Productivity can be measured not by how many hours you work, but how much you can get done in that period of time. Being productive is about being efficient and about getting a lot of things accomplished in the least amount of time possible. It’s interesting that very productive people actually share the same habits. Thus, developing the same habits can help improve your productivity as a manager.
These are the habits you should learn to develop:
1. Make it a habit to make lists.
Many of us don’t make lists, and so, when something comes up that needs to be accomplished, they tend to lose focus on the task they’re doing. There’s an easy solution to this problem – write everything down. You just need to have a pen and a memo pad wherever you go when you’re at work and write down whatever important things would pop into your head. And when you make a list, write according to the significance of the tasks and not according to their due date.
2. Identify potential problems.
Before you start your day at work, see to it that you know what’s ahead of you. Take a look at your To-Do list and identify which tasks there could be your ‘problem’ tasks. These are the tasks that you expect will take much time to accomplish. The sooner you can prepare the solution to that problem, the better. Once you’ve fixed what’s broken, you can expect everything to run smoother.
3. Stay away from distractions.
Many people say that multitasking is the key to getting a lot of things done in a smaller amount of time. But can you actually be productive when you have to do so many things at the same time? Wouldn’t this cause you to lose focus on what you’re doing that may even result in the delay of your work? Instead of multitasking, you should try to work in short bursts on a specific task. When you’ve finished one task, just take a break, and give your brain enough time to recharge and prepare for the next task.
4. Don’t stress too much about striving for perfection.
When you strive too much for perfection, there’s a chance that you will be pushing yourself too hard and you may end up getting stressed out. Perfectionist managers are likely to demand a lot from their teams, too. Instead of allowing yourself and your employees to get overwhelmed by work, you should just work towards achieving the best quality when perfection isn’t a necessity. Stop yourself from being stuck on details that don’t really matter.
5. Solicit feedback and embrace criticism.
The best and most successful leaders are those who keep their minds open to feedback and criticisms. For them, every comment they receive from their colleagues and even their team members are tips they can use to become better at what they do. As someone holding an important leadership role, you should consider criticisms as a means for you to learn how else you can be a better and more productive leader.