Tag Archives: Productivity

It Pays To Be Productive

November 15, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed, Lifestyle Tags: , , , , , , 22 Comments

It doesn’t matter where you are, what you’re doing, or what you should be doing should we say. It always pays to be productive. If you think about the amount of time that you spend just doing nothing, surely the days would pass by in your mind. Life is all about making the most of every moment, as our grandparents would say. But how many of us actually listen to this advice?

How many of us seize every opportunity, make the most of everything we do, and can honestly say that we’re productive? Pretty much none of us can, which is why we want to write this article. We want to show you what it means to be productive., and how you can ensure that you always are being.

 

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What Even Is Productivity?

So, we want to start with this first. What does it even mean to be productive? Well, let’s first tell you what it means to not be productive. What you’re doing now probably isn’t productive. You’re either at work, and reading this rather than working. Or you’re at home, reading this, and trying to find a way that you can become more productive. Whilst we aren’t trying to remove you from this article, we’re trying to point out that when you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, or procrastinating as it were. \

Productivity is doing the opposite. It’s thinking to yourself, I need to get x amount of things done, and making sure that you get it done. We’re so good at giving ourselves little rewards such as thinking, ‘i’ve just done the washing up, now I deserve to sit down for the rest of the night and do nothing else that I wanted to.’ If you can get out of this mindset, your whole idea of productivity will change, and you will accomplish so much more.

 

How Could More Of It Benefit Us?

It could benefit you as the more you do, the more you’re able to enrich your life. We’re missing out on so many opportunities because of this procrastination we have spoken about. If you find ways to be more productive, you can actually add time back to your day. If you take out those little reward breaks you’ve been giving yourself, all of your tasks will be done so much earlier, and all of a sudden you actually have free time to do what you want at the end of the day. It will become a revelation for you, so just give it a go!

Why Does It Pay?

The more time you’re able to free up for yourself, the more you’re going to experience life. For one, your mind won’t feel as clogged with all the tasks that you have to do, and you can start thinking about things you actually want to do. It could be getting back in to reading, going to the gym, or just generally being a more involved person in life if that makes sense. If you’re self employed and learn to manage your time more, then you’ll definitely get paid more.

 

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Can your office design improve productivity?

June 26, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , 18 Comments

The start-up culture put office design under the spotlight with the likes of Google and Apple making headlines for creating elaborate workspaces for their employees. Suddenly, the idea of having chill out areas, games consoles and all kinds of other office perks is considered a good thing. But do they really improve productivity?

As it turns out, they often cause more harm than good, as multiple studies and reports have shown.

Which begs the question: what does a productive office look like? In this article, you’ll find out why following the Google model doesn’t work for most businesses. And what you need to consider for your next office redesign.

 

Can your office design improve productivity image

 

Why doesn’t the Google model work?

The easy answer to this question is that the Google model does work – for Google. However, this doesn’t mean throwing a slide in the middle of a lawyers’ office is suddenly going to make a firm 30% more productive. In fact, studies of more than 300 companies have found open-plan offices – where everyone works in the same space – significantly hurts productivity.

While another study from last year revealed that 58% of high-performance employees say they need quieter working spaces to get things done.

As HubSpot’s Jami Oetting explains on Medium, open working spaces often improve communication. But may employees say they feel less productive and creative due to the increase in noise and distractions. So, clearly, the Google approach isn’t working for many businesses but what does that mean for your next office design?

 

Designing an office that works for you

The reason many businesses fail with office redesigns is because they simply try to copy something they’ve seen elsewhere. Oh, that company did this and increased productivity by 120% – let’s do that!

Except the reason “that company” increased productivity is because they extensively researched and planned their office redesign to meet their unique needs. They didn’t try to copy the latest success story in Forbes.

As UK office design consultancy Office Principles says:

 

“The workplace should always support employees in their work. A smart office should be centred on the people working there. What attracts and motivates them to be able to perform at their best? In order to achieve maximum workplace productivity an office should be designed for flexibility. Flexible in a way that it is accessible to be used every day depending on different activities. And that it is open for changes and innovation over time.”

 

The Way Forward

The key to boosting productivity through office design is understanding the challenges your team faces on a day-to-day basis. As we’ve already established, improving communication by adding open workspaces often comes at the cost of hurting overall productivity and creativity. So you may need to consider a mix of open and private spaces that your team can move between as needed.

It’s also important to provide areas where your staff can relax during breaks. This would allow them come back more refreshed. This doesn’t mean turning every desk into chess boards is going to help them get things done when they need to be concentrating on work. So forget about the gimmicks and concentrate on making sure you invest in the right equipment your team needs to get the job done. For many companies, this means the right computers, software and comfortable furniture.

Finally, always remember that office designs don’t end with the layout and contents of your workspace. You also need to create the right kind of office culture to get the most from your staff and enable them to get the best results. For some teams, this might mean flexible working while others might perform better under a stricter set of guidelines. It’s your job to know what will make your employees more productive.

 

 

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As with anything in business, there’s no magic fix that’s going to boost productivity for every company. The firms that get results achieve them by setting out clear goals. And conducting the research it takes to find the answers they need. The most productive office for your business is going to be unique from every other workspace. And your first job is to find out what that should look and feel like for your employees.

 

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think an office design has the power to improve productivity? Do sound off in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading.

 

*Collaborative post.

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