What My One Year Old Can Teach You about Productivity
By Renée Eaton
After a year off on maternity leave with my darling baby girl, I've returned to work. While I'm still getting used to juggling time sheets and daycare, deadlines and bottles, I'm happy to be back.
The other day as I took a break at my desk to savor my first coffee in a year without being interrupted, I realized something. Perhaps I would have figured it sometime in the past year had I had time to think clearly, but that's beside the point. What I became conscious of, and you may not believe it, is that taking care of a baby can teach you valuable lessons you can apply to your job.
That's right, just like the baby on E-Trade can show you how to buy stocks online; my one year old can teach you how to be more productive at work. I'm going to reveal to you six never before seen tips to success at work.
1. Sometimes we all have to do a little dirty work.
Whether it be up to your elbows in dirty diapers or dreaded client invoices, we all have to do work we don't particularly enjoy at times. My advice to you is to get it over with early in your day and move on to the tasks you enjoy.
Trust me, if you choose to delay, this task will only cloud your mind as you work on other things, just like you can never escape the smell of a dirty diaper. You will not be able to give your full attention to your other work until it is completed.
And remember, procrastinate too long and the you-know-what may fly.
2. Hearing and understanding are two very different things.
My daughter has her own language; she happily jibber jabbers to her Snoedel (her favorite toy), on stroller rides, in the car after we pick her up from daycare. While I hear her, more times than not, I have no idea what she is saying. In her mind, she is speaking clearly, but I have little understanding of the conversation. I may be able to discern that she wants her sippy when she points at it, but other than that, I'm lost.
Has this ever happened to you at work? You have a conversation with a coworker about a project, but one or both of you walk away unsure of if you completely understand what was said? We need to make certain that we are on the same page with people at work. At the end of meetings, sum up what was discussed to ensure there was no miscommunication. Go over what was accomplished, upcoming tasks, issues that need to be resolved and so on. This way everyone understands the language. This is important because when misunderstandings occur there can be a lot of crying and screaming.
3. Don't worry about spilt milk (or formula or pureed peas)
Sometimes we let the little things at work overwhelm us. We have so much going on, that an inconsequential mistake or tiny wrong turn can completely throw us off track.
I remember when I was at home, tired after yet another sleepless night, with piles of unwashed laundry, dirty bottles, a dog whining to be let out and all my daughter felt like doing was throwing her food on the floor. And yes, it did upset me. But, I soon learned to put things in perspective. Did a little bit of banana and toast on the floor matter? No, a quick wipe and it was gone (or, if I was lucky, the dog would eat it).
So when the printer breaks (again), your e-mail is on the fritz or a colleague is slow getting a document to you; ask yourself if, in the long run, this is going to majorly effect you or is it just spilt milk?
4. Try, try and try again.
If anyone can learn anything from a baby or small child, it is determination. Babies will stop at nothing to learn new things: sitting, crawling, standing, walking. They will stumble, they will fall and yes, they will cry, but they won't be deterred.
Just think what you could accomplish if you applied this type of determination at work. If you kept pushing on through the failures until you reached success. Those marvelous first steps.
5. Sometimes it's hard to hear, well, anything, through the crying.
Have you ever felt like you just couldn't think because every two seconds your phone was ringing, your BlackBerry was buzzing or people were popping in and out of your office? Sometimes we need time free of distractions to get a handle on what needs to be done during the day.
Why not try blocking off some time in your schedule where you set your phone to voicemail, turn off your BlackBerry and shut your door or let coworkers know you are indisposed. Use this time to prioritize your tasks and guarantee those important jobs are getting the attention they need.
6. Love what you do and nothing else will matter.
When you truly enjoy what you do, you can overcome anything and do so with a smile on your face. And trust me, it will show in your work. The evenings filled with the screams of a crying newborn, the shockingly large amounts of spit up from months 3 through 7 and most recently, double ear infections, a cold and teething seem far away to me when my daughter looks at me with those big blue eyes, lifts up her arms and says "mama."
Take pride in your work and you'll never fail.
Renée Eaton is a Communications Specialist, researcher and writer for BizXcel Inc. and editor for Generating Greatness.
