Human Relations

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of Instructor]

[Subject]

[Date]

Human Relations

Q. 1. One of the biggest barriers in the way of productivity is procrastination. Procrastination is one of the leading causes of delay in work and affecting productivity in a negative way. The term “Procrastination” refers to the act of delaying a task or mission due to some invalid or weak reason. It not only puts a negative impact on the time management skills of a person but also effects the quality of the task or the work assigned. People procrastinate due to multiple reasons like a boring or unpleasant task, unwanted task, lack of motivation, lack of meaningful reward, preferring current less valuable reward over a more valuable reward in a longer run, fear of success, fear of consequences and perfectionism. One or a combination of these reasons combine together to cause a person to delay an important task.

Every person has indulged in procrastinating behaviour at least once in their life. A number of people repeat this process on a frequent basis in their educational institutes and at their workplaces. I also tend to procrastinate, not frequently, but sometimes, whenever the task is boring or I want it to be perfect. But I tend to overcome it soon by using some techniques that have always proven to be beneficial for me. Whenever the feelings of procrastination take over me, I think of the bigger picture, I resist my urge to leave the ongoing task for a smaller task and try to focus more strongly on the task. I remind myself continuously of the reward I will be getting in return of the assigned task no matter how boring or uninteresting it is. This helps me in keeping my interest maintained in the work. This approach is somewhat consistent with the ways mentioned in the chapter to fight procrastination.

Q. 2. Productivity is essential in every field nowadays. Today's fast-paced work environment and dynamic business industry require fast thinking and quick action. If a person fails to keep up with the pace of this fast-paced industry, he or she may lag far behind in the race for success. Success is all about attitude; once a person develops the right kind of attitude in them, it does not remain difficult for them to quickly ascend the steps of success and achievement. It is just a matter of inculcating a number of small but extremely useful and effective habits in the daily routine so that the work can become more easy and organized. In order to achieve success and perfection, an individual should develop the under-mentioned habits in them, which will help them in becoming a successful person in a very short span of time.

Value your Time:

Giving value to time is one of the most important habits that can lead to an increase in productivity and guarantee success in no time.

Develop the Habits Of Neatness And Punctuality:

Keeping your workspace neat and clean can help significantly in increasing productivity and giving out quality work. Coming to work on time and going back on the proper time will help in managing the time in an appropriate manner, which will ultimately bring positive results.

Organize your Workspace:

An organized workspace can put a great impact on the working environment, bringing in positive vibes. If the workspace is clean and well-organized, it can give a look of a more spacious area, which can be a source of more ideas and play a role in increased productivity.

Work Smart, Not Hard:

This is most probably the most important habit that can lead to success in no time. Developing smart working habits instead of working hard can be time-saving as well as a source of bringing out the greater quality of work.

Q. 3. Time management is the key to success. It is one of the brightest habits that not only ensures an excellent level of productivity but also high quality of output. Time management is an art, it is an extremely useful skill that defines how to divide time into various activities. It is a process of allotting time to various tasks or activities to be performed, according to their priority or urgency. It consists of planning and controlling that how much time one should spend one should on some specific activity. A good amount of time management skills applied on large tasks or various small tasks leads to much better outcome along with less stress and a lesser amount of clutter. Here are some techniques or methods using which a person can effectively manage their time and achieve a high level of productivity:

Prioritize:

Prioritizing the tasks according to their importance and urgency is the key skill for managing time.

Keep Your Work Area Clean:

Keeping the workspace clean and tidy helps to manage various other tasks in a stress-free manner. If a person keeps his or her working area in a clean and tidy shape and organizes it on a regular basis, it helps to keep ideas organized and de-tangled in mind as well.

Schedule the Tasks:

Time management requires scheduling the tasks according to their urgency. If a person wants to achieve mastery in time management, they should practice identifying the value of different tasks and should schedule them according to their importance and urgency from top to bottom.

Focus On One Task At A Time:

The skill of time management demands that a person focuses on a single task at a time. It will help in concentrating to the fullest at a single task and achieving excellence in it.

Q. 4. Distractions are a major cause of bringing the productivity level down. These distractions may be of any kind, from some co-worker or some manager. Electronic sources have been found to be the top cause of distracting employees from their important or routine tasks and making them waste their time on unnecessary activities. These activities include the use of social media and wasting time on various other tasks like checking the multiple functions of other computer soft wares like MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint. The second biggest distractor at workplace stands out to be gossip and the third biggest distractor has been reported as the noise at the workplace, either made by machines or by coworkers. Some of the useful techniques that can significantly become handy in reducing time wasters at the workplace have been listed below.

Schedule Your Tasks:

Making a time table and scheduling tasks according to their priority and urgency can help in increasing focus and in return, increasing the level of productivity

Assemble Similar Tasks Together:

Scheduling or assembling similar tasks together helps bring in efficiency in work and increases the quality of work as well as productivity.

Jump From One Task to Another Task Quickly:

Schedule your tasks in such a way that they form a chain and you can jump quickly from one task to another.

Use Electronic Media Responsibly:

The electronic devices such as computers, laptops, tabs, iPads and various other devices have been provided for assisting the workers or staff with the job tasks, but some workers indulge in the procrastinating activities which waste their time and lowers their productivity.

Know the Worth of your Time:

The best way to overcome time-wasting habits is to know the worth of time. A person should always keep in mind that the task he or she is performing is of extreme importance and what consequences it can bring if not completed on time.