Topic 4: Personal Management for Productivity
Do you turn up to meetings on time?
Can you be trusted to meet deadlines?
Are you reliable?
Are you efficient?
Are you strategic and future focused or are you always scrambling to get things done?
The answers to these questions can shape how people think of your professionally and influence how quickly and how far you progress in your career.
It was famously said that the great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: “I did not have time.”
Do you have time to do all the things that are important to you? If not, what strategies do you have in place to manage yourself, and the people around you, to make the most of the time you have?
In our face-to-face workshop, we covered a range of practices that should help improve your productivity so that you can deliver high quality work on time, achieve your goals as efficiently as possible and build a professional reputation based on focus, reliability and efficiency. Access the slides here and explore the links below for further development.
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The myth of multi-tasking
When we multi-task our brain is actually switching very quickly from one task to another. This switching reduces productivity by up to 40% and increases the likelihood of making mistakes. Check out this study for a more detailed explanation of the cost of frequent switching. This article includes links to other studies that support these findings. It’s up to you to manage how frequently you switch tasks. Try to focus on one task at a time and implement ways to reduce distractions on your phone and in your emails.
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Is your phone limiting your success?
If you’re one of the 39% of Australians who think they use their phone too much, maybe you could benefit from an app that helps you track and reduce your usage. Or maybe you just need to configure your phone in a way that reduces distractions. This article provides comprehensive instructions for How to configure your iPhone to work for you, not against you. Have a read and make some changes.
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Books that will teach you more
Have you got time to spare in your current placement? Invest that time wisely. Set yourself a goal to read one book about professional development per month. The books below provide additional strategies for increasing your productivity at work:
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock
Getting things done: the art of stress-free productivity by David Allen
Eat that frog by Brian Tracy
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Graduate recommendations
What are other grads doing to increase their productivity? Check out the resources below – and remember to email Danielle.rees@transport.nsw.gov.au if you have anything interesting to add.
https://www.becomingminimalist.com/
