Tuesday 10 January 2017

Looking Busy

People work hard at appearing to be working hard. We all do it, myself included. But what impact is our work really having? How can we measure our efforts as well as the efforts of those under us? I've found that for me, setting deadlines on just about every task works well. When confronted with a task the first thing I do is start the clock. I give myself 5 minutes of highly focused effort in which I must complete the task. When delegating I always establish a clear guideline on how much of their 'effort currency' an employee should be spending on an assignment. By doing this, I find that productivity increases dramatically. It's easier to commit to focusing intensely on something if there is a defined limit to how much you'll be spending on it. Additionally, this helps minimize the tendency to work at looking or feeling busy.