Personal Productivity: A New Year's Resolution

2 Minute ReadSo it’s the end of the year, and you’re probably starting to think about what your New Year’s resolutions are going to be…what your goals will be. Why not make a goal for personal productivity?In today’s workplace, we are asking employees to be more efficient and produce at higher levels. Those individuals that can demonstrate the greatest degree of personal productivity are often those who are seen as the most valuable. This fact makes this concept of individual efficiency and production even more relevant.Personal productivity, as we consider it, are those actions and activities an individual makes to contribute toward a larger goal. This can either be a personal, team, or company goal. Typically, productivity is measured by the achievement of an outcome.Time is huge in every person’s life, and newer generations are striving more and more to spend their time away from the office through the use of flex-time or working from home. The irony of time is that everyone says they do not have enough, yet they have all there is!

Here are a few simple things you can do:

• Concentrate on high priority activities. Determine which activities provide the largest payoff and spend your time on work that really matters; trivial details will consume you otherwise.
• Exercise self-discipline. Firstly, establish your priorities and refuse to let distractions, interruptions, or happenings of the moment destroy your concentration. Secondly, schedule time to work by using the 80/20 rule: 80% of the results you obtain come from 20% of the tasks you perform. Planning 20% of your day to focus on key projects and priorities can lead to gaining a tremendous result in terms of output. Gaining even one hour of uninterrupted time per day is equivalent to 3 hours of interrupted time.
• Be persistent. If issues arise that keep you from meeting your objectives, review your time plan. Try picking other times of the day/week/month to work your plan. It’s easy to give in to daily events and instead react to the needs of others. It’s also easy to believe that planning is not possible for your position.
• Use a planning system. Whether paper or electronic, a planning system helps provide you with a graphic look at available time, how it’s scheduled, and provides a historical record of your activities.

Increasing personal productivity means more control over your life and all that matters to you. It means a higher standard of living. It means shorter work hours and increased time for the pursuit of other worthwhile goals that are important to you. Improving personal productivity creates pride, provides a profound sense of achievement, and enhances self-image and self-respect. Whatever your definition of success, an increase in personal productivity can enhance accomplishments and multiply your rewards.Do you want to increase your personal productivity? You might just have to slow down.