You’re new job is going well, but your plan for a “new job, new you” has gotten a little off track. Here are 7 ways to help you accelerate your productivity in your new role.
1. Ask for Advice
You have probably met someone in your organization that has been there from the beginning, or for most of their career. Offer to take this person to lunch or coffee, even if they’re not in your department. During your time together, take a moment to ask them how their tenure has progressed. What have they enjoyed? What have they dreaded? What are they looking forward to in the year ahead? This person can give you some insight into where the company has been, and more importantly, where it’s likely going. This should provide you with some idea of how you fit into the overall organization, and what you can do to make the most of your role.
2. Make a Big Impression During a Meeting
When you make a positive impact, even during a seemingly basic meeting, leadership eventually notices. This will likely land you more high profile assignments, and inspire your boss to give you the resources to finish the project successfully. This might come in the form of additional access to team resources, connecting you to people who can help you get to know the organization from the inside out, and giving you the opportunity to expand your role.
When your boss gives you the task of updating your department on the latest project you are working on, take the opportunity to own it. Make sure you rehearse what you’re going to say, and position yourself as an expert on what you’re presenting. Keep the word “So” out of your dialogue. This little word can sneak into your presentation and lead your audience to doubt your confidence. Try to take notice of all the filler words you use and practice ways to banish them from your daily vocabulary.
3. Find your Best Schedule
Are you a morning person? Do you get ten times more accomplished in the morning than the afternoon? If that’s you, make sure your most important tasks or meetings are scheduled for that window of time. You will find that you’ll wrap up your day feeling like you got the most out of your schedule, and are able to get energized for what’s on the agenda for the next day. Conversely, if afternoons are when you hit your stride, find a way to make your mornings the time to get the less pressing tasks accomplished.
4. Line up your Meetings
If you’re a morning person and have a culture where business gets done in meetings, try to schedule your meetings back to back before noon. This will eliminate the 30 to 45 minute windows in between the sessions that bring your productivity to a halt.
5. Plan your Day
This will keep your momentum going throughout your day, and if something unexpectedly comes up throughout your day, it won’t completely destroy your ability to finish your to-do list. If you look at your calendar and see that you have a couple of blocks of time in between meetings or conference calls, pre-allocate tasks that you know you can tackle during those windows. You’ll find that you are able to get the tasks completed more quickly than you might if you did not have a limited amount of time.
6. Set deadlines
When planning your day, allocate your time according to how long you anticipate it will take you to accomplish a task. If you end up using all the time allocated before completing your objective, move on to the next item on your schedule, and schedule some other time to return to the project. This generally indicates that you are struggling with finishing this task, and when you re-visit the project again, you’ll have given yourself time to re-think your approach, or gain insight from a co-worker or mentor on how to best reach your objective.
7. Personalize your workspace
If you work in a setting that allows you to choose your décor, bring in some items that make the space unique to you. If a plant would perk up your desk, or adding a little color to the space would bring joy to your day, select things that make you happy. Please don’t bring in your entire cookbook collection to peruse during your downtime, or opt for the model car that you just can’t seem to finish. Rather, choose items that don’t require a team to move into your space, or a new bookshelf to display.
If you can find a way to use these 7 tips this week, you should notice your to-do list getting easier, and your “new job, new you” plan getting back on track.