I once worked with a colleague who was nicknamed ‘workaholic’. He was always found working at his desk with his head down writing something. If you ever came across him in the corridor he would always appear so rushed, barely offering a greeting, he never had the time to stop for any discussions. He eventually became the favourite of clients as he looked busy, efficient and passionate about his job. It took a while for us to realize especially with the overflowing pile of work at his desk that what appeared to be was never. He was indeed identified as a productivity fraud spending precious time busy doing nothing. The lesson here is that it is one thing to be busy and another to be productive.

For me once I have prepared my’ to do’ list for the day, I am of the initial opinion I will get all done effectively. However half way through the day I am always wishing that the day is 30 -36 hours instead of 24hours because the day goes by so quickly. The question is :

Do I feel productive especially when I am yet to complete my daily tasks?

The truth is that many of us are working more than we planned, we are operating at 120% but still feel like we cannot keep up.  So in reality the trick to life is for us to work SMARTER not HARDER.

We are living in a very stressful global world where high technology is fast taking over, so much so that some of us are trying hard to stay with the flow. Social media has revolutionized the act of communication making it easier and faster. Goals and aspirations have become wilder, riskier, and more competitive. The want to achieve, improve the quality of life and become more promotable has never been more apparent. Therefore the quest for positive successful personal and professional productivity is a task that must be accomplished if you want to stay relevant.  In order to maximize priorities and productivity it is time to discover your best, run with it and make it happen.

Keys to Maximizing Your Priorities & Productivity

1. Identify Your Positive & Negative Qualities:

Conduct an in-depth appraisal of yourself finding facts and not faults. This will help you form a basis for improvements. Emphasize more on your positives and do not dwell on your inadequacies. Include in your list those things that matter most to you, make them your priority. Identifying your positive traits will help you stay focused and assist in increasing your productivity both personally and professionally.

2. Be Goal-Oriented and Forward Thinking

Working endlessly without a goal can be futile. To be productive you need direction that is time bound and achievable. When setting your goals you should visualize your success with a positive attitude. Your passion for your vision will drive your productivity up and set you on the right path. Along the way be open yo possible changes, a few risks but always believe you can do it.

3. Associate with Positive People

It goes without saying that when you surround yourself with negative people chances are they will put your ideas down or discourage your efforts. This in turn will demoralize you and sabotage your self-esteem. An optimistic boss will always encourage his / her subordinates. Surround yourself with people who you find encourage, inspire and motivate you. This will boost your energy, spur you to increase your knowledge base and discipline you towards ensuring that you achieve that which you have set out to achieve. In such a competitive environment we live in you need to be constantly encouraged to relieve yourself of the impending stress you experience daily. Positive leaders bring positive attitude.

4. Polish yourself Image

Your image is everything, the beginning of you creating a good or bad first impression. A successful person has a deep sense of self -worth and a good self –image. Having a good self- image is the foundation from which you’re self – esteem, self – confidence and attitude arises from. When you polish your image you say a lot about yourself without saying a single word. When you feel good about yourself you are confident to excel in any project or mission. Dress the way you would like to be addressed. Be sensitive and pay attention to detail when choosing what to wear daily. Dress appropriately recognizing the occasion, day of the week, time of day. Ensure your clothes fit properly, accentuate your body and feel comfortable. Try to colour coordinate your dress sense effectively, compliment your appearance with the correct accessories and spice your look with fabulous shoes. Your image is incomplete with me talking about the importance of grooming and hygiene.    The easiest way to sabotage your image is to look unkept, give off an overwhelming odour and appear unapproachable.  Identify a smell you like and are comfortable with, take care of your hair, nails, face and feet regularly. Your objective in being productive is for people to see you and trust you enough to want to do business with you. Creating, establishing and maintaining relationships is key to maximizing productivity.

‘’Poor Productivity affects the quality of life

  Perceive Greatness, Seek Perfection, Achieve Success’’   — Janet Adetu