It’s a competitive world out there and we have many success stories of small businesses. Thanks to the technological innovations, in today’s world we have round-the-clock work schedules and we are able to access information with a few mouse clicks. The work pattern is collaborative. This means you are expected to be connect with people located at various geographical locations, coordinate their calls and meetings accordingly.
Moreover, you have a lot of distractions in the form of vibrations of your mobile device, emails, alerts that you have set on the smartphone to break the latest news and so on. To be highly productive and successful you need to have work strategies. Remember that highly productive people like the ordinary people have only 24 hours in hand. They are successful because they do things differently.
Do you think productivity is getting done many things quickly in a stipulated time frame? If your answer is yes, then you are mistaken.
Productivity is the science of doing things in a systematic manner and moving in the desired direction without deviating from the milestones that is set to achieve the goal. The life experiences of the highly productive people have taught them two important things. They are as follows
1. Self-awareness- Most people believe that doing things to impress other people will define their success. They tend to compete with other people. In fact, they are going through a vicious cycle of identity crisis doing things that are popular at that point of time. Such people lack the depth as well as commitment towards to the task they perform.
A productive person understands where his strength lies and focuses on improving the same. He completely accepts his weakness and works around it. In short, a productive person is someone who possess self-awareness and is ready to accept his weakness. They believe that to be a success you need to know who you are, i.e. self-awareness
2. Their life goals- Productive people know their goals and have a clear idea about what they want to achieve to be defined as a success. These people are passionate about what they do and work towards achieving their goals. If you think they work faster to achieve their dreams and desires, it’s not so. They move in a consistent pace in one direction rather than in multiple directions.
Do away with these habits to increase your productivity and to be a success
1. Working in the comfort zone- A comfort zone is the psychological state that is familiar to you, where you are at ease and in control. You are not ready to take risks when you are working in this zone. This zone is a hindrance to your progress. If you want to be productive as well as take your business to the next best level, you need to step out of your comfort zone. Highly productive and successful people work outside their comfort zone.
2. Discontinuing the learning Process- Learning is a continuous process. To increase the productivity, you need to expand your knowledge on things that pertains to your work and also strive to learn new things that will be helpful in your field of work.
3. Not asking for advice- Asking for advice is easier said than done, as many of the startup owners find it embarrassing to ask for help. When you have to make a hard business decision, you need to contemplate discussing your ideas with business leaders who have experience solving similar problems.
4. Focusing on small details- Many of us lose out on the big picture as we focus on the minor details. The reason is when we give too much importance on the minute details, we lose the ability to see the overall goal.
5. Multitasking- Highly productive people avoid multi-tasking as it decreases the productivity and it is also considered to be destructive. They believe in doing one thing at a time as they will able to give complete attention to the task at hand. These people work on the Most Important Task(MIT) for a couple of hours each day and thereby inch towards their goals. Focusing on one task also makes it easier to complete it quickly.
6. Procrastination- Procrastinating on replying to an email or avoid working on a tough tasks can be a hindrance to growth. There are times many of us hesitate to ask for feedback. When you procrastinate on asking someone for feedback, you are actually missing out on the perceptions and opinions of a third person.
Highly productive people never let their past dictate their future. They use their past experience as a learning platform and use it to their advantage in the present as well as the future. Similarly, they surround themselves with people who exude positive energy. Ultra-productive people follow a routine and spend time with their family and friends. They also take up a hobby that help to distress them.
Make a habit of stepping back from what you are currently doing and introspect on what you have been doing. This will give an insight into the layout of your milestones and help in problem-solving.
Share your experience of being a highly productive small business owner in our comments section.
