3Ways To Improve Work Performance at Work & in Life

If you have been looking for ways to improve work performance either at work or in your personal life then look no further.

In this post, I share the exact 3 strategies and mindset shifts I deployed and still practice to improve my work performance and output daily.

The 3 Ways To Improve Work Performance Summarized

Here are the top 3 ways to improve work performance as shared in this article

1. Practice Effective Self Awareness & Self-Management (The Internal factors)

2. Learn & Master Effective Time Management

3. Master People Management Skills

Step 1 Effective Self Awareness & Self-Diagnosis or Problem Awareness

The first of the 3ways to improve work performance either in your workplace or personal life is to become self-aware of the exact cause of your poor performance.

Self-awareness begins with an effective diagnosis of the problem.

To effectively diagnose the cause of your poor performance, you would need to sit down with yourself and ask yourself some questions like;

Why am I not performing at my best at work or even in my personal life?

For example, you planned to write that book or deliver quality work daily at work but keep falling behind schedule? Are you too distracted and lack focus?

Why? What exactly is the problem? Fear or lack of competence?

Ways To Improve Work Performance-My Case Study

I am a writer, a mom, and a wife.

My daily work routine involves caring for the kids, preparing them for school, writing, cooking, and taking care of other personal chores.

Writing is a very integral part of my career and determines my income while being a mom and wife determines my happiness and the future well-being of my kids and family.

Learning to balance all three roles would determine how effective I become as a person.

In the past I Lacked Effective Ways To Improve Work Performance Because I wasn’t Self Aware;

Here is what I did In the past.

I had a lot to take care of during my day.

By the time the kids left for school, I would still have a few kitchen chores to take care of, then take my bath and sit in front of my computer.

Next, I would begin to check my emails, WhatsApp, and other social media messages.

I also would check other blog posts and waste time just ‘trying to write’.

And before I knew it, it is time to go pick them up. Phew!

At night, I would want to reward myself by seating in front of the TV and when it’s finally time to go to bed, I would once again visit my social media pages and scroll endlessly until it is way past bedtime.

The Result? A cycle of Poor Sleep, poor Work output, and Zero Achievements.

We are still discussing ways to improve work performance, so stay with me.

My first victory was becoming aware of what was happening.

I observed my routine and became aware of what I did with my day and especially with my computer when it was time to write;

• I would allow myself to be distracted
• and do every other thing but write, and at the end of the day, zero output in terms of my career

But Why Was I So Distracted? I Had Internal Fears of Failure.

To improve work performance, the first thing you must do is to become aware of ‘the-front & behind-the scene -factors’.

This is the self-awareness phase. The stage of consciousness, where you notice you aren’t moving forward and that you have a problem.

Secondly, I had to understand that part of the reason for my actions was that, I had an internal fear, an uncertainty that I may or may not succeed at what I was doing.

This state of mind fosters procrastination, distraction, and poor work performance.

Ways To Improve Work Performance -Strategic self-awareness Action Plan:

• Pick up a pen and try to write down your daily routine (notice exactly how you spend your day)
• What are your key roles or most important tasks of the day or life?
• Take note of the internal factors (fears perhaps due to incompetence) you are trying to avoid
• What Are you losing if you continue with poor performance?

Step 2; Deploying Effective Self & Time Management Strategies

When I became aware that my actions and routine weren’t serving me in the way I wanted, I knew it was time to make some adjustments.

Self & Time Management Strategies You Can Deploy Today To Improve Work Performance

Below are some ways to improve work performance by deploying self & time management strategies.

1. Become aware of your routine and how you spend your time and day. (You identify the distractions).

2. Get a Coach or accountability partner; To deal with the fears of failure or uncertainty that comes from being incompetent, I had to get more training to improve my writing skill.

3. I joined a writer’s challenge (kind of a mastermind group) with the clear goal of hitting an income target.

When my income possibility stood clearly before my eyes, I had all the motivation and focus I needed to cut off all distractions. With these steps, I gained self-confidence and the boost I needed to achieve self-disciple without struggle.

4. Another Key factor I deployed was proactive planning.

Before I go to bed, I would have a mental note of the next day’s task, including the topic to write on.

This has been scientifically proven to double or even triple your productivity. As the brain goes to work on the task ahead while you sleep.

5. I had a set time for checking my emails or other minor but important side attractions (Break times or Lunch time could do the trick if it’s not your core task.)

Step 3; Deploying People Management Strategies

One of the ways to improve work performance is to delegate or ask for help more often.

In the past, I didn’t understand how to effectively multitask, so I tried to do too many things at the same time without asking for help.

Related: How to Multitask Effectively

Being a mom and a wife means I had other key roles that were equally as important and demanding as being a writer.

But, I had family members or friends that could help me perform one or two tasks. So I had to learn to ask for help.

If you could get a little help or delegate some tasks, learn to do so more often to free up your time for other more tasking responsibilities.

Ways To Improve Work Performance-Final Thought

So, far we have discussed 3 strategic ways to improve work performance in life and the workplace, sharing my story.

As a behavioral change consultant, I have tried to explain this topic by first dealing with your mindset and the internal factors that could lead to poor work output or performance.

Also, we looked at effective self and time management strategies you could deploy immediately to begin seeing changes.

I hope this article was helpful. If you have some more questions I had like to know them in the comment section.

Love & Success!