Iris Reading - Part 2
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Is Productivity a Behavior? (5-Minute Read)

Productivity is the relationship between the quality or quantity of an output (the goods or services one offers) and the input (materials, time, etc.) to create it. It is how you increase your output by working efficiently within a specific time. In organizational psychology, human performance and resources equate to organizational productivity. It implies that how you perform with the given resources can either improve or decrease the team's overall productivity. To improve organizational productivity, employers ensure that employees engage in productive behaviors. Examples of productive behaviors are minimizing distractions, setting priorities, doing one task at a time, managing time well, being creative and innovative, and collaborating with teammates. Knowing and internalizing productive behaviors is essential for you, whether you are a full-time or part-time worker, self-employed, or a business owner. Practicing productive behaviors can increase your job performance and boost your morale and job satisfaction. It can also open doors for promotions and more opportunities. Tag along as we explain productive behaviors, their patterns, and some examples. Ready? Let's get started! How to define productive behavior? Productive behavior refers to employee behavior that helps achieve an organization's goals and objectives. You can define and measure productive behaviors through performance metrics, such as quality of work, output, and other performance or work standards. The behaviors that increase the performance measures are productive, while behaviors that decrease the measures are counterproductive. However, defining productive behavior through performance metrics or assessment requires the company to set a performance standard. A performance standard is a basis for differentiating productive from counterproductive behaviors. It helps assess productive behaviors accurately. It also allows a company to understand and see the impact of these behaviors on the employee's job performance and the overall company's performance and productivity. Additionally, there are three most common forms of productive behaviors. These are job performance, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and innovation. Job performance refers to the employee behaviors at work that contribute to organizational goals. The company formally evaluates these behaviors as part of employees' duties and responsibilities. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) are employee behaviors that are not part of their job description and are not formally evaluated and rewarded. These are voluntary actions that enhance the team's and company's effectiveness. Meanwhile, there is no standard definition of innovation. However, this productive behavior is executed by employees when they come up with novel ideas and concepts that help the company reach its goals. The most recognizable form of innovation is the new products and services that a company launches. Is productivity a behavioral pattern? Yes, you can develop behavioral patterns that can lead to productivity. A behavioral pattern is a recurrent way to act toward an object in a given situation. It can also be a recurrence of responses that happens in a prescribed order or arrangement. Another definition is that it is a chain of behaviors that links the simpler and smaller segments of behavior. The behavioral pattern comes from your strengths and weaknesses, habits, and the reactions you learned from your experiences. Since you can develop behavioral patterns through reward and punishment and through mental training, you can change or modify your behavior however you want. In other words, you can develop behavioral patterns that make you more productive at work. Examples of productive behaviors Here are some examples of productive behaviors you can learn to develop: 1. Minimizing distractions Minimizing distractions is one of the most common productive behaviors. It can increase your focus on work, prevent cutting your workflow, and disrupt your concentration. As a result, you become more productive at work. A few things you can do to minimize distractions are putting your phone into "Silent" or "Do Not Disturb" mode during work hours and informing your workmates onsite or family members when you are working from home that you want to focus on your task. 2. Setting up priorities Setting up your priorities can help you identify the tasks and arrange them by their level of importance and urgency. This way, you will not be overwhelmed by your workload. You can be calm and focused on the things that matter. Creating a to-do list is the most common way of tracking and prioritizing your task assignments. You can also have a planner to give you an overview of your deadlines, meetings, and other appointments. To-do lists and planners can help you prevent forgetting your duties, assignments, and appointments. Unfortunately, there are times when we are overwhelmed by the bulk of the workload and forget to write down essential matters related to your work. And not all have a sharp memory to remember every detail in your day. If you are bothered by your lack of memory, you can take an online course on improving one's memory to increase work productivity. 3. Doing one task at a time Monotasking or doing one task at a time is a more productive behavior than multitasking because it helps you focus, improves your concentration, increases your efficiency, and optimizes your productivity. You can effectively monotask by setting a concrete goal and allocating time to accomplish it. The switching of attention back and forth between two tasks lowers your efficiency because it disrupts concentration, makes you forget details, and makes you commit more mistakes in your work. So, avoid multitasking; monotask instead. To effectively monotask, set a concrete goal of what task you want to finish and how much time is allotted for a specific task. Setting a time limit for each work and taking breaks in-between will make you complete more jobs than expected. 4. Managing time well Managing your time well is a productive behavior as well as an essential life skill. When you learn to manage your time well, you can sort out and prioritize your tasks, lessen your stress, enhance your focus, and improve your efficiency. Since you are in control of your time, you will be able to work smoothly and accomplish more. You will not be stressed from rushing time-sensitive tasks. You can start managing your time by creating a to-do list, using your planner, saying no to the things you cannot or do not have time to do, and delegating tasks when necessary. 5. Being creative and innovative Creativity and innovation may seem to contrast productivity because productivity is structured, planned, and measured. However, these two can actually boost productivity and even contribute to the company's growth. Creativity provides space for innovative thinking and experimentation that drives big ideas and strategic planning for potential solutions to existing problems. Innovation, on the other hand, gives an avenue for developing and applying ideas to improve the efficiency of producing goods or offering services. You can execute creative and innovative thinking when you actively participate in brainstorming sessions, ideation workshops, and the making of action plans. 6. Collaborating well with teammates Although not everyone is comfortable working with others, collaboration with workmates is necessary for the workplace. Teamwork can improve problem-solving, lead to innovation, better communication, and boost efficiency. You can start working with your teammates by communicating openly and clearly, participating in team-building activities, being open-minded, and learning to accept each other's strengths and weaknesses. Conclusion Being productive is not a one-time thing that will happen to you. It is a skill that you need to learn throughout your life continuously. You can develop or modify your behavior to be more productive in your workplace. We have presented some productive behaviors with tips on how you can start practicing and applying them to your life. It may take a while to really acquire the presented productive behaviors, but be patient because it will take time. If you want a more efficient and thorough lesson about improving your productivity, you can try the Personal Productivity course from Iris Reading. The productivity course offers more than 30 instructional materials, lifetime access to learning materials, free webinars about productivity, and a certificate of completion that certifies improvements in your productivity level. Enroll in the Personal Productivity course now!

Is Productivity a Behavior? (5-Minute Read)

Productivity is the relationship between the quality or quantity of an output (the goods or services one offers) and the input (materials, time, etc.) to create it. It is how you increase your output by working efficiently within a specific time. In organizational psychology, human performance and resources equate to organizational productivity. It implies that […]

Is Productivity Important? (7 Reasons Why You Should Aim to Improve It)

Productivity, for many reasons, is vital in our day-to-day lives. We should then aim to improve it to get more work done efficiently, improve overall time management, and produce excellence in a work setting. We will discuss more reasons in today’s blog as we explore and appropriately define productivity and the two types of productivity. […]

10 Management Tips to Become More Productive

10 Management Tips to Become More Productive (Explained for Beginners)

Productivity is the measure of efficiency and the effectiveness of a person’s time at work, school, and in life. Working professionals who produce more than they consume are considered productive in their workplace, while a student who can learn quickly and produce high-quality work is considered productive in their school curriculum. The management techniques you […]

Is Productivity the Same as Efficiency

Is Productivity the Same as Efficiency? (Helpful Examples)

Productivity and efficiency are related, but they do not mean the same. Productivity is the amount of work done in a specified time, considering inputs. Efficiency refers to how well you use resources and effort to produce quality results.  Doing more with less effort is efficient. You achieve true productivity when you get more done […]

Is Productivity Reduced Working from Home?

Is Productivity Reduced Working from Home?

When done right, working from home may boost productivity. If you’re feeling unproductive when working from home, you can use certain tactics to increase your productivity, such as setting boundaries, taking breaks, and prioritizing tasks. Working from home was an unexpected change brought on by the pandemic all over the world.  Organizations and businesses took […]

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