Why Spending Less Time On Your Work Can Actually Make You More Efficient

If theres one thing Ive taken from “Seinfeld” character George Costanza’s book (and Ive taken many things), its his approach to productivity in the workplace.

Granted, Costanzas at-work habits may seem subpar, to say the least. I mean, he pretends to look annoyed at work so that he can fool the people around him into thinking he’s busy. And hesets up a makeshift bed— under his f*cking desk — so that he can nap.

But Costanza ultimately does these things with one important goal in mind:avoiding stress,by all means necessary.

While I might not have a jacquard blanket or throw pillows under my desk, I definitely share Georges sentiment. I’m not about avoiding work, but I am about boosting productivity. And stress management is key.

Being efficient is not always as simple as putting your head down and just getting to work. Theres a lot more that goes into it. And different things work for different people.

Some people get through the work day on espresso shots and a fast pace. That kind of schedule can make other people’s heads spin.

Like George (and like me), othersthrive in a relaxing work environment.

These people prefer quiet workrooms over high-intensity boarding meetings. Instead of working to a deadline, they’drather work until theyfeel satisfied.

And these methods aren’t any less efficient than the first.

Victor Lipman, a business writer,defendsemployees who haveType B personalities — and who display those personalities in the workplace. He argues that he’s seen first-hand the benefits of a relaxed work environment.

Improvingstress-management skills, Lipman says, will increase your productivity.

If your work is making you feelstressed, its unlikely that youre going to wake up one morning feeling different. Your stress won’t magically solve itself. And over time, it willnegatively affect the people around you. It will becometoxic. The people who work at your table or in the next cubicle will respond to your anxiety.

When workers are stressed out, everyone in their immediate orbit feels it, Lipman writes, and the simple fact is people dont do their best work while anxious.

Anxiety is distracting. Itmakes you spend alot of time wondering how to be less anxious — not focusing on solutions. Anxiety can throw you into aspiral of self-doubt. You’ll be angry with yourself for being anxious in the first place, and then you’ll be frustrated that your worriesare eating away so much of your day.If your pace is making you sick fromstress,you won’t be efficient.

Sotake a step back from your work. Catch your breath. Although it may seem counterintuitive to distance yourself from some project you need to be working on, it might pay off in the long run.

And if you have to sacrifice a night of half-assed work for one good night of sleep (so you can finally hit your stride the next day), it will probably be worth it.

Over time, stress tendsto build up,especially when youre trying to do too much at work. Crunching for deadlines and cranking out long hours may seem like the proper way to approach a heavy workload, butLipman warns thata chronically stress-packed management style breeds burnout and turnover.”

When stress builds, employees feel less engaged.As Karen Higginbottom writes in Forbes, the Global Benefits Attitudes survey found that levels of workplace disengagement significantly increase when employees experience high levels of stress.

And the biggest reason for stress in the American workplace? That would be a lack of work-life balance, according to Higginbottom. Focusing on de-stressing outside of workis as important as de-stressing in the office.

Plan your downtime accordingly. Focus on hobbies that will give your mind a break. Get an adequate amount of sleep. Exercise more. Make some time for Netflix(but not too much time). Cook a meal with your family. Create non-work projectsthat will make you proud.

All of these things can leave you feeling more refreshed and less pressured at work.

Ultimately, its not always about how much you work, or even how intensely;its about working the most efficiently.

Inorder to work more productively, you need torelax(as silly as that sounds).

While stress may be what gets you off thecouch, it’s not sustainable inthe long run.

Pay attention to what works best for you; pursue that in your own career. As long as the job gets done, the “how” doesn’t matter. Most creative people have their own unique process, so dont sweat it if you work best under conditions that seem avant-garde.

Just take a deep breath. Your work will benefit.

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via Why Spending Less Time On Your Work Can Actually Make You More Efficient
by LCFPadmin2016