Knowing for ages that time is priceless, time is money, etc., almost every one of us struggles to manage it properly or to say it better, productively.
In fact, when we see some people around us achieving milestones exploiting the same 24 hours that are provided to us by nature, then being less productive feels frustrating often.
However, here in this blog, we are going to learn more about the science of productivity than time management. The reason is that there are a lot of factors that play a role in acing the productivity game besides time.
What are the Determinants of Productivity?
It goes without saying that actions that we take to enhance productivity at work need to be compared with some set benchmarks time and again.
When it comes to quantifying productivity, it is more challenging than the output delivered by your team at work.
Below are a few things to learn for determining productivity at work:
1. Utilization of Tools
Implement the best productivity monitoring software to check your team’s progress on tasks and projects. Not just progress but the speed with which the progress is done needs to be tracked to determine the productivity of the team.
2. Watch your metrics
If you see the metrics increasing in your existing team (without hiring a new one), then it’s a sign of success again.
Last but not least, it is always ethical to rely on your people whom you have trained well in an ethical culture, focussing on their well-being. People in your team should always be able to speak on their productivity status time and again.
Strategies to Become More Productive
1. “Just do It”
It makes all sense when Nike says “Just do it”.
To support this fact, as per an award-winning psychology researcher Dr. John Bargh since our brain has the tendency to simulate real, productive work by focusing on petty and mindless tasks to pass the time, hence preventing us from getting anything done in real. Therefore, it is better to start off a task so that we feel naturally compelled to finish the same.
Sometimes, you may come across the problem of thoughts blockage as in where to begin but the key is to break big targets into small chunks of tasks and accomplish the latter.
2. Work in Sprints
Though staying motivated has always been an overrated concept but scientifically it has been proven as a myth.
Have you heard of the concept of the ” basic rest-activity cycle” experienced by humans during sleep? As per pioneering sleep researcher and Physiologist Nathaniel Kleitman, humans have the tendency to alternate progressively between deep and light sleep in every 90-minute period.
The theory is similarly supported by a Harvard Business Review article by Tony Schwartz, Kleitman which states that humans are operated by a 90-minute rhythm during the day, hence progressing through periods of higher and lower alertness.
Scientifically speaking, after working at high intensity for more than 90 minutes, we begin to rely on stress hormones for energy.
This results in our prefrontal cortex beginning to shut down and start losing our ability to think clearly and reflectively. Besides, they say that we move from parasympathetic to sympathetic arousal which is a physiological state known as “fight or flight”.
Therefore, it is suggested that instead of artificially waking yourself with caffeine, sugary foods, and stress hormones. You should follow the regime of taking periodic breaks every 90 minutes.
3. Avoid Eliminating Old Habits; Change Them
Bad habits are nothing but those habits, when practiced carry a high potential to kill your productivity.
Besides, the reason why it is always difficult to eliminate them is very scientific. As per Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Charles Duhigg, when people try to change their bad habits instead of eliminating them, they are more likely to succeed.
The scientific logic that supports this theory is every time we practice a habit, it tends to generate a reward creating a neurological pathway in our brain.
Similarly, whenever that action of habit is repeated, we experience the same reward again.
This thickens the neurological pathway and whenever the action is repeated the neurological pathway gets thick every time, hence it becomes easier for impulses to travel down.
This also indicates that whenever we try to extinguish our bad habits completely, we are trying to use willpower to destroy a neural pathway.
Speaking on the solution, Duhigg then suggests the following tips to replace bad habits with productive ones:
- Diagnose the urge that sets off the habit
- Diagnose the reward you get from practicing the habit
- Now, replace the habit with a new activity that you feel is triggered by the old cue and delivers the old reward
To learn and practice the solution, know more about its steps in detail.
For example – You have a bad habit of scrolling down on Instagram reels for hours. You think the reward that you get from it is a varied form of entertainment and information.
However, the guilt you carry for the same is this practice brings null productivity in your life. As per Duhigg’s diagnosis solution, figure out by asking yourself questions like: What time is it when you feel the urge to check Instagram? Where are you? Who else is around?
What do you do right before practicing the habit? and that’s it!
You know that it has become a habit for you to scroll down on reels after you check your WhatsApp, because they are next to each other under the social media apps folder. Now, you’ve got to diagnose the reward. What craving does scrolling on reels satisfy?
It may be the satisfaction of feeling entertained and learning about various forms of information.
Now, it’s time to replace this habit with a new and productive one.
What do you think it may be? How about subscribing to Instagram pages that relate to your career? This will not only save you from being unproductive but would also be a source of entertainment due to the nature of reels.
4. Develop Productivity at Workplace Rituals
As per Schwartz, the most appropriate way to get things done “is to make them more automatic so they require less energy”.
Explaining further, he advises his clients to develop rituals in such a manner that they are highly specific behaviors done at precise times that with the passage of time become so automatic that they require null conscious will or discipline.
Another version of his Philosophy states OHIO – Only Handle it Once.
For example – when you go through your emails, and decide to take the relevant call at the same moment – respond to the ones that are urgent and important.
Besides, answering the important emails immediately, delete the unimportant ones on the spot instead of compiling them into the storage system.
5. Keep Track of Your Time & Activities
Well, definitely it is difficult to keep a deliberate note of what you do the entire day and how much time you spend finishing a given task.
Therefore, here let’s seek the help of technology to explore more about the science of productivity!
DeskTrack – A employee time tracking software, developed and designed with features that take care of monitoring productivity parameters.
Be it tracking the time of employees at work (remote/onsite) or activities they spend time on (files, URLs accessed), DeskTrack is enabled to quantify productivity considering these parameters.
Besides, the tool is meant to serve the purpose of a variety of customer bases, be it B2B, B2C, etc.
Not only this but when it comes to monitoring the productivity of field employees in a company, DeskTrack is ready for that too. The price offered is very affordable.
Productivity at Work Hack with Cognitive Science
It is always good to make conscious and volunteer efforts to enhance productivity but how about if you get to learn productivity hacks with cognitive science?
These methods are not only promising to maximize your efficiency at work but also meant for whether you are beginning your first job or eyeing retirement.
Let’s learn how you can amplify that big mass of neurons in your head:
1. Tap your Brain’s Executive Suite:
Before we know how to harness our brain to bring out maximum productivity. We need to learn about the executive functions of our brain:
- Reasoning
- Problem-Solving
- Planning
- Execution
As per a neuroscientist, Dr. Tara, these above-mentioned higher functions help to get work done by regulating emotions, suppressing your biases, solving complex problems, and thinking creatively.
Below are mentioned some steps that help to create an environment for your brain to adapt to the executive functions easily:
Sleep
It is considered to be the cleaning time for your brain.
Swart says that the brain settles down the entire day’s issues during sleep and makes room for new information and memories. She recommends that one should avoid intaking alcohol before bed and stop looking at your device’s screen for at least an hour before. She recommends at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
Eat
It is a scientific fact that your brain consumes 25-30 percent of what you eat for nourishment.
A healthy diet is responsible for building glucose which energizes the brain to take on new activities. This boost in the brain due to glucose creates new pathways to overcome previously existing biases. A diet full of nuts, eggs, avocado, salmon, coconut oil, and seeds is suggested by Swart to provide healthy nourishment to the brain.
Drink
It is said that when you don’t drink enough water, the brain synapses lose plasticity to some extent. Signals in a nervous system speak to each other through synapses. These synapses lose plasticity to some extent due to a lack of enough water in the human body.
It is required to keep the connections firing at the right rate by keeping your body well-hydrated. One should aim for about 16 ounces of water for 30 or so pounds of body weight.
Move
Oxygen for the brain is always good to keep the brain active. Physical activity is beneficial for generating more oxygen in the body. Therefore, a small walk into the office helps to serve the purpose.
Simplify
It is said that the brain operates better when it is given simplified choices. When it comes to multitasking, it should be given to the extent that anyone can do it. Besides, it is recommended that one should reduce choices and give a good start to the brain during the morning.
Additionally, the neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the brain are said to take a natural dip around 3 pm. Therefore, it is suggested that one should finish off cognitively challenging work early in the day.
2. Stay Energized and Not Overstimulated
In order to be productive, some extent of excitement is required. However, overstimulation in the name of excitement is never recommended as it can lead your brain from excitement to anxiety.
As per a psychology professor, Dr. Art Markman ” At some point you continue to get energized. You’ve literally got the energy flowing through your motivational system and you can actually get over-aroused to the point where you are no longer productive.
You slip into what you think of as panic.”
Therefore, it is important that you know yourself enough to modulate your energy level throughout your task accomplishment journey.
Besides, a manager too needs to know his team members enough to assign tasks to his teammates knowing of their potential.
3. Use the Power of Neuroplasticity –
Neuroplasticity is nothing but the ability of the brain to change over time. This process means understanding the basics of mental flexibility. When it comes to applying at the workplace, it means learning new things every day with the help of mental flexibility.
It is similar to how a new musician is always ready to join a new band and does not hesitate to appreciate the performance of music experts. He starts by listening more than playing.
Taking the same approach at work is called using ‘jazz brain’ as named by Markman.
4. Hone Your Emotional Awareness
This method speaks of avoiding leaning on technology for communication and preferring to tap into your emotional side.
It emphasizes paying attention, eye contact, really listening and asking open-ended questions, and not interrupting people or being on the phone during a conversation at the workplace.
Conclusion
There is no doubt about the point that there exist more hacks to learn and achieve the science of productivity. Keep exploring more such hacks from your real-life experiences that suit you the best.
