How and when you react and act in situations you face is critical to your success or failure, not only in the task at hand but in future endeavors as well. Not all who work are productive enough to give the desired results. We are creatures of habit, and achieving results (or not) becomes a habit if repeated enough.
This is why we all know people who can be relied on to get things done, and others who can't. In each case, they have made a habit of the behaviors that lead to their respective outcomes. There are specific behaviors that are almost always expressed by productive individuals, which eventually equates to their success. Can you see the following attributes in your efforts?
You Don't Depend On Your Mood
It is normal to dislike some of the tasks given to you, because you may find them hard, boring, or not urgent. However, what you feel does not make the task not doable. Whatever may be the case, you cannot leave it unattended either today or in the future because doing so will adversely affect your productivity. Do it, and it's done.
You Prioritize
This timeless approach is essential to increasing your productivity. With the tasks piling one after another daily, it will help you decide which one needs your immediate attention, giving you awareness of each task's importance. It will help you prioritize things not out of pressure but based on their level of importance.
You will be able to decide the time you will and can allocate for each task and prepare the resources you need. You will be more clear-headed about what should be done first. Less important tasks should be done last, not first.
You Evaluate Your Requirements
As the next step of planning, you determine if resources are sufficient. You can then request or recommend additional resources if required as the task progresses. Your productivity is now simply a measure of your personal output, it is the results of all you manage, leverage and bring to bear. Required inputs may be materials, but they can often be the delegation of tasks or additional human resources, which are all vital in reaching your productivity goals.
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You Continually Sharpen Your Skills
You must upgrade your skills by keeping yourself abreast of the latest developments related to your occupation. Technology evolves faster than you know and changes can come from an unexpected source. We live in a world now where staying up to date with industry norms is essential.
The other side of this is that it has never been easier to access information and education. If you are prepared to put in the personal effort, it is very possible to get ahead of the pack and become much better than average. As your skills improve, you increase both the quality and quantity of your work. You become more competitive in your field. If your interest in your craft has been waning, self-education can re-spark it again.
You Honor Your Commitments
Delivering according to your commitments will build your integrity and confirm your ability to hold your position, and to take on more important tasks. If situations that will compromise those commitments arise, swiftly inform the stakeholder or your manager to help you resolve the situation. As you accomplish your task, ensure that not only the planned timeline is followed but also the results are as specified.
You Add Value To Your Output
Simply put, over-deliver. Where possible, you add in quantity, your quality is at par or above the specified, and you deliver on time or earlier. When you do so, in addition to gaining the trust of your manager, or admiration of a colleague, intrinsically, you are rewarded with personal satisfaction. This has great power in strengthening the habit of achieving success. It also gives you improved peace of mind as you have no nagging thoughts of unfinished business.
Extrinsically, the fruits of your labor will be received in the form of employment security at a minimum, and hopefully, increased responsibility or promotion.
