exercise will make you healthier. Exercise can make you smarter. Exercise can help in improving mood for up to 12 hours after your work out. Working out makes you feel better. Be smarter. Be less stressed. Have a more productive day.

9) Say to yourself, 'I will be OK with less-than-perfect':-

Yes, we all get one chance to make a first impression. Perfection is the only acceptable outcome. Unfortunately, no product or service is ever perfect and no project or initiative is perfectly planned. In fact, the quest for perfection can often be your worst enemy. Work hard, fo great work and give your best and just let it go. You will always be told to improve and many a time adjustments will have to be done accordingly. You can't accomplish anything until you let go. Do your best, let go, and then trust that you will work hard to overcome any shortcomings.

10) Take a productivity nap:-

A quick nap can improve creativity, memory, and your ability to stay focused. Besides that, neurologists promoting the learning benefits obtained after taking a nap. Napping is not just napping anymore. It's a skill rather that can supercharge your productivity.

11) Use your Mind for thinking, not remembering:-

Write all those things down that have to be done, then you can focus on thinking about how to do things better. You can work on how to treat people better and how to make your enterprise better. Don't waste mental energy trying to remember important tasks or idea. That's what the paper is for.

12) Turn-off Alerts:-

Your phone buzzes. Your email dings. Chat window pops up. Every alert sucks away your attention. So turn them off. Go alert-free, and once every hour or so take a few minutes to see what you might have missed. Changes are, you will find out they you missed nothing. In the meantime, you will be much more focused.

13) Stop working when you are at a great point:-

Ernest Hemingway writes, 'The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that everyday, you will never be stuck.'

His advice applies to all kinds of work. We must find excitement in our work in order to repeat it as a habit.

14) Prune your to-do list:-

A to-do list with 20 or 30 items is not only daunting but it also depressing. Instead of worrying about it, we must create a wish list. Use it to write down all the ideas, projects, tasks etc. Make it your 'would like to do' list.

Pick up those items that make a lot of difference to you or those which help you to clear a lot of your chunks. Make that your to-do list. And then get it done.

15) Decide who will decide:-

Instead of making serial decisions, try making just one, decide who will decide. Someone in the organisation should be there to take decisions, someone to provide guidance, parameters and advice etc. Periodic checking of this will help you develop a direction. This way will help you to eliminate the delays and will also keep you away from the repercussions of it. Trust-worthy people should be there in an organization on whom an individual can count for taking some important decisions. It's as simple as that. Teach, train, guide, verify. The authority and responsibility shall be coherently divided in the organisation.

16) Map out your week every Sunday night:-

Sunday evenings, one should sit down with your list of important objectives for the year and for each month. Those goals inform every week and help keep you on track. While long-range goals may not be urgent, they are definitely important. They can be again classified into 'important' and 'urgent' tasks.

Then look at your calendar for the week. You know that time blocks are there in the week and accordingly slot those tasks onto your to-do list.

The key is to create structure and discipline for your week. Otherwise, things will keep on coming to you and urgent will push aside important.

17) Set Specific Meeting Durations:-

We must not be a slave to our calendar tools. Only schedule an hour if you absolutely know you will need it.

18) Protect Family Time:-

You are probably a bit of workaholic, so be very thoughtful about your evenings. When you get home from work, make it family time. Have dinner as a family, helping out others in the family to get their work done. One should be completely shut down here.

Every family has peak times when they can best interact. If you don't proactively, free up that time, you will slip back into work stuff. Either be working or be home with your family. That means no phones at the tables. Don't just be there. Be with your family.

19) Streamline Goals:-

Deciding what to do is important, but often deciding what not to do is even more important. Every position, every project, every intiative has a primary goal and 90% of the effort of those involved should go to accomplishing that primary goal. Achievement is certainly based on effort, but achievement is also based on focus. This way the current task is also done wonderfully and we get time for the other one too.

20) Eliminate every 'ego' commitment:-

We all do things that have more to do with ego than results. Anything done solely for ego is a waste of time. Think about things that make you feel important.

21) Don't struggle for that last 5% :-

In this competitive world, everyone wants to be better than everyone. But improving on a relative comparison with people is of no real importance. Sometimes 'good' truly is good enough, especially if that 5% gain is hugely disproportionate to the pain required to reach it.

22) Set hard limits:-

Deadlines and time-frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. We instinctively adjust our effort so our activities take whatever time we let them take. Tasks should take only as long as they need the take-or as long as you decide they should take. It's important to prioritize and stay organised.

Pick up a task, set a time limit, and stick to that time limit. Necessity or even artificial necessity is the mother of creativity.

23) Establish a nighttime routine:-

The first thing you do is the most important thing you do, because it sets the tone for the rest of the day. So be smart and prepare for that 'first thing' the night before. Make a list. Make a few notes. Review information. Prime yourself to hit the ground with all the possible energy the next day, a body in super-fast motion tends to stay in super-fast motion.

24) Fix what you frequently break:-

Figuring out things for future are points where we never get to. All the things must be properly recorded and should be properly spaced. Breaks should be also included for charging up in between.

25) Change the way you measure tasks:-

Measuring the performance in different ways forces you to look at what you regularly do from a new perspective.

26) Adopt a successful person's habit:-

Successful people are often successful because of the habits they create and maintain. It's recommended that one should sincerely look at people who were successful in their respective fields and then try gauging their habits.

It should be noted that a wheel should never be reinvented when a perfect wheel already exists.

27) Reading Books on Productivity:-

Reading content on productivity can help you to build better teams, make better decisions, build a better workplace culture and be personally productive. They give us a new perspective for an approach towards life.

How to be Productive as a Student?

Here are some productivity tips for students to perform better in their academic careers. It would help them to manage with the hectic days and keep eyes on the prize simultaneously.

1) Set a Timetable:-

For any student who has a myriad of things to do on a daily basis, scheduling and prioritisation skills are indispensable. One has to dedicate time and energy to job-hunting activities as well. Developing and cultivating habits that maximise your time and being flexible is the goal. It helps us to find our footing during unprecedented times when you still need to be productive.

2) Tackle the Hardest Talks to Avoid Procrastination:-

Dreading a particular task only delays it further and increases the to-do pile. As one can't avoid that when one falls into that trap so we should just get started with our work as soon as possible. The sooner you start working, the sooner you can get over with it.

Just looking for an exact moment to do things is not always important. What is more important that one should eat the frog first.

3) Take Regular Breaks:-

Working out extensively without thinking about anything can drain out our energies completely. Hence, we must continue to take breaks in between. Taking breaks helps sustain your energy and focus for as long as they are well-spaced and not intended to disrupt your rhythm. Rest your head and hands for a bit in the middle of a task or before jumping into the next one in your queue.

4) Break Goals into Smaller Achievable Tasks:-

This strategy works well when dealing with complex projects like those involving research and back and forth. They have to be broken down into steps or milestones that are achievable at a given time. When we dissect goals, they appear less overwhelming and more doable..

5) Plan your day in the evening:-

Before you turn in for the night, review the day's progress. Whether there are items that need to be done first thing tomorrow or could be put off until the day after tomorrow, keep tabs and make concrete plans.

We must do journalling of all the activities that we perform. This tracking shall continue to update us for the scope of improvement. Keeping of a larger picture of things that we have to do lessens the stress issues and gears up the activities of recreation.

6) Use Tech Tools to Stay Organised:-

Thankfully, technology helps maximise productivity by automating tasks and keeping you on a track.

We can keep the following with us,

a) Digital Planner:- Go paperless in plotting your everyday's schedule and more.

b) Note-taking app:- We can use it for the taking down of notes digitally.

c) Cloud storage:- Save and back up your files.

d) Project Management:- Stay organised with your thesis so that one can manage with the maximum of tasks possible.

7) Complete the Task Before Switching to the Next One:-

Multitasking uses up more resources as your brain tries to remember the finer details of each project. Also, it takes time to be in the zone for a task, and if you switch to another abruptly, one can face the loss of momentum.

8) Find your Most Productive Hours:-

Your ability to get work done is built on your daily habits. Some find the early morning hours to be more productive and some are nightowls.

We should let our productivity peaks and dips be your guide in determine the best time to do tasks. You'd be able to utilise your energies effectively without further shortening your time for other activities.

9) Tune out Distractions:-

No matter how much perfect a place is, distractions exist almost everywhere. There are some examples with which we can tune out these distractions.

a) Set time for checking the notifications of phone.

b) Invest in noise-cancelling headphones.

c) Be clear about objectives and goals when studying in a group.

d) Think of deadlines as motivation.

e) Prepare a big reward for all your hard work.

10) Sleep:-

Between school and real-life responsibilities, there seems to be no time for rest. It's all the more reason to get a good night's sleep because one needs it to face the next-day's task with focus, clarity and vigour.

11) Finishing a task before starting something new:-

It can be really annoying to have small things on your mind that you know you need to do at some point, but haven't quite found the time to complete yet. We must try prioritising tasks and focus on getting important things finished before starting something else. Works that require only a couple of minutes shall be done immediately. If delayed, it may take any longer than a few minutes. Making our way through these mini-tasks will give us a sense of completion.

12) Reading Articles related to your studies:-

Feeling inspired is essential if you are looking to become more motivated. Bookmarking a few news sites that are relevant to the studies should be taken into account. There are options of Google Alerts which helps us to keep on track on a variety of things. Getting into the habit of reading and toning our mind to that very language pattern can assist us in developing greater interest in academics. It can also help in the improvement of grammar and vocabulary. This techniques help us to concise each and every minuscule affair pertaining to studies. Reading some creative articles helps to juice down some creative energy before the initiation of any work. It's similar to an idea that we will not be able to perform our best if we don't warm up before-hand.

13) Listening to the right music while studying:-

It's important to be honest with yourself regarding which sort of worker you are.

You might want to listen to some tunes while you write an essay. But if you know deep down that you work better without music, turn it off.

However, if one finds that music can help, it's important to establish what sort works best for you. Try different genres to see which ones help you concentrate most.

14) Take Screen Break:-

Break really means 'break'. Pull yourself from this digital world and do something totally unrelated for a few minutes.

Go for a walk, exercise, have a cup of tea or enter into a conversation with someone helps you to switch off. We should give ourselves some time to relax. Taking breaks will help you stay happy, healthy and avoid burning out. It's not about how much time you spend studying but how effectively you use that time. Simple, Quality over Quantity.

15) Avoid Social Media while studying

Studies have suggested that social media can do more harm than good during times of high stress. Some students will go as far as disabling their social media accounts during exam time. Some simply turn off the notifications and for them it works wonderfully. Think of all the time wasted when you are checking your phone every few minutes. Students can check out some productivity tools. Half the work is done when we have structured ourself in a fixed routine.

How to be Productive as an Entrepreneur?

For an enterpreneur, the constant juggle between different tasks can become overwhelming. This can be handled through the means of being productive. What's a fuel for a car is productivity for enterpreneurs.

Being productive doesn't mean you have to be over-time rather working for long hours has diminshing returns. Staying focused as an enterpreneur means controlling how much attention you put into work hours. The competitive world speaks of working endlessly but that's the exact thing to do. Managing the work schedule is much more an important task. Here are some productivity tips for enterpreneurs to perform better in their businesses.

1) Do not Multitask:-

Multitasking doesn't save time. Instead, it disrupts the attention cycle and makes one feel distracted. Studies suggest that multitasking kills your productivity.

2) Prioritize the Most Critical Tasks:-

They must focus on the task that moves the needle of their business. There is no sense in doing things that don't account for growth. The crucial tasks must be figured out regularly.

3) Develop a routine:-

Routine means binding yourself into the norms of disciplinary behaviour otherwise most of your time will slip off in just no moments. Thus, it is essential to enter into a routine and fix your eyes on it. Starting and ending the work should go around as a stipulated affair. Commit yourself to the business hours and not to anything else.

4) Ace your Morning:-

Morning decides the course of the day. Wasting time on unnecessary things in the morning itself makes you lose your grip on the day. To become a productive enterpreneur, you need to design your morning for maximum success. Start your morning by reflecting on which tasks need your attention. Categorising them as urgent and important shall help you to determine what's most important in store.

5) Tackle the Day by Making Chunks:-

Eight hours a day may seem like a lot of time, but if you don't manage, it will be gone in a wink. Hence, it's best to divide your day into parts and categorise them accordingly. Assigning the chunks of hours as per the time and important of the activities can help us to lead a better way.

6) Delegate Tasks that don't need your attention:-

Being the owner of a small business is a great responsibility in itself. But that doesn't imply that you should do everything on your own. Figuring out the tasks is important but it's equally important to say NO to things. Delegating the tasks and reviewing their work performance also comes as a part of business.

7) Take Breaks to Replenish Focus:-

It's absolutely fine to take breaks between work and do something outside the current task. The breaks should be intermittent in character not prolonged ones. It may sound easy to develop this character into action but actually requires a great degree of sophistication.

8) Reflect on your Past Week's Performance:-

Struggles come in every profession but staying focused amid them can only come with the process of reflection. Reflection is the time when you analyze whether you did in the past was effective or not.

9) Don't be an E-mail Addict:-

Email can consume your attention and time without your realization. As a productivity tip, the enterpreneurs should limit checking e-mails four to five times a day. In fact, it will be better if you fix the time for checking emails. Minimise the number of e-mails for internal communication. Use of productive apps that can save time can also be beneficial.

10) Automate Meeting Related Tasks:-

Meetings are vital as they help the employees and executives discuss plans more effectively. However, it can be overwhelming to schedule and track meetings that you have. It's better to use apps that can help you to automate your meetings. Blocking distractions such as e-mails, social media and phone calls while in a meeting. Jotting down notes during a session can also hinder your attention. Recording the meetings can help in this case.

11) Capture Ideas before they Vanish:-

Enterpreneurs are always up for ideas. Next time, whenever you are struck with an idea, make sure to note it down. This idea can help you to structure your business on a new pedestal.

12) Enable Seamless Workflow between Teams:-

It's a way easier to manage teams and their tasks if you can see them all at once. Working from home can allow the use of project management tools.

13) Discuss Productivity with your Teams:-

There is no absolutely no point if you become the most productive enterpreneur, but your team lacks time management. Hence, it's essential to think about productivity from the organisational perspective. Talking with your team about productivity can help in enhancing and revamping the work culture.

14) Fix a Stress Buster Schedule:-

Stress is the last thing that disturbs when you are hustling to grow your small business. Instead of giving yourself all in, it's better to take some time off between work. Prioritising rest hours is one of the productivity secretes for enterpreneurs.

15) Reward Yourself and your Team:-

Productivity tips don't only stress on realising our weak areas. It's also about rewarding yourself and your team for accomplishments. When a person feels appreciated, he often does more than what is expected of him.

16) Wind Down after Work Hours:-

Relax and take deep breaths. You are not a machine. When your work gets overwhelming, step back and blow off the steam. You can't work with burnout, so don't try to. Instead, recharging of the mind is essential for rejuvenating yourself.

17) Focus on Yourself:-

Enterpreneurs are humans too. You can't ignore your hobbies and mental health for the sake of profits. As an enterpreneur, you are a one-person army and the whole business depends on you.

Thus, it's necessary to start doing self-care. Eat well, get enough sleep, manage stress in a way you like, explore your hobbies and make time for relationships outside of the business. Happiness leads to better productivity.

18) Manage your Attention to become more Productive:-

Managing your attention is a secret answer to stay focused as an enterpreneur. Most of the productivity tips for enterpreneurs involve controlling where your attention is going. The activities that arrest your attention should be immediately spotted out. This can help in improving the tide of the business.

19) Use a Learning Management System:-

Productive and successful people never stop learning. Regular research and learning are crucial to staying up-to-date with the latest market and technology trends. A culture of learning drives productivity. There are many learning options available for enterpreneurs who want to enhance their skills. These platforms can help in improving the training of individuals involved that would boost the productivity of the organisation in the long run.

20) Remind yourself of the 'why' behind your business:-

Motivate yourself and motivate others frequently. Reminding yourself of the reason you started your business can provide a substantial boost to your personal and team morale. The more you and your team think about this, the bigger the impact on your productivity levels.

How to be Productive as a Home-Maker?

Being a home-maker brings with itself a lot of responsibilities. The responsibilities that cannot be shrugged off and are moral obligatory. The norms of society have delegated this work to home-makers. Let's see some productivity tips for a home-maker.

1) Have a Plan:-

Planning actually organises the day. There are so many different areas with your homemaking that you can make an intentional plan for. You can try things such as meal-planning, cleaning schedules, daily to-do lists, planning out weekly and monthly schedules. Homemaking is a job where we can always be improving in. We should be continuously learning how to be more efficient and effective home-makers.

Creating plans within your homemaking will allow you to be more productive and efficient with time. It will ease a lot of stress that comes with the uncertainity of the work that has to be performed.

Writing down all of the different areas in your homemaking that you'd like to try having a plan for.
Now, do a brain dump and jot down all of your ideas that come to mind in each of these areas.
Finally, making the plans.

2) Flexibility in Work:-

Even though it's important that you have plans in homemaking, it's almost just as important that you are flexible with them. Taking care of things and managing different schedules are things that are subject to changes. If a situation arises that would cause you to have to change your plans, then just change them and go with the flow. Don't stress and don't let it upset you. Learn to adapt and be flexible when necessary. Switching around plans is also important in event of external changes. Packing schedules too tight shouldn't be done. Flexibility is something that comes naturally. But it's also a practice that needs to be developed on.

3) Have a Dream or Vision:-

It's important to always have a vision of what you want and what you're working towards always. Vision boards can be so effective. Detailed and intricate vision isn't always the thing. Visualizing of how your home would look like decides the aroma that going to envelope the house. A good idea in your head of what you are working towards is actually much required. Working towards the vision can bring about dramatic changes. Vision boards can be used in multiple types. It's important to remember to refer back to it consistently.

4) Wake up Early:-

We have all heard the benefits of waking up early over and over again, especially with regards to being successful.

Studies have shown that some of the most successful people are early risers. Ofcourse, waking up early can be beneficial for the home-makers too. In order to wake up early, it's important to go to bed earlier. It's important to have something in the morning that keeps you away from laziness.

5) Do it With Joy:-

Most of the home-makers are found working under pressure. This leads to the suppression of their feelings. In a survey, conducted on the ladies who are homemakers revealed that 70% of the group suffers from depression. This problem can be rectified if the home-makers try to find to joy in their chores. It's important to have a sense of completion. It's important to give yourself a reminder that you have an individual self too. Make time for yourself to get know more about you yourself.

6) Ditch Perfection and Work on Consistency:-

Who never wishes to be just perfect? But things not always turn so. Hence, the foci should be on consistency rather than on the drive of becoming a perfectionist. It's definitely fine to work towards what is perfect for you but the understanding that it won't rest always should always be there with you. Start with small things and try getting a grip on these works perfectly. Taking a break from social media has become a panacea for all productivity related issues.

7) Create a family calendar:-

A calendar that includes everything your family needs to do is a great way to keep you on task and productive as a full-time homemaker. A family calendar will help you not to miss appointments, and easily keep track of people invite you out or ask for your help you can make sure you aren't double booking.

8) Get the family involved:-

Just because you are a full-time homemaker doesn't mean you should do everything around your home while your spouse and children get a free pass. Teaching kids the responsibility of caring for their belongings is part of your job as a parent. Get them involved by requiring them to do certain chores like cleaning the room, cleaning their bathroom and even helping things like dinner, taking out the trash and doing laundry. Both the husband and wife should constantly pitch in some time for work that has to be as a part of homemaking.

9) Make Exercise a Priority:-

Working for the family but neglecting your health for the sake of it is absolutely not ok. Exercise helps to channelize a new energy and also in rejuvenating energies. Teaching about fitness to your family members is again important as when they will understand it, only then they will be able to support you doing that. Feeling good and healthy ensures you have the energy to do what needs to be done.

10) Organising your finances:-

You are the caretaker of your home and family. Part of the job is keeping the financial state of your household transparent and apparent. It's really a good idea to keep track of your spending: not to impose limits, just for the sake of your sanity. Try a budgeting app for the management of finances. Customisation of expenses comes with the use of various applications. Finding a purpose and then deriving an expenditure is also an important aspect of home-planning.

How to be Productive as an Employee?

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

With the paradigm shift in work culture, companies are evaluating what's the most effective way to build a workforce. Hence, in this world of stiff competition, there are multiple ways by which employees can increase efficiency.

1) Don't be afraid to delegate:-

The tip may often seem abound but it is often the most difficult to put into practice. While there is nothing wrong with prioritizing quality as no one is ready to compromise for that. Checking over every small detail yourself rather than delegating can waste everyone's valuable time. Giving responsibilities to qualified employees and trust that they will perform the tasks well. This gives your employees the opportunity to gain skills and leadership experience that will ultimately benefit your company. You hired them for a reason and now give them a chance to prove you right.

2) Match tasks to skills:-

Knowing your employees skills and behavioural styles is essential for maximizing efficiency. A creative person in the company is always a good pitch to clients. However, they can struggle if they are given a more rule-intensive, detail-oriented task. Asking your employees to be great at everything is totally an illusion thought of. No body is perfect at everything. Hence, the search of person according to the skills they can perform is equally mandatory.

3) Communicate Effectively:-

Every manager knows that communication is the key to a productive workforce. Technology has allowed us to contact each other at the tap of a screen. This naturally means that the current communication methods are highly efficient as possible. Social networking tools should be used for better communication. The employees should enter into face to face contacts with their managers at times. It's important to realise that the roles in an organisation are complimentary to each other.

4) Keep goals clear and focused:-

Efficiency in performance comes with a defined goal. The blurred explanation of a goal makes the employees less productive. The assignments of employees should be clear and narrow as possible. They should be specifically defined their work to make their task more impactful. The goal should to be to focus on 'smart work' over 'hard work'.

5) Incentivize employees:-

Encouraging employees also comes as a part of the business. Recognizing your workers for a job well done will make them feel appreciated and encourage them to continue increasing their productivity. Rewarding employees should take into account their individual preferences. For example, some would prefer public recognition while some a private 'thank you'. Bonus or a raise have been the traditional things of incentivising employees. They can be given some paid holidays as well. Taking out employees for a meal shall help in building a rapport. Sending a handwritten notes than those online gratitude texts are much more impactful. There should be relaxation given to employees on Sundays completely.

6) Cut out the Excess:-

Larger chunk of the work creates a lateback attitude towards things. Hence, while focusing on a larger goal, some unnecessary tasks shall also be taken up to create more space. Sometimes, the workload can be reduced to help them to give focus on high-priority assignments. Doing something simply as a formality us equivalent to wasting valuable time that could be used for accomplishing goals that actually help your company.

7) Train and develop employees:-

Reducing training, or cutting it all together might seem like a good way to save company time and money. However, this can backfire. Forcing employees to learn their jobs can be extremely inefficient. Workers instead of haphazardly working a task should go ahead to take advice and guidance and the necessary skills to undertake that task. Time shouldn't be wasted on your answering simple questions or correcting errors. Employee development is also a significant part of training. Helping them expand their skillsets will built a much more advanced workforce, which will benefit your company in the long run. Offering these additional skills will allow them to improve efficiency and productivity.

8) Embrace telecommuting:-

Allowing your employees to work from home might seem inefficient as the fear of their getting unproductive revolves around. Studies have revealed the opposite that the people who work from home are more productive than office employees. Letting your employees telecommute will allow them to save time that would otherwise be wasted completely.

A sick worker for example can try to get productive at his place but can't be at office where there are chances of him skipping the work altogether. Instead, allow your employee to work from home so they can maximise what time they do have available.

9) Give each other feedback:-

There is no hope of increasing employee efficiency if they don't know they are being inefficient in the first place. This is why performance reviews are essential. Increasing employee efficiency isn't all about what they can do better - some of the responsibility falls on you as well. But just like your employees, you aren't psychic. Try helping your employees for that scope of improvement. May be there would be a little more guidance or prefer a little room for creative freedom. Asking for feedback not only gives you clear, immediate ways to help your employees improve but also improves a culture of open dialogue.

10) Think Big Picture:-

Things that might seem like an inefficient use of time to you now, might actually be to your advantage in the long run. Hence, before investing yourself in anything also think of the possible benefits emanating from it. Use of technology will improve efficiency, reduce frustration and help the business grow. Hence, putting that extra hour to good can help in edging towards productivity.

Different Techniques for Being Productive

Productivity always remains as a challenge for people. Some are not able to understand it's essence of it. But the understanding of the same cultivates good habits. Consciously or unconsciously - these are things which make us a better personality. Small adjustments can lead to more lasting changes. Adapting to a particular routine and discipline is most significant. It's easier said than done. Still, it's important to go ahead in achieving an approximation of it.

1) Make a Reasonable To-do List:-

To-do lists often fail as they make them too complex and the tasks are unequal. Some tasks will take a long time and some others won't. This creates an imbalance in our work patterns. In such a case, our to-do list becomes a procrastination tool. We tend to work first on the easy stuff and then become distracted on the hard stuff. Hence, managing the to-do list is also very important.

2) Set small goals for the tasks:-

With every project or assignment, the scope may seem to be large. But once you start breaking it down and realizing what can be accomplished helps to build the goals one on the other. The break-up of tasks should be assigned to a particular timeline. Putting the steps in place structures the work.

3) Focus on one goal at a time:-

Just as setting up of goals is mandatory. But targeting one of them at one time is also much required. Priortising projects helps you to distinguish between more important and less important. Spending time on particular thing may seem tedious but that is from where we can derive maximum productivity. All the goals must align with the algorithm of the company.

4) Stop Multi-tasking:-

It's easy to get distracted and try to work on multiple task, but the reality is it makes you less productive. The constant task switching is making up more tired and reducing productivity. It's taking up brain energy to switch and change that often. We aren't being productive when we are skimming over the surface of things. Switching comes up with a task of making us feel tired. Taking breaks from works is going to benefit the overall work efficiency.

5) Find a method for delegating and following up:-

Hoping to perform the task all by yourself is totally the biggest fault one may incur, delegation of some tasks is also important. It's also important to make sure that the work is finished and get it done. Finding a reliable method for tracking your team's projects will make you work more efficient. Collaboration tools and management software can definitely help. The interplay between workers should be well established for a smooth functioning.

6) Create a Proactive Dashboard:-

The goal should be to record inputs and not just the outcomes. Figuring out the tasks that have to be done each week should be done in advance. Some softwares can be used to develop a proactive dashboard.

7) Picking One Task and Then Completing It:-

Break-up of small and long tasks will only head them for completion. There are various techniques that eliminate interruptions and helps you estimate how long a certain task will take you.

8) Follow the 2-Pizza Rule for Meetings:-

Meetings definitely can slow down momentum, especially when there's a huge crowd of people to brainstorm. We know how it goes. The same people who always talk will talk. The silent ones will stay silent.

If you have to order more than 2 pizzas to feed the team you are meeting with, then it's too big. There will not be enough discussion. Not all ideas will get space. If you have a team made up of only people who would eat two pizzas, more vibrant ideas will emerge. More people do not necessarily equal better ideas or faster action. It slows down things considerably. People are less interested if the plan fails. The accountability gets lost.

9) Group similar tasks together:-

Breaking, closing or opening of tasks break our concentration too. Then we get distracted and forget the purpose of the task. But the way to cut down on switching between tasks is to group similar ones together. Grouping of similar tasks avoids overlapping which could account to loss of time.

10) Identify your personal work patterns:-

Tracking your time, even if no one is asking you for it can help you understand your work habits and the time of the day when you finish work most successfully. This might actually hold the key to how to be more productive because learning from your patterns will allow you to focus on where you are productive and where you are not.

Tracking time can give you a more efficient picture of yourself. Use application or websites that restrict the user's time usage.

Re-arrangement of tasks from time to time helps to forsee the overall work output. Tracking on a short-term basis shall help in building a blue-print for a longer framework. Hence, journalling of the things that have to be done constitutes an important aspect.

11) Figuring out your Productive Hours:-

Some of us are morning people, some of us are night owls. With the changing environment of business, the accommodation of natural energy with it comes as a challenging task. Engaging in deep work amid distractions has come as a productivity tool by Carl Newport. There are categories of shallow work which can be carried out without much distractions. Strategizing your work with your productive hours can do miracles.

12) Decluttering:-

The physical environment that surrounds us also impacts our productivity. Our position, role and control in the workspace again comes as things which can be controlled. Already informed with things that have to be done, the process gets much easier.

13) Find time to walk or exercise:-

Exercise can help you to be more productive as it increases your alertness. As it increases your blood flow and improves cardiovascular health along with dip in anxiety levels and causes us to stay more focused. We shouldn't lose the shape of things that we have to perform. We become capable of performing more things that can develop us a better self.

14) Greater Reflection:-

It's not always to be on toes. It's important to review the things that we perform. We must retreat a step back to see that the things are working properly. What's working, what's not, what needs to be prioritized needs to be changed regularly. Building in time to review isn't wasting time but optimises your work moving forward.

15) Be accountable to another person:-

The feature of accountability comes obviously in a team. Accountability on daily, weekly and monthly tasks helps us to be more productive. Brainstorming about new campaigns can only happen when the existing pile has been cleared. Finding units of trust support you in the journey rather than those who criticise you always. Everyone needs an encourager.

16) Ask for help on stuff that you don't understand:-

Some people in their pride don't ask for help from others but that shouldn't be the way out. Instead, of juggling with one work that can cause the waste of time, one can ask for help. That's how the smart people approach things. This can save us from a lot of things that can cause unnecessary delays in the long run.

17) Get Sunlight:-

Natural air and lights helps you to keep awake yourself. Less of interaction with nature can cause you to get fatigued easily. The optimised natural light is even recommended for new born babies. Headaches and common disorders can be solved with this one attempt.

18) Look at Cuddly Animal Pictures:-

It's kind of crazy and one may not believe about it. Looking at pictures of cute animals actually increases attention spans and productivity. Results have revealed that participants performed tasks requiring focused attention more carefully after viewing cute images.

19) Find repeatable shortcuts- automate tasks:-

If you find yourself doing the same things over and over, look for wats to do those things faster. This can be as simple as learning keyboard shortcuts, or involve automating entire sections of your business. Knocking them off your schedule can save your lots of time and energy.

Putting together standard operating procedures for common tasks.
Delegation of tasks to employees wherever required.
Use of technology to take care of repetitive tasks.

20) Fill the Tank- Recharge:-

Highly productivity people spend time recharging. That means getting enough sleep every night, exercising and eating healthy. They focus on their personal habits that determine their overall behaviour.

Sleeping well, eating well and outing well at times can help you to take care of the healthy habits.

How to be Productive after Retirement?

The time that an individual goes after retirement is really challenging. After having spent so many years of life while working, and then immediately a time comes when people have to sit back as it's the time for them to relax. This time is popularly known as 'retirement' where one retires from working and enters into a free life. It may seem to some that they are wasting time by just sitting idle but still there are ways to be productive after retirement.

1) Use Time Blocking to Plan Your Days:-

Scheduling every moment is not the requirement here. The end of the working career comes with a reward that a person can go about with any work he or she wanted to pursue in. Even after retirement, the accomplishment of set projects will give you immense joy.

Time blocking is a method of blocking out periods to work on specific tasks throughout your day.

Deciding a time of day that you want to work should be specified.
Blocking out the time of completion of project.
Commit to the completion of task.
Don't let distractions pull you away from working on a specified task.
Complete the tasks before you move to take the other ones.

2) Keep your Schedule on Electronic Devices:-

Scheduling tasks in the calendar app on your computer, tablet, and phone. Link all three together. When you enter a task or event on the calendar in one device, it shows up on your other devices too.
Use the timer or alarm function on your phone's clock app to alert you when a time block is up.
Leave voice reminders on your phone to keep yourself track of the projects.
Explore time management apps to help you structure your time.
Putting electronic devices to work in your pursuit of productivity.

3) Write in a Bullet Journal:-

Some people try to be very rigid in their ways of working but it's okay to be lazy when you want to. Creating your own schedule shall help you to stay organised. Bulleting a normal to supplement the digital calendar can be helpful. Scheduling appointments and tasks helps you to stay organised further.

A flexible, running, to-do list that allows for modification.
Set goals and hold yourself accountable for achieving them.
Take time to write by hand so that you aren't always looking at a screen.
Track habits if you are planning to change some.
Create a convenient overview of each day/week/month/year.

4) Set Aside Time for Brainstorming And Goal Setting:-

One has already worked hard when he has stepped in this phase of life. Now it's time to focus your energy on things that are meaningful to you. Take time to reflect on your favorite activities, ambitions and passions. Here are some tips for the same,

Write down all your thoughts related to personal goal setting.
Organising your thoughts into a mind map.
Start by writing one main idea in the middle of a blank page.
Next, write brief notes about any related ideas that you can think of. These notes will occupy the space surrounding your main idea.
Now, draw lines to show connections between those ideas. A map of your thoughts will appear on that page.
Use the results to create personal goals.

5) Early Bird or Night Owl? Tackle Hard Jobs When You Hard Jobs When You Have the Most Energy:-

The best thing about getting retired that you don't have a boss overhead, rather you are your own boss. You want to get stuff done, but you don't adhere to someone else's schedule. It's most important to know yourself. Generally, people say that morning people are found to be most productive. That isn't true always. Scheduling my hard tasks in the morning actually sets the tone of the day. But it's absolutely fine to work in that part of the day when your mental energy is at its peak.

Schedule mental tasks when you are the most alert.
Schedule physical tasks when your physical energy is at its peak.
Take breaks when you need them.
Smart planning force you to complete tasks before you get completely exhausted.

6) Travel or Run Errands When Everyone Else is at Work:-

In retirement, we have the luxury of organising our time to avoid the crowds. This tactic saves time and we can give that time to more productive pursuits.

Don't wait standing in a long-queue at a grocery shop. Instead, shop on a weekend morning when the shop is almost empty.
Scheduling for gym can be done on weekdays as that's the time it is less crowded.
Make appointment for services at times when most people are at work.
Travelling should also be done in a similar manner. It's a smart decision to avoid overcrowded situations that require long wait times.

7) Don't Fall Down the Rabbit Hole:-

We live in a wonderful age when information and entertainment is readily available to us. However, this technology can be a huge drain on our time and mental energy. It's necessary to exercise self-discipline. Here are some recommendations:-

Turn off automatic notifications.
Unsubscribe from e-mails except for those you are interested in.
Set a timer on your phone or computer to alert you when you have been online beyond a specified duration.
Determining the hours you would like to spend on social media and then hold yourself accountable.
Turn off your devices at a specified time and get involved in an activity when you are not looking at a screen.
Spend time outdoors with no electronic devices.
Don't let technology to rob you of real-world engagement.

8) Learn to Say 'No':-

However, talented and energetic retirees want time to work toward their personal goals. It's hard to pursue travel, hobbies, and new learning when you are overcommitted to volunteer work. Volunteering is valuable and admirable.

Volunteer commitments must be decided as per the worth they share.
A limited number of volunteer commitments must be decided.
Decline from excessive service commitments.
It's okay to say 'No' to requests for volunteer work. This allows you to maintain productivity in projects that spark your professions.

9) Nurture your Health and Fitness:-

Health is the most important factor that should especially be taken into consideration while one enters in this phase of life. It's recommended that one must follow the advice of physician and experts in this domain.

See your doctor for regular check-ups.
Take advantage of preventive medicines.
Eat healthy foods to maintain a healthy weight.
Cut back on alcohol consumption.
Exercise to maintain physical strength, flexibility and endurance.

10) Make Time for Rest:-

When we are well-rested, we can stay productive in retirement. It's important to strike a healthy balance between work and relaxation. Although, it's the time to relax but there are some who really find it hard to relax. It's important to remember that one must be both physically and mentally fit. This requires setting aside ample time for rest and renewal.

Get sufficient sleep of around 7-9 hours.
Take breaks when needed especially while performing physical tasks.
When working at a desk, take breaks to stretch, walk and move around.
Hence, productivity should be enhanced by taking time for rest and renewal.

Conclusion

The meaning of productivity shall continue to be different for different age-brackets. Every group has its own preferences, needs and priorities. There's a constant flux and flow seen in people from their comfort zone to courage zone and vice-versa. Life isn't the same for everyone but the scope of organising it lies in everyone's hands. Some try to make it while some may be even oblivious of the importance of being productive. I personally believe that a routine or a habit cannot be imposed on anybody unless the person himself or herself is ready to bring a reform in that direction. Who doesn't wants to make his life meaningful? Everyone wants that. In order to be one, we must act one. Things won't come to us themselves. We have to be ourselves the guiding light for our futures. We shouldn't always wait for the right moment to come. It's that we should ourselves go ahead and grab the opportunity. Everyone says to find a meaning in life but no one explains us how to search for that. The answer to this one is that productivity can teach you to get your tasks done. Be it a homemaker, enterpreneur, student or a person who is just sitting idle, everyone should understand the meaning of productivity. No matter, the meaning may seem different or complex but then ultimately the path of productivity shall assist us in building up productivity in our character.

Productivity can help in building the country's growth. It helps us to revitalize and rejuvenated our energies. Working in a team also requires organisation and that can be achieved by being productive. Time is that very asset that can't be afforded to get wasted. Being productive, accounts to greater level of happiness and energy. Multitasking is never the key to success. The basics of time management is doing things at a time and moving onto the other ones only when the previous ones are finished. Social media can be a distraction but only if you allow to be one. Self-control is something which comes into play here. We should be proactive for our choices instead of being reactive. Synergizing the goals may comprehend to give better results. Productivity isn't a talent that is innate. It's a quality that it is developed over time. Hence, we all must try to achieve the closest approximation of being totally productive in our lives.

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