Productivity is a leading capacity in the world of work. We all want to be as productive as possible, companies are looking for people with a good level and pace of work, who produce good results… ability.
A Harvard University survey has tried to find out what makes some people more productive than others and what influences our work and day-to-day productivity. The truth is that the factors are very diverse and, while some can be worked on, others, it is true, are more immovable.
Almost the same number of men and women participated in this study and it must be said that there were no differences in performance between the two groups, as there were, on the other hand, between the older and younger workers.
Workers with more experience are more productive
The former, with more experience, managed to achieve better results than the younger and less experienced peers. The reason is that the years of seniority at work help to improve the system and the method with which we approach work responsibilities, which makes it easier for us to be more productive.
One of the keys is not to work more hours, since this does not mean that we will necessarily be more productive. The important thing is to work smarter, according to the results of this study. and then they acted with a definite objective. At the same time, they developed effective techniques to manage a large volume of tasks and, in teamwork, they understood that meetings should be short with clear instructions.
Differences between men and women
Although there were no significant differences between men and women in terms of productivity, it is true that different work methods appeared during the conduct of this study. Thus, women in the study group did well in effective meeting management: they were more likely than men to send an agenda in advance, finish meetings in less than 90 minutes, and do so with agreed points to discuss or with a decided path to work in the future. Likewise, this group is more likely to prepare the agenda the night before and respond quickly to important emails.
Men showed better productivity in other aspects and tasks. For example, the best results were achieved in dealing with a high volume of messages, since they did not check the emails too often and prioritized, skipping the most irrelevant emails. It is also true that they managed to finish tasks quickly, effectively report their agent’s free slots and write reports in a clear and structured way.
How to improve productivity, according to these experts
In order to be effective and productive, it is necessary to develop, according to these Harvard experts and after analyzing the results of their study, a method that allows us to optimize time and tasks. Thus, it is important to review the schedules, the agenda for the next day and establish priorities according to our availability.
At the moment in which we are working, we must know how to dedicate the time that corresponds to each task, prioritizing what we dedicate more or less effort to, and not constantly checking emails and messages, to avoid cutting the pace of work.
Finally, when it comes time to work as a team, you have to use it to communicate clearly, effectively and directly, have objectives and reduce meeting times, which should last a maximum of 90 minutes.
