It’s crunch time. Your team is not hitting its targets and it’s not for the lack of trying. They’re constantly going over their to-do lists, sitting in on meetings with no clear end in sight; endlessly revising that email instead of just getting it over with and hitting send. It’s clear that they’re doing everything they can, they’re clocking in the hours but they’re just not getting the job done—at least not as well and as quick as the situation calls for.
The Busyness Trap
It’s a trap that befalls countless well-meaning individuals—the busyness trap—and it can happen to anyone. When all the long, grueling hours these hapless individuals put into their work are not directly proportional to the output they produce because, unfortunately, being busy and being productive are not mutually exclusive.
What you want is to turn those hours into actual results and what you need is to identify why your team is so busy in the first place. Think your team has fallen into the trap? Here are some of the signs and what you can do to escape them:
1. Multi-tasking
One of the most telltale habits of people who are busy but unproductive is multitasking. And though multitasking is not a bad thing, productivity experts point out that multitaskers actually tend to accomplish less than individuals who focus on one (or reasonably fewer) tasks at a time. This only means that individuals who prioritize and direct their focus and resources towards a single task are often more able to accomplish their tasks.
2. Unproductive meetings
Meetings with very little discussion being had can run the risk of keeping everyone together for longer than usual, or worse, end up getting nothing done and having to call for another session. As such, getting your team to present their ideas effectively can mean reminding them to do the necessary preparations before presentations, encouraging them to have thoughtful dialogues, and more importantly, asking for their undivided attention during the meeting. These can go a long way in accomplishing your team’s objectives in less time.
3. Endless revisions
At the workplace, tasks involving writing are one of the most at risk into falling into this “perfectionist” trap. It could be something as simple as endlessly revising an email or something as crucial as a presentation but the signs are all the same -- individuals caught in this trap often find themselves stuck and hold off on finishing their work because it has to be “perfect”. Revise it as you please but always remember to do so in a clear and concise manner. The right combination of words, style, and approach in whatever you write is critical to getting your message across accurately, briefly, and clearly.
4. Autopilot execution
Then there’s that vicious cycle that many individuals fall on, where they find themselves doing something for the sake of doing it without a clear goal or direction. This thoughtless execution of work can set your team up for unnecessarily long hours of work.
If these situations ring a bell, then your team may not be equipped with the proper skills to do their job efficiently. Honing your team’s skills is a never-ending process. This is necessary to foster growth, and to ensure that efficiency is maximized. A good training on skill-building can help your organization acquire optimal skills to perform tasks efficiently, maximize productivity, and finally, enable them to cross things off that to-do list.
