Importance of Good Work Habits

1. Importance of Good Work Habits

2. Goals • Appreciate the importance of good work habits and time management • Decrease any tendencies you might have toward procrastination • Develop attitudes and values that will help you become more productive • Develop skills and techniques that will help you become more productive • Overcome time-wasting practices

3. Facts • People with good work habits tend to be more successful in their lives than poorly organized individuals • Good work habits are more important than ever because of today's emphasis on productivity and quality in the job field • Procrastination is the leading cause of poor productivity • Disorganization, lack of focus and an inability to prioritize can only lead to stress and burnout

4. Procrastination • People procrastinate for many reasons, including their perception that a task is unpleasant, is overwhelming, or may lead to negative consequences. • Fear of success can also lead to procrastination. • Awareness of procrastination can lead to its control.

5. Techniques for Reducing Procrastination • Calculating the cost of procrastination • Pecking away at an overwhelming task; • Motivating yourself with rewards and punishments • Making a commitment to other people • Expressing a more positive attitude about your intentions

6. Developing Good Work Habits • Developing good work habits and time management practices is often a matter of developing proper attitudes toward work and time • Steps to develop good work habits are: • Developing a mission, goals, and a strong work ethic • Valuing good attendance and punctuality • Valuing your time • Valuing neatness, orderliness, and speed • Working smarter, not harder

7. Developing Good Work Habits • Declare war on clutter • Prioritize daily tasks • Be punctual • Do not monopolize others’ time • Do not let others monopolize your time • Plan, but don’t abuse your break time • Show consideration for others at all times

8. Declare War on Clutter • People lose valuable time each day searching for information they should have at their fingertips. Establishment and maintenance of a functional filing system takes very little effort and brings lasting dividends. • The temptation to place each and every document, once read, on the top of the nearest pile creates chaos. Process each piece of work appropriately, know the difference what constitutes a “document” and “trash,” and act appropriately. • Pack rats never profit in the classroom or workplace.

9. Prioritize Daily Tasks • At the end of each workday, take two minutes to make a list of tasks that should be tackled the next day, in order of importance

10. Be Punctual • Nothing says more about an person’s sense of responsibility than his commitment to show up for work/school on time • Be cognizant that for any organization, time is money. Taking extra time at lunch for personal business, arriving late and leaving early are tantamount to robbing the organization of your services

11. Do Not Monopolize Others’ Time • If you persist in engaging in too much personal conversation, you waste your time and others’ time.

12. Do Not Let Others Monopolize Your Time • Naturally, you should be courteous in your responses to classmates’ legitimate inquiries and responsive to their requests for assistance. • However, when it develops that they are keeping you from performing critical tasks, you should be judicious in the amount of time you give them.

13. Show Consideration for others at all times • Don’t distract them with loud music, excessive talking, personal phone calls or inappropriate language or clothing. If you do anything to make the work environment unpleasant, you are a liability to the classroom and or workplace.

14. Plan, But Don’t abuse your break time • Visits to the rest room and an occasional trips to the drinking fountain pot are each person’s right, but productivity suffers when there are frequent absences from the class. • Try to schedule breaks at appropriate intervals, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Whenever possible, take these breaks upon completion of specific tasks. • That way, you can return to your work refreshed and ready to turn to a new project, rather than re-focusing on an uncompleted job.

15. Good work habits don’t come naturally; they must be developed. Mastering strong work habits is indispensable to establishing a reputation as a valued member of the work team

16. Skills and techniques to help you become more productive • (1) cleaning up and getting organized; (2) planning your activities; (3) getting off to a good start; (4) making good use of office technology; (5) concentrating on one key task at a time; (6) streamlining your work and emphasizing important tasks; (7) working at a steady pace; (8) creating some quiet, uninterrupted time; (9) making use of bits of time; (10) staying in control of paperwork, the in-basket, and e-mail; and (11) using multitasking for routine tasks.

17. Seven suggestions for overcoming time wasting are • (1) minimizing day dreaming • (2) preparing a time log and evaluating your use of time • (3)avoiding being a computer goof-off • (4) keeping track of important names, places, and things • (5) setting a time limit for certain tasks and projects • (6) scheduling similar tasks together • (7) bouncing quickly from task to task • (8) being decisive and finishing things