Job Success

Introduction

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Recognize and avoid five common productivity pitfalls

How productive are you?

As a conscientious employee, it's your duty to be on task as much as possible. However, it's difficult to be highly productive at all times. Productivity pitfalls such as procrastination can impede work performance and lead to poor performance reviews.

Take our Productivity Quiz to learn which productivity pitfalls you're prone to so you can improve your work performance.

Once you're done with the quiz, read the scenarios in the rest of the lesson to learn strategies for overcoming the most common productivity pitfalls.

Productivity pitfall: Procrastination

Scenario:

The project is due tomorrow. You've had two weeks to complete it, yet you've waited until the last minute—again. Now, you're faced with spending the next several hours working late into the night.

Whether out of carelessness or laziness, we've all put off doing something that needed to be done. Habitual procrastinators get into this pattern early and practice it through adulthood.

In the workplace, procrastination doesn't get the job done. You may never know when your manager or supervisor will drop by your desk to check your progress on a particular project.

Solutions:

• Create a to-do list and stick to it.
• Complete unpleasant tasks first.
• Decide which project-related tasks you can accomplish in the short-term, and set yourself a deadline for them.
• Decide which project-related tasks you can accomplish in the long-term, and set yourself a later deadline for them.

Productivity pitfall: Perfectionism

Scenario:

You've been assigned a team project at work. After attempting to take on a majority of the tasks, you reluctantly let a coworker take responsibility for an important aspect of the project. As a result, you're nervous the project won't be completed on time or well, despite the coworker's professional reputation.

As a perfectionist, you often spend so much time perfecting a particular task you can't seem to get anything done. You don't work well in a team atmosphere because you can't trust others to do their work accurately.

Perfectionism can be counterproductive. After all, you can't do everything. And remember, employers value employees who can work well in a team atmosphere.

Solutions:

• When appropriate, delegate tasks to others.
• Learn how to say "no" to a new project if you are currently overloaded.

Productivity pitfall: Distraction

Scenario:

You arrive at work early in order to meet a deadline. Your coworker stops by your desk to chat, and before you realize it 40 minutes have passed and your deadline is fast approaching.

Distractions such as chatting with coworkers and surfing the Web for pleasure waste a lot of time at work.

Solutions:

• Limit your trips to the break room.
• When others distract you, chat for a few moments, then politely tell them you are trying to meet a tight deadline.
• Avoid surfing the Web for pleasure at work. It is unprofessional and can get you into trouble.
• Create a to-do list and stick to it.

Productivity pitfall: Boredom

Scenario:

You have been steadily working on the same task for hours. You are bored, so you decide to call a friend on the company phone to chat.

Most people like to feel that they are contributing something to their work environment. Feeling bored and unproductive at work can lead to job dissatisfaction. Worse, if boredom leads you to act unprofessionally or avoid your assigned tasks, you could be fired.

Solutions:

• If you truly have a lack of things to do, ask your supervisor to give you some projects.
• Be proactive. Seek out projects. Your manager or supervisor will appreciate it.
• Create a to-do list and stick to it.

Productivity pitfall: Hostility

Scenario:

You work first shift. Your coworker, Mary, is scheduled to work second shift. You can't leave to get your child from daycare until she arrives. As usual, Mary arrives 15 minutes late. Fuming, you yell at her in front of customers and your supervisor.

Hostility interferes with productivity. It is a waste of time and can contribute to the amount of stress you take home from work. Worse, overt hostility in the workplace can lead to disciplinary action, immediate dismissal, and police intervention.

Solutions:

• Avoid being rude to customers, coworkers, and supervisors.
• If you are angry about something at work, make an appointment to discuss matters privately with your supervisor.
• If you encounter anger or frustration in others, take a deep breath and calmly ask them what you can do to remedy the situation. Don't raise your voice. Call your supervisor if necessary.