How to Escape a Workplace Productivity Rut
To the casual observer, you might seem like a great performer--you're keeping up with all your work with perfect consistency and maintaining an empty inbox. But you personally know you're stuck in a productivity rut--a place where you get your work done, but only at a minimal level, and certainly without flair or inspiration. Your personal return on investment (PROI) in your job is very low, and you feel "stuck." We've all been there at one time or another, for any of a number of reasons. Basically, you end up going through the motions, doing what you have to in a just-in-time fashion and staying busy without necessarily adding to your organization's bottom line (whether fiduciary or otherwise).
Think back to your school days and the kind of grade such a level of effort might earn you there. Pretty much a "C," right? The minimum expected. Average. Well, average won't get you great marks on your workplace report card, either--i.e., your yearly performance review. And you can't expect much in the way of raises, bonuses, or promotions as a result.
Once you've recognized you're in a rut (due to your own efforts or your boss dropping a bomb on you), you'll need to mix it up a bit. Take the time to consider your options, plot a plan of action to pull yourself up out of the ditch, and start looking for a winch. First re-examine your goals. Then identify the motivational triggers that have gotten you this far in your career. Last, trip the switch.
Start Small for Big Impact
You've heard all about the 80-20 rule (very few of your activities account for most of your impact as an employee). Indeed, you probably apply it to your workload every day, and normally, you should. But sometimes, trying to handle something large can seem overwhelming. So in keeping with the idea of mixing it up a bit, start small, and do something minor but important you've been putting off repeatedly.
Been staring at that annoying paperwork on your desk? Avoiding a call you need to make? Turn to it and get it done. Not enough? Review your master to-do list. Has something in particular been bugging you, something worth doing that hasn't seemed especially pressing? Is there something out of the ordinary you can knock off your list to feel a quick sense of accomplishment? Some files you need to purge? A folder on your computer to organize? Take care of it, especially if you can do so quickly. When you let go of that particular stone, you'll end up feeling a nice sense of relief and accomplishment, which might inspire you to tackle a more important task.
In a similar vein, you can use a method I've recommended before to prime your productivity pump: give yourself a certain small interval of time--five, ten, or fifteen minutes--to work on a specific task. By the time you hit your goal, you may have enough momentum to proceed without any further stimulation. Otherwise, tell yourself, "Just five minutes more" (or ten or fifteen) and push yourself to stick with it.
Even something as minimal as walking three times briskly around your building on your next break can refresh your attitude and pull you out of a down day. If that doesn't work, you probably need an entire day off to recharge. Constant, unrelenting work can be soul crushing.
Mind Your P's
Speaking of soul crushing: two of the prime causes of productivity ruts are Perfectionism and Procrastination. These damaging "P-Traps" occupy opposing ends of a kind of compulsion spectrum. In the first, you worry too much about getting everything just right; in the second, you don't worry enough. I've known people who occupied both ends of the scale simultaneously, depending on the project. You may have done this yourself. You spent so much time on the "good" task, while another task went undone because you were "busy," it seemed too hard, or the deadline seemed too distant.
Read the rest of the article here.
If you'd like further details on how to construct and maintain an effective workflow process that allows you to get everything done and still have a life outside of work, be sure to grab a copy of my new book, What To Do When There's Too Much To Do, when it hits bookstores in 2012.
Make it a productive day! (TM)
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