Are you at a new job and want to improve? Or have you been working for a while and found your performance slipping? These are common issues that everyone faces. Starting a new position can be difficult. Just like being in the same job for a long time can lead to feeling stagnant and losing focus. We all need a little help at some point to improve our work performance. Try these proven ideas.

 

Aptitude Test

If you haven’t already looked into finding your strengths and weaknesses, you should. There are many ways to go about this. Genuine self-reflection and being honest with yourself is one way. Another way is to talk with those that are close to you. Ask them to be honest about what they feel your strengths and weaknesses are. RichardStep also provides a free aptitude test that can give you the insight you need to see what you need to work on.

 

Set Goals

Setting goals is an integral part of our work life and our personal life. Working toward a goal is always a great motivator. When we are motivated our work performance will increase. To start with, keep the goals small and work toward the larger ones. Always remember to reward yourself. Completing a goal is a great reward but is still better with a little more incentive.

 

Limit Distractions

Distractions come in all shapes and sizes. A noisy office or talkative neighbors may be hard to control, but we are usually the biggest distractions. What starts as a one-minute social media break turns into thirty minutes of useless scrolling. One-click on an ad ends up being an hour of taking quizzes and reading articles. Put your phone in a place that you cannot see it, and train yourself not to click on ads. Then invest in some noise-canceling headphones, like the E7 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones from Cowin, to help block out the coworkers.

 

Know Your Limitations

Acknowledge your limitations. Knowing what you can handle is essential. Do not take on more tasks that you can complete. It is human nature to say yes to the boss. When they ask you to take on more, let them know if you can handle it. If not, it could end up making you look bad. Employers want good quality work and would rather us let them know if it is something we can do, instead of turning in half-done tasks. Taking on too much will leave you overwhelmed and hurt your work performance.

 

To-Do List

The to-do list is a step that should not be overlooked. Ranking all the things you need to accomplish in one place will help you complete it all. Your work performance will increase as you get the satisfaction of marking tasks off your to-do list.  If pen and paper isn’t your thing, there are many apps to choose from. The Spike app is a free option that could help you stay organized.

 

Put the effort in and improve your work performance.