2023-06-25 16:00:05
According to recent research, starting the day with the most challenging tasks can boost productivity. This contrasts with the common practice of starting with easier tasks to feel an initial breakthrough in the work.
In studies conducted by the Kellog School of Management in high-stress environments such as emergency hospitals, professionals who handled more complex cases were found to become more efficient over time than those who handled simpler cases.
This suggests that facing more challenging tasks favors the improvement of skills and professional development.
In this way, breaking challenging projects down into smaller chunks can allow you to mark to-do list items complete while learning how to handle more difficult tasks.
However, it is important to consider end-of-day fatigue. Food safety inspections that occur later in the day tend to result in fewer violations, suggesting that fatigue can affect the quality of work. Thus, scheduling complex tasks early in the day can prevent a drop in work quality due to fatigue.
In another study, it was observed that changes in the way judges scheduled hearings led to a significant increase in efficiency. Grouping audiences together allowed a process to move quickly through the system. This study suggests that efficiency can be increased by focusing on completing a few tasks rather than making small strides in many.
However, collaboration also plays an important role. While collaboration can, in certain situations, lead to a loss of productivity due to the need for synchronization, it also has benefits.
In particular, the study found that hospitalist physicians’ productivity significantly decreased when they were required to collaborate with specialists, but the collaboration also resulted in more complete medical records.
Finally, keeping customers updated on work progress can increase customer satisfaction. A study of Alibaba’s package delivery records in China found that customers who received frequent updates on the status of their orders online right before delivery tended to give the service a high score.
Therefore, increasing communication during the final phase of a project can lead to improvements in customer satisfaction.
#Starting #day #difficult #tasks #improves #productivity