Workplace Tips for Success

There is an entire genre of literature devoted to finding new or better ways to improve workplace performance. There isn’t only one answer — it differs widely depending on the industry, the nature of the company, and the personality or temperament of the people involved. But here are six good tips to keep in mind, and hopefully at least one of them works for you:

1.  Do Brain Work When Your Brain Works Best: Many people concentrate best in the morning. If this applies to you, then carve out time every morning to do whatever work most requires creative problem solving. Wake up early and do not deviate from this routine. If you’re a night owl, don’t bother waking up at the crack of dawn. Know yourself, see what works best for you, and stick with it.
   
2. Check Email Less: Spending more time away from your email won’t merely increase your own productivity, but your team’s. Sending an email initiates a chain of responses that can be time-consuming. Constantly sending emails can considerably interrupt your colleagues, and can interfere with them hitting their work goals and targets. Communication is important, but don’t overdo it.
3. Get the Right Board Portal Technology: Your company’s board of directors are no doubt busy people with a ton of data to sift through, and who may not even live in the same city. The proof is in, as case studies show the importance of board portals in streamlining communications, keeping directors up to date of what’s most important and current, and doing so in a way that is fundamentally secure and convenient. Maximize your top people’s time.
4. Mind Your Manners: It sounds basic, but showing kindness and appreciation for your fellow colleagues reinforces a team dynamic critical to success in business. Of course it’s nice to create a humane workspace for its own sake! But in case you need another reason to be nice, it has also been shown to drive profits.
5. Stop Multi-Tasking: According to a recent study from the University of Sussex, productivity can decline by as much as 40% when people jump between tasks. More, the same study claims that participants addicted to using multiple devices at once have lower grey matter in an area of the brain called the anterior cingulated cortex. Without getting into complex psychological explanations, it’s better to learn to prioritize properly and stick to that one task until it’s complete.
6. Break up Work with Exercise: Do you ever feel a hunger to go out and move after sitting for hours in the same chair, staring at the same screen? Your body is trying to tell you something. This study from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information supports what we all know in our bones to be true: exercise holds an immediate benefit in cognition for younger and older adults. Maybe you don’t have time to go to the gym everyday during lunch, but sneaking out of the office for a walk isn’t avoiding work, it’s actually a healthy way to boost productivity. 

There are many ways to get better results at work, and the right one for you depends on the nature of the job and your own temperament. Hopefully something in this list will improve your performance in the office.