UAB Highlights Productivity Killers and How to Overcome Them

By Anna Jones | UAB News Megan Hays, Ph.D., explores five common productivity killers and offers practical solutions to overcome them. “Productivity can foster a sense of accomplishment, reducing stress and cultivating a positive workplace environment with greater morale,” Hays said. “Many everyday actions can kill productivity, causing us to feel like a failure and become stressed.” By addressing key productivity killers, from mindlessly checking emails to working excessive hours, individuals can enjoy benefits such as improved focus, efficiency and overall productivity. “Improving your productivity requires identifying and overcoming common pitfalls that hinder efficiency,” Hays said. “Productivity is not just about working hard but about working smart.” Avoid mindlessly checking messages While intended to be a productivity tool, email can be a serious distraction and productivity killer. It is easy to justify checking emails and other messages as “work,” but that inbox can quickly consume productive work hours. Hays says that being drawn to procrastinating by answering emails is because of a cognitive bias known as the mere urgency effect. The tendency is to choose completing a five-minute, “time-sensitive” task over an important project that requires hours of focused or deep work. “Perceived urgency tends to trump importance every time,...