How to boost productivity

What I’m learning from my daily walk.

It’s been almost 20 days since I’ve been getting regular at my daily walk, something that I’ve struggled with in the past. To top it off, I’m actually looking forward to those 25–30 minutes of night where I feel very accomplished and analytical of my performance.

Something that has been very helpful in pushing me to get out of my comfort zone, put those shoes on and get on the track is the use of technology that I’ve integrated in my otherwise very simple walk.

I have tried to be regular in the past too, but I would lose the rhythm in a week or so. But, this time is different. I’ve been wearing a smart watch to count my steps daily.

How is this count helping me?

Performance Measurement

The daily count is helping me measure my performance. I’ve always found myself being very motivated when I know that somewhere my performance is being monitored. Even during my role as a manager, I have observed my team to be more enthusiastic when I gave them the impression that their contribution is being observed and appreciated.

It amazes me how once you have the basic data, you can make so much out of it. For example, from my daily step counts I’m setting up targets and also monitoring how it is taking me less time gradually to achieve the target which indicates improved efficiency. Very analytical, right?

Performance meaurement is the key step to self assess your productivity. Start tracking your productive hours of the day closely. Just this step will self reveal the gaps.

Target Setting

Now you have the data, what do you do out of it? Simple. Set Milestones.

So I have also set a daily milestone for me in terms of number of steps which I’m increasing gradually. Every time I accompish the daily milestone, I feel an extra boost of happiness.

I think humans work the best when they are rewarded. Reward does not always have to be monetary and should not always have to come from outside. Intrinsic rewards can be a big booster to improve your productivity.

Mapping the Calendar

I have always stayed far away from planning. Never been a “To-Do List”maker or journaling kind of a person. The idea always seemed impractical to me and thus I thrived on impromptu basis.

Not anymore.

I have recently came across calendar mapping suggestion to boost productivity. It basically means locking your calendar a day or a week in advance with tasks. Again, this is the same performance measurement game and thus it leads to the intrinsic reward once you adhere with your calendar. I’m fairly new to this, but it definitely is helping me in bringing discipline to my work life.

Lastly, I feel that we are at our best in our organic rhythms much like nature. Every person is unique and thus their working habits and their idea of productivity can be different. What works for one, may not work for another so there can never be standard ways to improve productivity. However, sometimes we get too comfortable — borderline lazy in our zone that it starts affecting our reputation at work. It is important to identify when that happens, and to look for ways which can push you out of your comfort zone. Keep looking for what works for you!