Improving Your Productivity Work Ethic

Improving Your Productivity Work Ethic
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Why Increase Your Productivity Work Ethic?

So, you’re ptuting your nose to the grindstone again because things didn’t get done quite when they should have. One reason for this is that your productivity work ethic may not be what it should. The best way to increase your productivity is to increase your work ethic. Work ethic means the set of values you have towards hard work and diligence. You may have heard of something called the “Protestant work ethic.” This is the idea that hard work is an essential component of success and salvation. There are a variety of ways to increase your productivity. Work ethic is the factor we will look at here.

What is Your Work Ethic?

There are a variety of work ethics associated with productivity and non-productivity. Already mentioned was the Protestant work ethic, the idea that someone needs to work hard in order to live a fulfilling life. The complete opposite of this work ethic is the slacker - the person who avoids work at all costs.You may find that you’re somewhere in between. Benjamin Franklin said “Time is money.” This is especially true if you are in business for yourself. If you don’t show up for work, you can’t earn any money. Take some time and figure out what your work ethic is. Perhaps you don’t have a low work ethic, but you just procrastinate. Maybe perfectionism gets in the way. Take time to figure out what’s going on and why you aren’t as productive as you’d like to be. You can even create a daily productivity report to help you determine how you spend your time.

What Can Make an Otherwise Good Work Ethic Seem Bad

Procrastination - and the urge to procrastinate can be the worst thing that can happen to your work ethic. Procrastination can be overcome, if you work at it. One way to overcome procrastination is through timing yourself for 10 minutes while you work on the dreaded task. Commit yourself only to this small chunk of time.

Depression - if you are depressed, it can cause havoc on everything in your life, especially your work ethic. When you’re depressed, it may seem impossible to get even the simplest tasks done. You may not even want to leave your house. Maybe you can’t even get up and to your desk. If you’re depressed, the smallest task can seem monumental. It’s important if you are depressed to take care of yourself. If you need to, let clients or your boss know that you need a little time off just to get back on track (and if you can do this).

Persistent Illnesses or exhaustion - Sometimes we get a cold that just won’t go away, other times we have run ourselves ragged. Either way, don’t be afraid to take some downtime for yourself to recuperate, so that you can give it your best shot again.

Tips for a Productive Work Ethic

If you want to improve your work ethic, there are a few things that you can do:

  1. Show up for work Monday-Friday (or at least 5 days a week) for at least eight hours a day. You can’t get work done, if you don’t show up. Even though you work from home, you should try to keep work hours protected from outside interferences.
  2. Don’t check your email, social networking, or favorite blog right when you sit down. It’s far better if you launch into a task.
  3. Do not answer emails or phone calls right away. That’s what your inbox and answering machine is for. Do set a regular time, each day, for returning correspondence. If you were in an office, you might have a secretary to take messages for you.
  4. Make a to-do list. By writing down what needs to get done and getting it out of your head and out somewhere else you can self-motivate.
  5. Choose someone to compete with.
  6. Care about the projects you take on, and only take on the projects you care about. This will make it much easier to get things done.
  7. Finally, always strive for quality. Take pride in what you do!