Go-getters are a rare breed. Indeed, it’s difficult to find a professional who truly wants to reach peak productivity and be as successful as they can be at work. Yet, the reality is that even these exceptional employees face certain challenges during the workday.
In fact, there are a few common activities that virtually everyone does from time to time that are nevertheless unproductive and –– in some instances –– unhealthy. Here are the top four workday activities that are more detrimental than they are useful:
1. Most Meetings
Occasionally, employees will attend a meeting that imparts lots of valuable information in an efficient manner. But most of the time, this isn’t the case. Rather, a large majority of business meetings are filled with unnecessary reviews, irrelevant chatter, and pointless diversions.
As such, business leaders should seek to curb the number of meetings they schedule. Yes, it’s okay to touch base with your staff from time to time, but you shouldn’t have to hold progress-report meetings every day. Meanwhile, employees can ask to be excused from certain meetings that don’t pertain to them or their work. Just make sure to do this in a polite and respectful fashion.
2. Commuting
It takes the average worker 26 minutes to commute to their office. So, for most employees, driving to and from work constitutes roughly an hour of their day. If your commute is costing you close to an hour or more every day, then you’re working behind the eight-ball already. Transitioning to a work-from-home setup isn’t ideal, but it could be just the solution to your commuting problems. It’s also worth noting that the longer a person’s commute, the more likely they are to suffer from depression, work-related-stress, or inability to sleep.
3. Multitasking
On paper, multi-tasking sounds like a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Yet, in reality, only around 2% of the population can multitask effectively. For the rest of us, multitasking not only has a negative impact on our output, but it can even be bad for mental capabilities like cognition and focus.
4. Worrying/Complaining/Fretting
Everyone feels nervous or anxious every once in a while. That much is unavoidable. Yet, excessive worrying, complaining, fretting (etc.) isn’t a productive use of your time or energy. It can be very easy to get stressed out over a big report or a presentation, but it won’t do you any good to tie yourself in knots over it. Learning to let go and relax is integral to long-term success in any field!
Final Words
Want to up your productivity game at work? Then make sure to check out a number of useful elearning services that can help you develop new skills. A little solid instruction can help you achieve your goals and work smarter –– not harder!