In the Groove for Better Productivity

By Barbara Bartlein

The happiest and most productive employees are those that can get into a “flow” with their work, according to studies featured in the new book, Authentic Happiness. After years of surveying folks who were sad, researchers are focusing more attention on what makes people happy. What they are finding has interesting implications for the workplace.

Life satisfaction and increased productivity occurs most often when people are engaged in absorbing activities that allow them to forget themselves, lose track of time, experience intense focus, and stop worrying. Termed “flow,” by the researchers, this phenomenon is the same that musicians, authors, and artists experience when they state; they are “in the groove.” They no longer think about each note, word, or brush stroke, it happens automatically as they focus on the task at hand. The actual production becomes effortlessness; they flow to make it happen.

Ironically, many worksites in corporate America are designed with interruptions, unclear priorities, and meaningless meetings that do little but stop the flow from ever starting, frustrating employees that are attempting to get into a groove.

Some things you can do for better productivity:

• Close your door. Arrange your workday so that you have several hours of uninterrupted time to focus. Impossible? Then you need to restructure your work time differently. Have one day per week that is available to meet with your direct reports, instead of people just doing the pop-in. If you want an “open door” policy, make it at designated times. This makes everyone more efficient.
  
  
• Cancel meetings. Or at least evaluate their worth. Lack of a clear objective is the leading complaint of 1000 business people surveyed about meetings with over 40% saying that the purpose wasn’t clear. Another 22% complained the meetings did not start on time. If you must have a meeting, outline the goals before the agenda and keep everyone focused. Begin and end on time with decisions and outcomes clearly identified.
  
  
• Avoid the tyranny of the urgent. Too often the “emergencies” in corporate America are simply a lack of planning by customers, both internal and external. Be careful not to bail out colleagues simply because they did not prepare properly. And always make sure to charge a premium amount for “urgent” client work to: (a) make it worth the trouble and (b) train the customer that they have to pay extra for this level of service.
  
  
• Control electronics. You don’t need to answer the phone whenever it rings. Let calls go to voicemail and answer them at a designated time. You can even let colleagues know that you are best accessed at a certain hour, e.g., “For your convenience, I am most readily available at 3:00 p.m.” Resist checking email every hour or so. Once or twice a day is usually sufficient and don’t forget to block out the spam to save time.
  
  
• Schedule large projects. Do you have something big on the horizon that really needs the “flow?” Arrange special time to do it. Let everyone know that you are unavailable and out of commission. See if you can arrange to work at home to minimize interruptions.
  

Promote the “flow” with your work. Remember, efficiency is intelligent laziness.

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Barbara Bartlein is the PeoplePro™. She helps businesses sell more goods and services by developing people. She can be reached at 888-747-9953, by email at: barb@barbbartlein.com or visit her Web site at www.ThePeoplePro.com.

Published in Networking Today, August 2003.