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productivity (6) Personal productivity improvement tips - Refine your actions to improve productivity
productivity (6) Personal productivity improvement tips - Refine your actions to improve productivity | Personal productivity improvement tips - Refine your actions to improve productivity |
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| Monday, 14 January 2008 | |
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Personal productivity improvement can lead to improvement on
quality of life. It helps us to get more time with our family and
our own interests. But in our daily life, we have been delayed or
disturbed by many trifles or unnecessary actions. Suppose if we can
eliminate some unnecessary actions, it is certain that we can get a
sound improvement on productivity. Here are 3 easy steps on
productivity improvement through refining our actions.
Tag:personal
productivity improvement, make plan, refine actions
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We have spent much time on trifles every day, no matter whether we
are aware of it or not. Every trivia means an interruption to
important and urgent work, which will eventually break through the
procedure of thinking or working. Suppose that when we are working,
we always have a break to eat something, walk for a while, receive
or dial a call, touch hair, noise or any part of body, watch TV and
so on, what bad result will we lead to?
Unnecessary actions are the biggest time-consumer to us. Then the first question comes: What are the unnecessary actions wasting our time? Unnecessary actions mean all the actions unrelated with our work now. At the same time, we have to realize that not all unnecessary actions are bad, but if we can&rsquot deal with them well, then they are of a waste of time. In summarize, these unnecessary actions can be classified into two categories: 1. Habitual actions For example, take a break frequently to eat, chat, surf on the net, play games, and watch TV etc. Sometimes we are not aware of such actions just because they have become habitual actions. They seem so natural, reasonable and relaxing to us, although they are sometimes of a waste of time. For some of us, every time we meet with difficulties in work, we will choose to do easier things to escape from them. For example, when we can&rsquot find a way out on a problem, we perhaps will change to view the website, chat or play games, which will then eventually lead to a worse result because of the less time. We don&rsquot have to find the reasons on how these actions come into being. The important thing to us is that they exist in our life now and we should use or change these actions to help us get improved. 2.Unexpected or unplanned actions Fail to plan is planning to fail. Every day, we will make plan or check our goals to adjust our direction towards success. But it is impossible to consider and list all the things at once. Unexpected or unplanned actions will always come to us. In fact, we can classify these actions into three parts: actions no need to be done by us; actions needed to be done later by us; actions needed to be done right now by us. If we interrupt our work and do the first two parts things right now, it is a waste of time for us. For example, I am writing a report which will be handed before noon and only one hour left now. Suddenly, my boss calls me to look up some new information on products of rivals and summarize the result to a detail report. I know the latter report is also very important, but through balancing the first and latter report, I have to ask my boss if I can begin this latter report one hour later. This procedure of decision is the key on judging whether to begin this latter report is a waste of time or not. Of course, if I have an assistant, I will ask him to help me also. In this article, we mainly focus on the first unnecessary actions. 3 steps on refining actions to get productivity improved 1. Simplification 1.1 Environment simplification Before beginning work, we can first simply our environment to get us dedicated. We can clean our desk according the plan and try to keep a clean desk, only the things needed on work left. If you are working with computer, then remove the shortcuts on games and other amusement software from your desktop. Try to get less information unrelated with your work on your plan. Open only the needed windows while working. Many friends like to open the instant messaging tools while working. If we keep a time log, we will find it is really a big interruption on work. So use asynchronous tools like email instead. 1.2 Action simplification Once starting work, we shall reduce the interruption from ourselves as much as possible. For example, if we are working with computer, the only effective actions are related with our work or computer. We can reduce our time spent on standing up to eat, talk or only give a stretch. Keeping a solid posture is helpful for us to keep in a dedicated state. Proper hunger is good to productivity improving. If you are working at home, keep reducing the times of eating while working and it is always enough for our body through breakfast lunch and super. Another key element to action simplification is only doing one thing at one time. Don&rsquot scatter the time available to many things at the same time. 2. Make a promise The first step: simplification is a base to productivity improved, but it is not enough. We have built our own way of dealing with things over years, so it is not easy to change at once. Making a promise on micro-steps mentioned in the first step is helpful to guarantee the result. There are different ways to make a promise and we will make it by writing down the promise with highlight font: I am creating a dedicated and peaceful state on working with my whole energy. I only work on one thing at one time. Anything unrelated with current work needs no care. Put the promise on the top-right side of your desk and read it 3 more times before next step. 3. Set up a reminder Set up a reminder for checking your state while working. Of course, a reminder is also a kind of interruption, but it is an active interruption and the frequency is decided on your choice. Proper reminder can cheer up us as well. Two steps on reminder coming 3.1 Check our state Through this step, we can check if we have obeyed the promise and worked with whole energy. Detail to say, we can carry on this step by asking 3 questions: a) Am I satisfied with the state in this period? b) What should be paid attention to in next period? c) Do I want to get productivity improved? 3.2 Reread promise tips While rereading promise, please close your eyes. Image the texts in the promise flying slowly before your eyes and you see them clearly. See and read these texts for 3 times more. Personal example Most of my work is related with computer. I used to open an instant message tool while working, for example, ICQ, MSN or QQ (a tool from china). Messages from the instant message system always draw away my attention. Sometimes I can&rsquot help open a window to chat with my friends for a while, perhaps only 10 minutes. But it is certain that my work has been interrupted and some time will be needed to continue the interrupted work. At the same time, I always open my email before work and many times I have spent much time on the links in the email. In my task bar, I have always opened 10 more windows, although I only need several of them. It is usual for me to find I have done nothing before lunch time or super time coming. I decided to change to get improved. I wrote the promise above and list the detail attention I should paid to: a) Reduce times on standing up; b) Use more keyboard than mouse to reduce the movement distance of hands and the things touched; c) Open as few windows as possible; d) Close all the instant message software; e) Read email using 10-30 minutes before lunch time or super time; f) Only read the necessary information on the internet; g) Reduce chatting with friends or classmates while working. Obvious changes have been made after I took the steps above, one of which is the fulfillment feeling. Now I feel the eight-hour work time is used better than before and productivity has been improved much. In fact, when you find you spend less time on unnecessary things, you will find you have more confidence on the control of life and yourself, at the same time, the time left for amusement and rest is also getting more.             |
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