Five tips for increasing productivity at work

In an effort to enrich the lives and work of our USI community, we've begun a series of Five Tips, providing useful information you can incorporate on the job or at home. We've once again reached into the fountain of knowledge provided by our own faculty and staff. If you have useful tips to share for this series, you can submit them for consideration.

These tips come from Dawn Stoneking, director of Lifelong Learning in Outreach and Engagement.

 1. Get a good night's sleep.

Sleep is restorative not only for the body, but also the mind. Adequate sleep increases focus, enhances memory function and improves decision-making ability. 

2. Embrace a mindset of continuous process improvement.

Periodically examine (and re-examine) processes for efficiency and effectiveness. Set aside time to ask yourself and each other if there are creative ways to streamline processes. Locate tools and resources that will assist process improvement, learn about product enhancements (such as new software features) and enhance your knowledge, skills and abilities through professional development. Don't forget to reach out to USI's Information Technology department, the David L. Rice Library and Lifelong Learning to assist you. Additionally, benchmarking with other teams, universities or organizations may help you identify best practices.

3. Add "to-do" items to your calendar.

Take your "to-do" items a step beyond the list by scheduling time on your calendar to complete them. If you work in a support role and have less control over your schedule, communicate with your supervisor about what might be an ideal time of day/week to do this based on workflow priorities.

4. Cultivate a positive work environment.

A growing body of research in organizational psychology suggests that a positive work culture fosters productivity. While we can't control how our colleagues interact with us, we can control our contributions toward a positive work culture. Dr. Emma Seppala at the Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, and Dr. Kim Cameron at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, suggest six principles:

• Caring for, being interested in and maintaining responsibility for colleagues as friends
• Providing support for one another, including offering kindness and compassion when others are struggling
• Avoiding blame and forgiving mistakes
• Inspiring one another at work
• Emphasizing the meaningfulness of the work
• Treating one another with respect, gratitude, trust and integrity

5. Take a break.

Taking a break to recharge your brain helps to increase productivity and focus. Have lunch with a friend, listen to your favorite music, read something you enjoy, exercise, eat a healthy snack, drink a glass of water or meditate are just a few ways to refuel.