In a competitive and fast moving business environment, work performance is a core advantage. In this article I want to share 21 ways to improve it, split across two parts. Here is the first half.
Improving your own performance
1. Start with yourself
To raise performance you have to start with your own. Put in the effort that pushes the company forward, and you also learn first-hand which methods are worth passing on to your team. It is very hard to ask people to work in a way you have never tried yourself.
2. Set deadlines, including for yourself
For projects or tasks with no clear end date, set your own deadline to create some pressure. Then tell your team about it. Once a date exists in someone else’s calendar, you take it far more seriously.
3. Work in 90 minute blocks
Research suggests the brain can stay focused on a single task for roughly 90 to 120 minutes. After that you need about 20 minutes of rest to recover and keep the next session productive.
If you want to get the most out of a day, split it into 4 or 5 sessions of 90 minutes, each with a specific piece of work to finish.
4. Take breaks regularly
Short breaks help sustain concentration and stop your output from sliding through the afternoon. Step away from the task for 1 or 2 minutes every 2 or 3 hours. And get at least one bout of physical exercise into the day. This is one of the most effective items on the whole list.
5. Use the 2 minute rule
The 2 minute rule helps you get past procrastination, and it has two halves:
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Do anything that takes under 2 minutes right now. Plenty of tasks take less than two minutes, but the habit of putting them off stacks them into a mountain. Train yourself to just handle the small ones.
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Start any new habit with 2 minutes. You may not finish something in two minutes, but you can always start it in two minutes, and starting is the hard part.
6. Use the gaps
While you are waiting for something, answer email, review your to-do list, read the material for the upcoming meeting. Waiting time adds up to a lot of hours over a month, and using it is free.
7. Done beats perfect
Instead of burning time polishing, finish the work as quickly as you reasonably can, then collect feedback and revise.
You will notice you finish projects much faster running through 4 or 5 drafts than trying to make it perfect on the first attempt.
Improving your team’s performance
8. Apply what worked for you
Pick the methods that worked on you and adapt them for the team:
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Set deadlines. For any project, people need a reason to push. Clear goals and clear dates provide it.
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Set rules for email. Waiting on replies breeds constant inbox checking, which wastes everyone’s time. If someone needs an answer immediately, they should come and ask in person.
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Build in short breaks. Weekly team lunches, birthday celebrations, anything that gives people a reason to step away from the screen together.
9. Allow remote work
When the work gets done matters far less than how long it takes. Let people work at the time and in the place where they do their best work, as long as they are clear on the task and the goal.
One caveat: for a company still building out its systems and processes, being in the same room is usually better.
10. Recognise good work
If people see their effort noticed, they have a reason to keep going. Praise them in meetings, and reward strong results in a way that is visible to everyone.
11. Build a culture of ownership
When people are given real autonomy, they work with more care. Ownership means giving someone a clear picture of where the company is going and what their part in it is. If people understand why their work matters, they work harder without being asked.
12. Work in teams
This is worth trying. People work more carefully in a team because they do not want to hold others up, and nobody wants to be the weak link.
Those are the first 12. In the next part I will cover the remaining ones.
