“Ten years from now, do you really think all the time you spent gossiping at the water cooler or sitting in some smoke -filled lunch room or watching television will count for anything ?’’ – Robin Sharma, The Monk who sold his Ferrari.
As I read through the words, it set in motion a string of thoughts of the time I spent in Coffee breaks or small talks at the Pantry. Some of us take pride in the fact that we work 12 hours a day, but if it was to be measured against Productivity, will it sum up?
Towards the start of my career, I had the flaw of procrastination, especially if the task did not interest me. As a result, I spent much time dreading about it than the time it would have taken to complete. Over a period of time, self-discipline taught me the virtues of Productivity.
I started my morning with a to-do list, ranked in order of priority, which set the tone for a fruitful day. I learnt to mix and match, ie doing a task that I like and going onto the other which is less interesting.
Also, I learnt to say “No “for multiple Coffee breaks politely, citing deadlines. Since the major part of my day was filled with meetings, I took efforts to comb through the minutest of details that might crop up, thereby avoiding the risk of meetings running behind schedule. In my experience, I have found that rather than sending a thread of emails to a person accessible to you, its time saving to have a face to face conversation.
Taking short brisk walks rejuvenates the mind and increases efficacy. It’s fruitful to work nine hours with unbridled energy and focus on spending quality time with family. In case of overwhelming work load, the best option would be to identify someone with the same calibre, and delegate. Engaging in team building activities will certainly uplift the morale and increase Efficiency.
I believe in Quality over Quantity. Knowing where to limit will give enough time to complete the work effectively. It’s very important to know your sphere of activities and not to take up all the assignments handed over.
So, is it an offence to spend time in small talks? I think it’s perfectly fine, when limited to a few minutes and doesn’t hamper work. End of the day, we as human beings need some social interaction. Organising self and prioritizing will go a long way in delivering better results at work. It’s not about the hours spent at Office, but the hours spent on arduous work.
You may also want to read other articles written by the author: ‘Stop limiting yourself‘, ‘Doing what you love – hobbies and passion to opportunity‘, ‘ Maximise your productivity to unleash your potential‘, ‘Be your own boss‘, ‘Broaden your intellectual horizon‘, ‘Career metamorphosis – Expert to beginner’, “Importance of networking for success in your career“, ‘Busy Day vs Productive Day‘, ‘Money matters for womens financial independence‘.
About the author:
Nithya Jagadish – A commerce graduate with an overall experience of 10 years in the Corporate Industry. Having handled diversified assignments at HSBC and Hewlett Packard, I decided to take a break for a while. Now, a doting mother of a one year old child, I spend my day reading, apprising on my topics of interest and baby-sitting. I strongly believe in living life to the fullest and making the most of each beautiful day.
(The author is a guest blogger at Her Second Innings. The opinions expressed are those of the author.)
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