Productivity

Are You a Chronic Overachiever?

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It’s good to be ambitious in your career. But a relentless drive to achieve can lead to burnout, hurt your relationships, and create an unhealthy work-life imbalance. How can you dial back your overachieving instincts? Start with these steps:

  • Do some self-reflection. When did your pattern of overachievement begin? Was it through high performance in school or sports? Be honest with yourself about how your identity and self-worth got hooked on achieving. Those insights will help you begin the process of undoing what is likely decades of programming.
  • Challenge your assumptions. Ask yourself: What might happen if I were to take my foot off the gas? Am I afraid of failing? Looking incompetent? Letting people down? Our fears are typically based on faulty assumptions and, left unexamined, these assumptions keep us stuck in old patterns.
  • Redefine success. Take a holistic view. Life isn’t just about professional accomplishments. What else do you want in terms of your health and well-being, family, social life, and community? Then choose one small and simple action that will move you toward this broader definition of success.

How to Work After a Bad Night’s Sleep

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We all know we need a good night’s sleep for the sake of our health — and our effectiveness at work. But what about when that’s just not possible? Here’s the bad news: Coffee is only a temporary fix. But there are a few ways to mitigate the risks of working while sleepy. For example, try to focus on routine tasks that don’t require a lot of creativity (which is hard to muster when you’re depleted), and avoid taking on any high-stakes projects (because sleep deprivation makes you more prone to mistakes).

Also, look for ways you can rely on other people. Is there anything you can delegate? Or can you ask colleagues to look over your work to catch any mistakes? If not, set aside some time to review it yourself when you’re feeling more rested. Finally, if you can, consider a nap. Even a short 20-minute rest can make a meaningful difference in your effectiveness for the rest of the day.

Tackle That Task You Keep Avoiding…

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When we’re exhausted or stressed, our brains want to save mental energy and avoid things that make us feel uncomfortable. 

So how can you get stuff done, especially challenging tasks, when you’re tired and your mind is telling you it’s not worth the effort? 

Try changing your perception of the task by using a tool called “reappraisal.” For example, you might say to yourself, “I’m going to feel better once I get this new process down on paper,” rather than repeatedly thinking, “I just don’t want to do this.” Also, remind yourself of the long-term benefit of getting the task done. For instance, you might consider: “Do I want to experiment with a new project management tool that may boost my team’s efficiency, or do I want to stick with the same existing process that none of us feel great about?” 

This will make the easier path less appealing. By reframing hard work and envisioning an incentive, you’re more likely to move past your instinct to avoid the effort and convince yourself to just get it done.

Increase the Impact You Have at Work Without Adding More Hours

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If you’re feeling burned out, it’s natural to assume that you need to lessen your workload. But research suggests that burnout isn’t always a function of too much work; it’s often the result of too little impact. 

Fortunately, you can increase the impact you have without adding more hours. 

First, invest in relationships that make you feel valued and psychologically safe, and avoid workplace politics and drama at all costs. They feel like a waste of time and just add to the exhaustion you feel. 

Next, look for ways to increase the level of challenge — not volume — of your daily workload. There is a strong correlation between being intellectually challenged and job satisfaction, so seek out projects with visible impact and a scope that will push you to stretch yourself and learn new skills. 

Finally, take on a leadership role on your team — either formally or informally. Where are there leadership vacuums in everyday moments? Who on your team seems to be in need of mentorship that you could possibly offer? Adopting this kind of responsibility could reenergize you when you’re feeling like your work isn’t leading to meaningful results.

Are You Headed Toward Burnout?

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If you’re feeling exhausted, how can you assess whether you’re heading toward burnout? You can track your burnout status with a simple, quick activity: 

The two-minute burnout checkup. 

Start by writing down how much stress, on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being negligible, 10 being extreme), you experience from each of the six factors of burnout: workload, values (how you connect with your work on a deeper level), reward (both financial and social), control (the degree of autonomy you feel at work), fairness, and community. 

For example, if you’re finding it tough to connect with colleagues after working from home, you might score community an 8. Conversely, you might rank workload a 2 if you have a good amount to do but find the number of tasks manageable. Your overall score will give you a big-picture sense of how well you’re doing at that moment. While the total number of points (out of 60) is essential, what’s more, useful are your scores in each of the six categories. You’ll likely find that you’re healthy in some dimensions and unhealthy in others. 

Once you identify your pain points, you can devise strategic interventions to target them.

The Power of Progress…

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Progress can be a powerful tool to motivate employees and drive their performance in the workplace. When employees see tangible progress in their work, it instills a sense of achievement, purpose, and personal growth, which in turn boosts their motivation and productivity. Here are a few ways in which the power of progress can be harnessed to motivate employees:

1. Clear Goals and Milestones: Setting clear and achievable goals provides employees with a roadmap for progress. When employees have a clear understanding of what they need to accomplish and can track their progress through milestones, it creates a sense of purpose and direction. Regularly reviewing and celebrating milestones reached can further reinforce the feeling of progress and motivate employees to continue pushing forward.

2. Feedback and Recognition: Regular feedback and recognition are essential for fostering a culture of progress and motivation. Providing constructive feedback helps employees understand where they stand, identify areas for improvement, and make progress towards their goals. Recognising and acknowledging their achievements, both big and small, reinforces the sense of progress and motivates employees to continue performing at their best.

3. Learning and Development Opportunities: Offering learning and development opportunities allows employees to continuously grow and progress in their careers. Providing access to training programs, workshops, mentoring, and other skill-building initiatives not only enhances employees’ knowledge and expertise but also gives them a sense of progress and personal development. When employees see themselves acquiring new skills and knowledge, they are more likely to stay engaged and motivated in their roles.

4. Challenging and Meaningful Work: Assigning employees challenging and meaningful tasks can fuel their motivation. When employees are given responsibilities that align with their skills and interests, they are more likely to feel a sense of progress as they overcome obstacles and achieve results. Encouraging autonomy and ownership of projects allows employees to see the impact of their work and feel a sense of progress in contributing to the organization’s success.

5. Opportunities for Advancement: Providing employees with opportunities for advancement and growth within the organization is a powerful motivator. When employees can see a clear career path and know that their progress can lead to promotions, increased responsibilities, or new challenges, it gives them a sense of purpose and motivates them to continually improve their performance.

6. Celebrating Successes: Celebrating individual and team successes is an important way to acknowledge progress and motivate employees. Recognizing achievements publicly, such as through team meetings, newsletters, or internal communication platforms, boosts morale, fosters a positive work environment, and encourages a culture of progress and continuous improvement.

In conclusion, harnessing the power of progress in the workplace can be a potent motivator for employees. By providing clear goals, offering feedback and recognition, providing learning opportunities, assigning challenging work, offering advancement prospects, and celebrating successes, organizations can create an environment where employees feel motivated, engaged, and empowered to make progress in their careers.

AI is making us lazy…

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Today if I am writing an article, instead of writing it fully, I can just go ahead and give the idea or topic to ChatGPT and it will write for me.

Why shouldn’t I just give the idea and generate the text using AI?

Because it’s not just the idea that you write, It’s how you write it, your personal style, your background, and your context.

An idea can be written in different ways, one way is Generative AI but it’s a single way because for both you and me it will generate exact text.

But when a person writes and adds context, adds love & hate into the writing, the idea comes alive.

So let us not be lazy, sit up and write.

How to boost your own creativity…

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When you’re trying to innovate, emotions like fear, doubt, regret, and frustration can get in your way. Yet, they’re normal to feel. So how do you manage these feelings so they don’t stand in your way of being creative? Here are some common emotional hurdles — and what to do about them:

The fear of getting started. Pursuing a truly innovative idea almost always involves risk and you might be worried that you don’t have the confidence or competence to succeed. Identify the source of your concern then seek out the information or partners you need to compensate for any shortcomings.

A tendency to go into overdrive. Passion is a good thing. But if unbridled, it can hamper critical thinking. Schedule breaks and continually double-check with those around you that you’re on the right track.

The frustration of setbacks. Everyone knows it’s important to learn from failure, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. It’s a process that requires conscious effort and discipline. If you do stumble, dissect what went wrong, process your grief, and reframe your misstep as an opportunity for a turnaround.

2 minutes a day…

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If something is very complicated and you don’t want to learn but it is a mandate to have that skill set. 

All it requires is 2 minutes a day. It will lead to learning a complicated task or skill in a given time.

All you need to do is promise yourself that you will give 2 minutes a day, every day, day after day and you will slowly grow to learn whatever it is.

How to get more done in less time…

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We’re all looking for ways to boost our productivity. The good news is that it’s an achievable goal. Here are a few proven strategies to help you get more done in less time:

  1. Plan out tomorrow’s schedule tonight. When we write down what we intend to do, we’re far more likely to actually do it.
  2. Plan your work around your internal clock. This means aligning the tasks that require the most brain power with your energy peaks throughout the day.
  3. Avoid being 100% booked. If your calendar looks full, deliberately schedule a time to do nothing. You can use this time as a buffer between meetings to tackle unexpected tasks that crop up during the day.
  4. Develop rituals for different kinds of work. This may mean doing a certain task in a particular workspace or at a particular time of the day.

Try at least one of these strategies and notice any differences in your productivity.