Want to Get More Done? Work Less!

Did you know the reason Henry Ford changed the work week from 48 to 40 hours was to reduce the number of errors that his employees made?  Working extra hours does not necessarily make you more productive. Numerous studies have found that spending more time on a specific task does not assure a better outcome.  In fact, research shows that those who work more than 55 hours per week experience declines in their ability to reason and solve problems.  There is a direct relationship between mistakes and hours worked.  Regardless of your position in your organization, there's a good chance there is always more to do and everything can be improved upon. Productive behaviors, not the amount of time spent on a task or on the job, are the key drivers of quality.  

 

It's also a misnomer to believe that the amount of time spent on a project or task will improve the output. That's not always the case.  In many instances, speed improves quality. An alternative outlook is to view quality not on how much time it took to complete a task, but rather on the impact the task has on sales, profits, the community, the company, etc.  When reviewing your to-do list, prioritize those tasks that will have the greatest impact on performance and metrics. Looking through the impact lens will change your definition of productivity from how much work you can accomplish in a given period of time to the impact the work in a given period of time can have.