Personal Productivity:Eliminating Barriers for Improved Effectiveness

Local Government ConferenceJoseph Pillittere, MSOM

What is Productivity?The effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.

Self-Efficacy“A person’s belief about his/hers chances of successfully accomplishing a task.”

How one builds self-efficacy…

• Experience• Behavior models• Persuasion from

others• Physical and

emotional state

Psychologist Albert Bandura, Stanford University

What is this?

Proactive People

• Identify opportunities

• Show initiative• Take action• Persevere until

meaningful change occurs

J.M. Crant, 2000, Journal of Management

How would you tackle this problem?

How to be More Productive…• Zeigarnik Effect

(Bluma Zeigarnik, Russian Psychologist)

Just get started!

How to be More Productive…• Break big projects down • Short breaks between longer productive

sessions• Helps maintain high energy levels

How to be More Productive…

• Accountability Chart– Column 1 lists the time-span of one of

your productivity sessions– Column 2 lists what tasks

Increases self-control and prevents “busy work”

How to be More Productive…

• STOP multi-tasking• Research shows

that on average, multi-taskers are actually less likely to be productive

• Evening plan instead

Final Note: Control your Environment• Task Association• Design for

Laziness• Implementation

Intentions• Routinize with

Systems• Work on your own

agenda

QUESTIONS?The End