Discover Your Productivity Style

Ever wondered why you tackle tasks the way you do? It’s not just about ‘getting things done,’ it’s about how you think and work best. Time management systems that focus on planning and allocating time often fall short, especially in the context of remote work. To truly excel, let’s reimagine these approaches.

Your method of planning and divvying up your effort among various goals, activities, and timeframes – a little something we like to call “productivity style” – has a considerable influence over your performance. Most of the time, you perform it unconsciously; however, you can still identify some habitual patterns that are shaped by your unique cognitive style. Recognizing these patterns will empower you to craft personalized work strategies tailored to your individual needs, strengths, and preferences, ultimately boosting your performance.

What’s Your Productivity Style?

Let’s delve into the realm of four distinctive productivity styles: Prioritizer, Planner, Arranger, and Visualizer. Each of these corresponds to a habitual pattern or preferred approach to perceiving, processing, and managing information, which in turn guides your behavior. To discover which productivity style resonates most with you, delve into the descriptions below and choose the one that aligns best with your habits.

Prioritizer

• Logical, analytical, and driven by data.
• Focused like a laser on high-value tasks.
• Thrives in the realm of data processing and complex problem-solving.

Planner

• Organized, detail-oriented, and a devoted list-enthusiast.
• You’re the early bird, always finishing tasks before the clock runs out.
• Always has a trusty to-do list and relishes the satisfaction of ticking off tasks.

Arranger

• Supportive, expressive, and emotionally intelligent.
• Excels in teamwork and real-time decision-making.
• A true expert in building relationships and effective communication.

Visualizer

• Holistic, intuitive, and a big-picture thinker.
• A catalyst for change and innovation.
• Has a knack for synthesizing ideas into creative solutions.

Strategies for Unleashing Your Productivity

Once you’ve uncovered your productivity style, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and optimize your approach. Each style pairs beautifully with specific strategies, which can be further enhanced by your distinct personality traits and behavioral patterns.

Harnessing the Power of Your Prioritizer Style

Harness your knack for analytical thinking and data-driven insights. Challenge yourself by timing routine tasks and striving to beat your previous records. This simple practice can help you better manage your schedule and increase your work speed.

Additionally, establish rules and tailored filters for routine tasks like email management; it will save you precious hours each week. Embrace automation to sort, delete, and forward messages, freeing up valuable time. If you’re a GitHub user, you’ll find that labels and GitHub bots become your invaluable allies.

Supercharge Your Productivity as a Planner

Make the most of your organizational skills and love for to-do lists by creating a 15-minute task list. This list consists of quick tasks that require minimal effort and can be completed in under 15 minutes. With this handy list, you’ll make the most of those fleeting moments in your day – whether it’s a brief gap before a meeting or while you’re waiting in the carpool line.

Leverage your project management prowess using GitHub. Create milestones and issues, build customized project boards, assign due dates, and delegate tasks to team members. Learn more about using GitHub as a project management tool here.

Maximizing Your Productivity as an Arranger

You thrive when communicating with others, and spending too much time alone can lead to feelings of loneliness and harm your performance, especially in a fully remote setting. The solution? Schedule intentional breaks throughout your workday to connect with people. It could be a quick call with your teammates on Google Meet or a friendly text exchange. Any form of communication can reignite your motivation and sharpen your focus.

Boosting Efficiency as a Visualizer

Speed and variety are your bread and butter. To maintain peak performance, think of yourself as a sprinter rather than a marathon runner during your workday. Divide your workload into smaller tasks, dedicating focused effort to one project or task for brisk twenty minutes before smoothly transitioning to the next.

Given your visual information processing style, consider using colorful formatting and labels. This approach enables you to rapidly prioritize tasks and maintain a high level of concentration.

Embracing Personalized Productivity

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to productivity. Everyone possesses their unique traits, habits, and life patterns. It’s perfectly okay if you can’t precisely say whether you lean more toward data orientation or excel in communication building. You may even find yourself identifying with multiple styles or none at all. These productivity styles serve as guides to help you uncover what works best for you. In this journey of self-discovery, always remember to listen to yourself and prioritize self-care. You’ve got this!