In this tough economic climate, a lot of us feel under pressure to
work long hours just to keep our jobs. And even worse, there are some
people, who are actually proud that they work 60 hours or more every
week.
But whether you work long hours out of pressure or out of choice, you
should consider some of potential negative effects on your life.
According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who work more than 11 hours a day, have a 67 percent higher risk of heart disease. Another study of about 2000 British civil servants
found that working more than 11 hours a day doubled your chances of
developing depression. Aside from your health, working long hours can
also have a negative effect on our relationships and personal life.
And does working longer hours actually improve our productivity?
According to The Economist, the most productive country is France
where the average person works less than 40 hours per week. And yet, the
typical worker in France creates almost as much wealth per hour, as the
leading economies in other countries.
Business leaders are also acknowledging that working long hours
doesn’t necessarily make us more productive. Steven Sinofsky, a former
president of the Windows division at Microsoft, once wrote in a blog
post that “to be blunt, there is no way you can do quality work if you
do not give your brain a break. If a company is driving you to work
crazy hours like this, either because you want to or they want you to,
it is just uncool”.
So is it possible to work less and still be productive? The short
answer is yes. And it’s not about having an intricate ‘productivity
system’ that lets you manage your to-do lists and get more done.
The key to being more productive to do less and focus on what really
matters. It’s also about finding a better balance between your work and
personal life.
Here are some of my favorite tips to help you get started:
1. Focus On Your Top 3 Daily Priorities
Having a to-do list can be great for remembering that you need to buy
milk, but it doesn’t help much when it comes to being more productive.
Start each day, by taking a few minutes to think about and write down
your top 3 priorities for the day. Then focus your efforts on getting
those 3 things done before anything else. This simple, but powerful
habit will significantly boost your productivity.
2. Exercise for 30 Minutes Every Day
We all know that exercise is good for our health. But did you know
that exercise is also good for our brain? According to Harvard Medical
School psychiatrist, John Ratey MD and author of the book “Spark: The
Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”, exercise will not
only make you healthier, but it will also help to reduce stress, improve
your learning and think more clearly.
3. Start Work Early & Leave On Time
Ask any ‘successful’ person and the chances are that they start work
early. You are less likely to have distractions earlier in the morning
and can focus better on your top 3 daily priorities. But in order to be
productive, you also need to give your brain a rest, so strive to leave
the office on time every day. You’ll not only feel better, but will be
more energized and productive the next day.
4. Stop Checking Your Email
We all know that constantly checking our email is a bad idea, but many of us still continue to do it. According to a study conducted by the University of California Irvine and the U.S. Army,
taking a break from email can reduce your stress levels and help you to
concentrate more. So schedule 2 or 3 times in the day when you will
deal with your email. And the rest of the time, turn it off and forget
about it.
5. Set Limits for Everything
According to Parkinson’s Law, “work expands so as to fill the time
available for its completion”. Give yourself too much time to complete a
given task and there is a good chance you’ll find a way to use up all
that time. So try giving yourself less time to complete tasks e.g. give
yourself an hour to write that report instead of 2 hours or give
yourself 15 minutes to check your mail instead of 30 minutes.
6. Apply the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule simply states that in many situations, about 20% of
the effort will drive 80% of the results e.g. 20% of your customers
drive 80% of your business. We can apply this rule to improve our
productivity by focusing on the 20% of tasks, projects, emails, meetings
etc. that drive 80% of the results. So focus on the activities that
really matter and spend less time on everything else.
7. Stop Multitasking
Multitasking does not make us more productive. In fact, splitting
our attention has an impact on our productivity, concentration and
energy. “Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances
of mistakes”, says David Meyer, a cognitive scientist that the
University of Michigan. So if you want to be more productive, then
focus on doing one thing at a time.
8. Attend Fewer Meetings
Most of us would agree that business meetings are one the biggest
time wasters. So if you want to more productive, attend fewer
meetings. Firstly, check to see if the meeting is actually needed.
Could you resolve the matter over email or with a quick 5-minute chat?
If you do need to attend, ensure that there is a clear goal and agenda
for the meeting e.g. make a decision, brainstorm a problem etc. And
then ensure the meeting starts on time and finishes on time (or ideally
earlier).
9. Start An Information Diet
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with information these days. Tim
Ferris, the author of “The 4 Hour Work Week” recommends going on a ‘low
information diet’. Do you really need to read all those emails, blogs,
newspapers, magazines etc.? And do you really need to spend all that
time on Facebook or watching TV? So spend the next week on your own low
information diet. Cut out as much unnecessary information as you can
and watch your productivity skyrocket.
10. Create Thinking Time
Getting out of work and into different environments also helps to
improve our productivity. Some people think best going for long walks;
others think best in the shower; others like to go to art galleries or
museums etc. According to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research,
the moderate sound levels in coffee shops actually promote more
cognitive creativity than the quiet of a library. Everyone needs a
place to think. And if you don’t already know your place, then you
should seek it out and spend time their regularly.
So what’s the best way to get started? Well, I wouldn’t recommend
trying to apply all these 10 tips at once.
Just pick one tip at a time
and put it into practice each week. And most importantly, make use of
the extra time that you create to do more of what you love.
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