There are many key factors to having a successful environment in the workplace, and being productive is one of the most essential. Not only do you need to make sure your employees are staying on task, but you need to be sure you’re not falling behind as well. When there’s a set amount of goals to accomplish, it’s important to ensure that you and your employees finish the work, and aren’t slacking off. However, this is often easier said than done. With the urge to interact through social media, and our desire to chat with those we work with, remaining productive can be a difficult task. However, when dealing with the conflict of business vs pleasure in the workplace, here are some ways to keep productivity up and play time down.
#1. Set Realistic Goals
In order to remain productive in the workplace, it’s important to set realistic goals for yourself, especially during the course of the week. One reason why some find it hard to remain productive, is because they tire themselves out from working too much. In the long run, this makes them more easily susceptible to distractions, and it becomes more difficult to focus on the tasks at hand. As an example, let’s make a comparison.
Let’s say there were two people in the workplace who had thirty tasks to finish in the next week, both short and time-consuming. One person paced themselves and completed five to six tasks a day, but the other worker did the opposite and worked on ten tasks per day. While it’s true that person would finish their assignments quicker, they will completely burn themselves out as well. By setting unrealistic goals and not pacing themselves, their productivity will soon plummet. Once they’re finished with those tasks, it will then be harder to remain focused during the rest of the week. Not to mention it will become easier to be distracted by mundane pleasures. Overall, setting realistic goals is an important part of being productive in the workplace.
#2. Take Breaks
While this may seem counterintuitive to some, taking breaks actually helps to improve your productivity in the workplace. That’s not to say you should take too many of them, but regardless, breaks are an essential part of the business world. After all, we’re human beings and not machines. We weren’t created to work for hours on end. By giving yourself time to relax occasionally and eat lunch with those you work with, it helps you to recharge and remain focused on what needs to be accomplished.
#3. Work as a Team
In order to keep productivity up and play time down, another key factor is teamwork. It’s important to remember that a business is not just an individual effort. With that said, by working on projects as a team, one benefit is that everyone will remain productive. If there are some tasks that require additional help, never hesitate to reach out to your employees. Aside from dividing different parts of the task(s) among you and those you’re working with, you should regularly check their progress as well. Among the busy schedules everyone has, chatting via social media or Skype is a great way to go about this. Overall, one reason teamwork’s so important is because it allows you to collaborate with your employees while monitoring the tasks at hand. However, it also keeps everyone in the workplace focused on what needs to be done, while keeping them accountable as well.
Between setting realistic goals, taking breaks in between, and putting an emphasis on teamwork, these are some ways to keep productivity up in the workplace. For more information, contact us today at BWS Technologies.
