For most of us, our jobs are the focal points of our lives. We spend the most of our time and the bulk of our creative energy at work. And, because of that, we want to feel good about our contribution to the mission of our organization. If you wish to be a successful insurance agent or you want to sell the most sweaters at a department store, here are ten tips to help you step-up your performance on the job.
- Show up early.
By getting to work early, you’re showing your boss, colleagues, or staff that you’re eager to start the workday. You’re also setting the tone to yourself that you’re excited to be at work and ready for a productive day.
- Organize your office.
It’s difficult to be productive when you can’t find anything. Remedy this by keeping your office orderly on an ongoing basis, and setting aside some time each week to tidy up anything that’s piled up throughout the week.
- Dress the part.
When we look good, we feel good. And, when we feel good, we do better work. Furthermore, when you dress well, people treat you with more respect because you clearly respect yourself. And respected people rise the ranks and earn more business than others.
- Manage your time.
If you let it, your time will slip away from you. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day–email, water-cooler chat, social media are all time suckers that will kill your productivity. Make a plan for the hours in the day and what you plan to accomplish within them before you start work and you will get more done.
- Be pleasant.
People like to business with friendly people. It’s human nature. Make a point to avoid gossip and negativity and bring something positive to every conversation in which you participate. You’ll draw others to you, and they won’t even know why.
- Under-promise and over-deliver.
Always do what you say you will do. And, when possible, do more. This will communicate to yourself and those you work with that you are dependable and always deliver.
- Set goals.
Goal-setting is the key to productivity. Decide what you want to accomplish, make a plan, and do it.
- Continually evaluate.
A little self-awareness goes a long way. Set aside a regular time to evaluate your work. Friday afternoons are a good time for this. Take a look at what you did well the previous week and what you can do better the following. This process will keep bad habits from creeping in and wreaking havoc on your performance.
- Get enough sleep.
Tired people don’t get a lot done. And what they do get done is usually of diminished quality. Set yourself for a productive day by going to bed at a decent hour. This one act will have a significant effect on your performance than any other—guaranteed. Nothing good happens after 10 PM anyway.
- Take breaks.
You don’t do yourself any favors by burning out. A fresh mind has better, more unique ideas. Take breaks through your day to drink some water and get some air. And, schedule vacations and days off. Your colleagues will respect you for taking care of yourself, and they’ll appreciate the high quality of work that you bring to the table when you come back.
Put these ten tips to work this week, and by Friday, your boss will be begging you to take a raise. Well, maybe not, but you will feel better about the quantity and quality of work you are producing—we can almost guarantee that.
