According to the author, Caleb Papineau (2017), he said that statistically happy people are 31% more productive and three times more creative than unhappy people. He also said that happiness can improve the profitability of a business by 147%. Source.
What is productivity?
The dictionary defines productivity as:
“The quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services: The productivity of the group’s effort surprised everyone.”
In summary, productivity is a way to measure efficiency and has become an important topic which people want to become better at. It’s what you want to do with less time and effort and get better results.
However, it’s an attitude as well that can help determine how productive you are. To be more productive, you need to make sure that you have a positive attitude. By having a positive attitude:
- People will want to help you more. No one likes a miserable person and they tend to stay away from them. Instead, if you are smiling and keep your head high even in difficult times, people will want to come to your aid.
- You will stop wasting time complaining because you are putting positive enegery to improve the situation by finding solutions to make it work better.
- You will be able to work better as a team beause positive attitude is contagious and brings people together.
- Solves problems instead of making problems – be postive in a difficult situation and you will see how things work out in a good way
- You will be able to make good decisions as you will have a clearer mind with a positive attitude.
Here are some ways that you can stay positive at work to help maintain a positive attitude which in turn brings about good productivity:
1. Always keep learning
By learning on the job, you will be able to keep up-to-date with your skills and learn new things to help build your CV. If you don’t get a chance to physically take a class, you can ask your co-workers or managers for job shadowing experience or secondment, where possible.
2. Teach others what you know
From the previous point, you want to accompany others to learn something new. Why not teach others what you know? This will help you in the long run especially when you have a lot to be done where you can delegate your tasks to someone who knows how to do them. AS the saying goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime.”
3. Have a break
You can’t work a full eight hours without taking a break – you will burnout! You will lose focus and motivation. Take some time to go for a walk (good exercise plus boosts your mood), meditate, eat something or catch up with a colleague. You will have an instant boost to get back to work.
4. Leave work at work
If you didn’t complete a task, don’t bring it home. Make it a priority for the next morning unless it’s extremely urgent. When you get home, spend time with your family, friends, your hobbies and look after yourself.
5. Build positive relationships with your co-workers
By having a fun and comfortable environment, be friendly with your co-workers so that you feel more supported in your work duties and can also help you release stress.
6. Set goals and reward your accomplishments
By setting yourself realistic work goals, you will be motivated to do more work that is productive. When you do achieve them, you can reward yourself by having a treat (maybe buying that coffee and cake from the coffee shop) or enjoying a movie that you’ve been longing to watch. However small your accomplishment, be proud of yourself.
7. Prioritise your tasks for better productivity
Multitasking can actually hinder productivity and you may end up doing a shoddy job. By listing out all the tasks that you have to do and prioritising what needs to be done, you will be able to do stay focused and motivated. This will give you better results and perhaps recognition from your colleagues.
8. Get a side project
If you want to learn something new; enhance on what you already know or want to focus on hobbies that you can’t do at work, having a side project can help you feel more positive, happy and productive (plus you’ll have something to do at the weekend). If you are really good at it, why not make some money for extra income?
9. Stop worrying about finances
By putting some money aside every month, you will be able to ease some of the financial stress that can cause negativity and affect your mental health. You can do this by setting up a payroll deduction with our scheme. It’s simple to set up and it’s automated so you don’t have to worry about physically saving the money as it’s already done for you. You can find out more about the Hertsavers Payroll Deduction Scheme here.