Career Trends: Tips to Improve Your Work Performance

Edition: December 30th, 2021
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS

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• Excerpts from article by Vartika Kashyap, published on proofhub.com

If the only time you think about working on your performance is before the annual performance evaluation, you are not alone. However, if you think about this carefully – you may be talented, productive, and good at your job; but how will you grow if you don’t focus on improving yourself?

No matter how skilled or productive you are, there’s always a possibility to improve things – if not the end result of a project then, perhaps, the manner in which you reach that result?

Keeping an eye on expanding your skill-set and exploring ways to learn something new are the initial steps in becoming a better version of yourself.

Considering the importance of constant self-improvement, here are a few tips to boost your workplace performance:

1. Set clear milestones

• As human beings, we have a habit of shooting for the stars and the same reflects in the goals we set.
• Now, it’s ok to be ambitious but when it comes to goals, it’s much better to think clearly and be realistic.
• Break your big personal and professional projects into smaller chunks and set your goals accordingly.
• Doing this will help you stay motivated and keep your energy levels up throughout the journey.
• Further, setting clear goals will make it easier for you to keep track of your progress. Allowing you to celebrate every small victory you achieve.
• While setting milestones, keep the following tips in mind:
  1. Keep your eye on the deadline
  2. Save all the important dates on an online calendar
  3. Keep evaluating the progress of the project
  4. Treat every milestone as a learning experience

2. Plan and prioritise

• Organising, planning, and prioritising are a crucial part of our daily routine.
• These are some simple workplace habits and time management tips that help you get things done in time and improve your overall work performance.
• Before you start your day, go through the list of tasks or activities you have planned for the day.
• Take the most urgent and essential tasks into consideration and get them completed as soon as possible.
• Here are a few tips that may help you along the way:
  1. Understand the difference between “urgent” and “important”. Always focus on tasks that need immediate attention.
  2. Uncertainty is a reality. So, be flexible and adaptable – but keep priorities in mind.

3. Plan your meetings well

• Planning and scheduling meetings is a common practice in almost every workplace.
• That’s why it is important to carefully plan each meeting in order to make it effective.
• Take all the time you need to plan your meetings, but keep them short.
• Make sure that all the necessary elements are in place before the meeting starts.
• Set a clear agenda for the meeting and communicate the same to all the participants so that they can come better prepared.

4. Communicate better and listen more

• Effective communication helps you learn new and efficient ways to achieve better results, thus improving your overall work performance.
• Remember, every opinion matters. So, listen attentively.
• Consider incorporating a powerful team communication app or tool into your workflow.
• Identify what tool or software would work best for your team and then use it to successfully collaborate within the workplace.

5. Conquer difficult tasks first

• Obviously, you can’t do every task or activity at the same time.
• That’s why it is important that you figure out what tasks should be completed first and what tasks can be postponed or delegated during the project planning stage.
• Try ranking each task in your to-do list according to its specific importance and urgency.
• Keep the “most important tasks” at the top and start checking off items in your list from top-down.
• If a task seems somewhat ‘torturous’ to you, ease off your mind by getting rid of it as soon as possible.

6. Don’t lose focus and eliminate distractions

• Workplace interruptions or distractions come in all shapes and sizes.
• It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been interrupted or who interrupts you the most during the day. What matters is how you avoid workplace interruptions and improve your work performance.
• Workplace interruptions make you lose focus, waste time, and in the end, disrupt your planning and delay projects.
• Turn off distractions during work hours (smartphones, social media sites, office chit chats, and more)
• Turn off the notifications and keep your eye on successfully completing the tasks at hand.
• Also, learn to say “no” when necessary. You can and you must say no to anything or anyone who can interrupt your day.
• Take short breaks between work – listen to your favourite song or go for a short walk.

7. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses

• The word “perfect” is too good to be true. There’s no way for you to be perfect in everything.
• We all have weak spots and it’s important to acknowledge them in order to identify improvement opportunities.
• In order to bring improvement to your everyday work performance, you need to cherish your strengths and overcome your weaknesses at the same time.
• Be your own critic and keep evaluating your performance for potential improvements.
• If you’re pretty good at something, then do whatever you can to be the best at it.

8. Be aware of your limitations

• While it’s certainly important to constantly find a way to polish the areas you are not doing so well, it is also important to be aware of your own limitations.
• Never fall victim to habits like multitasking or procrastination.
• Work on one task at a time and do everything to keep it less prone to mistakes or requiring rework.
• Keep things clear in your head and you will be able to accomplish much more than expected, and much faster.
• You have to draw a line between being productive at work and being stressed at work. Here are a few ways you can do that –
  1. Say “no” and keep the peace
  2. Back off when things get relentless
  3. Don’t be too ambitious, be realistic
  4. Discover your sweet spot and avoid burnout 

9. Finish what you start

• Another thing that is likely to affect your productivity and performance at work is leaving things unfinished.
• Don’t make it a habit to leave things unfinished.
• If you’ve started a project or task, make sure that it reaches the last, final stage with utmost quality.
• Make it a habit to celebrate success and reward yourself whenever you successfully complete a project or task.

10. Use the right tools

• It’s a proven fact that when you provide the right kind of tools, your team’s overall performance improves by leaps and bounds.
• Recent research and studies clearly reflect that the majority of organisations are shifting to cloud-based tools and technology to leverage their many benefits.
• Keep yourself and your team up-to-date with the latest tools and technology.
• Explore the multitude of choices available in the market and evaluate the best with respect to your specific business needs.
• Find a cloud-based project management software that simplifies project management, facilitates clear communication, eliminates conflicts, and keeps your productivity high, every day.

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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