8 Keys to Enhancing Your Work Performance
Everyone wants to perform their job at his or her best. But to be at your best requires more than just showing up every day on time and doing your work. Just like an athlete in training, professionals can also enhance job performance by making each of the following important in your daily life.
- Take care of yourself. This includes getting plenty of rest, eating well, and being active. You must feel well in order to do your best at work. Learn to recognize things that affect how you feel, and make adjustments for the better. Food, rest, and exercise are the fuel and energy that enable you to think and innovate.
- Stay current. This is a must to stay on top of your game. Follow what is happening in your industry. How does it affect your work? Your job? Your clients? This knowledge will enhance the relevancy and purpose of your work and how it positively impacts your world.
- Practice self-discipline. Set goals for yourself every day and long term. Make them attainable. Don’t stop until you finish. Then reward yourself when you do. Enjoy the feeling of achievement. Go shopping. Watch your favorite show on TV. Eat a big bowl of ice cream. Then start on the next task.
- Give yourself think time. With anything you do, sometimes the first attempt is not the best you can do. Ideas need to “bake.” Take a pass, then come back to it later or the next day. A fresh perspective can work wonders! You’ll see it differently the next time you look at it—and you’ll see things you did not see before.
- Manage your time. In order to be most productive, you need to plan how you will spend your time. Organize your day. Keep a list of tasks, by priority. Cross them off as you complete them. (I love doing that!) Seeing what you need to accomplish within a time frame and tracking where you are in completing the list will keep you moving.
- Take time to recharge. Like athletes, high-performing professionals have a lot of stamina. But you can also reach a point of non-productivity. Learn to recognize this point in yourself and figure out what you require in order to recharge and reach peak performance again. For some, it may be just a walk to the vending machine down the hall, or a good night’s sleep. For others, it may be a week’s vacation, taking a course to enhance your knowledge, or even switching jobs or careers.
- Stay inspired. What inspires you? Reading a good novel? Working on a challenging problem? Being with your family? The promise of reward? Whatever it is—make sure you get plenty of it. Put yourself in a position to experience inspiration as much as possible.
- Envision Success. Whatever your goals are, see yourself achieving them. What’s your plan to get there? How will you react? Whom will you share your success with? What will you do next? Keep that vision in your head.
SOUND OFF: What do you do to stay in “tip top” shape on the job?
