It's Just a Matter of Priorities: How to Be More Productive At Work

THE ABILITY to prioritise is an essential part of both being productive - and a good leader.

Indeed, despite the ongoing pressure of deadlines, managing staff and lengthy ‘to do’ lists, prioritising correctly is a proven way to keep on top of your workload.

And the good news is, this is not rocket science.

As leadership expert Andrew Medal explains in a recent Inc.com article, there are two basic principles for workplace success that all productive people live by:

1. Adopt a good work/life balance to avoid burnout

Working excessive hours used to be regarded as a ‘badge of honour’ in many workplaces. These days, however, highly productive people are aware of the importance of putting themselves first, and taking time out for rest and self-care.

This can start with something as simple as getting enough sleep. Indeed, prioritising enough time for sleep should be a no-brainer; especially considering how much more effective we are at work when we are well rested.

Another area of priority for productive people is exercise, with research proving that taking regular exercise helps to reduce anxiety and depression, and also increases happiness.

Finally, unplugging from electronic devices after work and on weekends should be another important priority for those of us wishing to maintain a healthy work/life balance

2. Deal with just one task at a time

Multi-tasking at work used to be a commonly accepted practice - with workers’ priorities often extending across many different areas at once.

However, these days, most productive people handle only one task at a time. This is because it has been shown over the years that it is not possible to carry out two or more activities, completely and competently, at the same time.

Whereas, in days gone by, the ‘multi-taskers’ were constantly switching back and forth between tasks - and thus exhausting themselves - today’s highly productive ‘single task’ workers approach each item on their ‘to-do lists’ singularly.

And, by prioritising their work on a task-by-task basis, they are able to solve problems more creatively, retain information better, have less stress, and achieve more. 

Of course, this notion of ‘effective productivity’ varies greatly from person to person - with recent research indicating that more and more workers are feeling overwhelmed at work.

This is one reason why understanding your priorities at work is so important – especially for anyone who wants to be more productive.

According to a recent Harvard Business Review article by well-known leadership expert and academic Robert C. Pozen, the secret to good productivity lies in both understanding your priorities, and ‘not sweating the small stuff’.

Pozen says that by prioritising your daily tasks correctly - and streamlining how you deal with your colleagues - any professional can make their work lives easier and more productive.

He is so confident in his beliefs, that he has created what he terms the ‘Pozen Productivity Rating’ - to help professionals assess just how well they are doing on each aspect of their productivity.

Consisting of 21 questions and divided into seven categories, the Pozen Productivity Rating is regarded as an excellent tool for assessing an emplyee’s productivity.

This is because, as long as the worker completes the questionnaire honestly, they are able to get an extremely accurate idea of their strengths and weaknesses: especially in the areas of time management, and managing procrastination and performance at work.

Pozen even provides a feedback report to help participants better understand the results.