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Are You a Morning Or Evening Person? Productivity Counts

It’s September 1st and I am sitting outside on a beautiful Thursday afternoon.   I find I don’t do this enough… just take my work outdoors and enjoy the day.  There is a slight breeze and the temperature is just right.   The day appears to be rather lazy, and yet I am powering through work that I have been trying to get to for weeks!  No distractions, no phones ringing (at least that I can hear) and no meetings to attend. A prefect day to concentrate on what needs to be done.

There is so much controversy on over where a person is most productive.  If they have 8-5 jobs that require them to be on location are they the most productive?  Are people with flexible work schedules more productive?  What about taking into consideration the person.  When is a person the most productive?  I know some people who are slow to start their day.  They are just not morning people so for them it is like walking in a trance until they get their coffee, had time to adjust to the day and feel that they are in full swing.  It make take them a few hours to find that they are firing on all cylinders.

If you want to know when someone is at their peak, ask them what time they would like to start a meeting.  An example would be when my Assistant says, I know you are not a morning person, but can we meet at 8:00 am?   I’d prefer 10:00 am.   Obviously, she knows that I am not at my peak early in the morning.  However, I am raring to go at later in the date and she is ready to call it quits.

The human brain can concentrate for only so long.  Some say no longer than 30 minutes before we begin to wander and have to force ourselves back on task.  We need to take breaks and when we don’t we will find that we lose concentration and have to refocus.  We are also not as productive.  Each of us can be classified into either a morning or a night person.  And we all know which type we are.

When it comes to work and work location, where are people most productive?  And why do people have to be on site if their job doesn’t require them to absolutely be there?  Companies can save money by allowing their employees to work from home and many companies have adopted this culture.  For those companies that still feel “butts in seats” so they can “see the work being done” should really take a closer look.  Just because you can physically see a person sitting at their desk, does not mean they are being productive.  Shouldn’t results speak volumes?  If the work isn’t getting done, then perhaps the wrong person is in the job!

Five Ways to Boost The Way Others View You

The way you perceive yourself is the way others will see you.  Think about that statement.   What is your perception of yourself?  Are you confident, are you in shape, and are you helpful, courteous and kind?  Are you self-assured in your knowledge, skills and abilities at work?   If you answered no to anyone of these questions, then you have some work to do.  If there is any aspect of your life – personal or professional that you do not feel good about, then you are projecting that image to others.

Your self-image is vital to the way people view you.  You can give your self-esteem a boost by changing your thinking.  Our minds are powerful and our thoughts have a direct correlation to how we behave.

Labels and titles play into our perceptions.  Perhaps you have heard of some of the altered titles given to the following professions.  The jobs haven’t changed, but the attitude of the people doing them has.

Transparency Enhancement Facilitator – Window Cleaner
Field Nourishment Consultant – Waitress

Garbage Man – Sanitary Engineer

Housewife -Domestic Engineer
Highway Environmental Hygienist -Road Sweeper
Sanitation Consultant – Toilet Cleaner

 I offer these five things for helping you to perceive yourself in a better light.

1.  Identify the area(s) that you find upsetting.  This will take self reflection and may make you uncomfortable.  You may be avoiding thinking or talking about this area of your life.
2. Identify  the thoughts you have when thinking about this area.  How many times do you think “what if”, “I can’t”, “It won’t happen” or other negative thoughts?  Notice any feelings or sensations you have while having the thoughts.
3. Notice any reactions you may have as a result of these thoughts.  Are you over eating, under eating, drinking too much, not sleeping, avoiding people. have a short fuse and become angry, etc.?
4. Challenge your thoughts.   If you have the “what if’s” play them out in your mind.   Negative thinking causes helplessness.   Recall also how many times you had “what if” scenarios in the past and how what you feared never happened.
5. Change your thinking – change your life.  Be kind to yourself and change negative words into positive ones.  Avoid the words “should and must”.  Treat yourself with kindness and be forgiving.  Be your own cheerleader.  If you don’t love yourself and believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

Intentions to Commitment – What Does It Take?

Want to get something done?  You have all the right intentions, but something is lacking.  What is lacking is the commitment .  Commitment to make it happen.  You have heard the saying “… the best intentions…”.  Well, those intentions mean nothing unless you commit to taking steps or action.

Since you had the  thought in the first place, there is something within you that knows the change or action is needed.  Why do we fight ourselves over these action steps.  More than likely because it means change and accountability for our actions.  We don’t want to fail.  But, unless we put ourselves out there how will we know if we will fail or succeed?  We don’t!

Some of the best failures have resulted in wonderful new discoveries.   No one can say with accuracy how many attempts it took Edison to invent the light bulb but I can tell you it was more than two, more than ten attempts.  He never saw himself as a failure and neither should you.  We learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures.

“The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.”

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I would like to direct you to “The Work” by Bryon Katie.  http://www.thework.com/index.php   There are four simple questions you can ask yourself.  Answering these four questions truthfully will allow you to move forward and experience less frustrations and fear as well as the joy of unlocking your potential.