Author: Alan Rada
Surely, if you are a proactive person or simply want to do your job more efficiently and in less time, these productivity hacks that Elon Musk (CEO of Space X) recommends can help you achieve a better performance in your day-to-day.
As in the workplace, we are subject to certain rules and procedures; often we feel tied hands even when we have the energy to perform other tasks or to improve our processes.
Time management is much more than sticking reminders on all the walls of the office or filling your desk with sticky notes.
Much has been discussed about the 8 regular hours of a working day. The truth is that after several studies, there are countries that have begun to abolish working hours but work more intelligently in, for example, 6 hours.
The management of time is as important to work as personally because many times, we see that we lose our day and life when we spend too much time in our cubicles, in front of a computer, or in other areas.
Many times, a work environment has to function as a football team, each player communicates with the most efficient player at a certain moment to continue the effort together.
Furthermore, Musk is eager to make working time less boring. In fact, he is the owner of The Boring Company, which appeared while he was stuck in traffic and boredom struck. This company is based on Elon’s idea of building tunnels on LA, to reduce traffic jams. He has already started selling baseball hats and apparently, they are selling quicker than the current merchandise of the local team Los Angeles Dodgers – who are currently second favorites in the odds to win the World Series.
Streamlining Communication is Fundamental
We all know that good communication is the basis of all the relationships we have, whether with our friends, family or co-workers.
In this case, Musk recommends, when working in any company, to avoid the use of acronyms in communications. He describes that everything that needs to be explained inhibits and deforms direct communication with our peers. Elon adds that he does not want people to have to memorize a glossary just to work in a certain position. We have to get used to calling things by their names.
Put Aside from the Unproductive “Chains of Command”
Generally we think that to solve something between two areas it is necessary that some employee who wants to contribute something talk with his manager in turn, this with the director, this with the vice president, the latter with the CEO, who in turn speaks with another director, again with another manager so that finally he communicates the work to be done to the last person in the chain.
Musk stresses that it is okay for employees to communicate directly to do the right thing. Communication has to go the shortest and most necessary way for a task to be carried out. He adds that: any manager who forces the chain of command in communication matters will not last long in his position.
Get Rid of Frequent Meetings
This is one of the best tips we have heard and for which a lot of controversies were created. Excessive meetings can ruin a company or team that abuses these methods.
In any case, it is necessary to shorten them as much as possible and only the people who have to do it should attend. In this way, we avoid taking time away from other employees.
In any case, the frequency of these meetings should decrease when a problem is solved.
… Or leave meetings when you finished your business
Do not be scared with this other advice. Generally, we think that it is very bad seen leaving a meeting or a call before it is over. The truth is that it is worse to force someone to stay when he could be doing other things.
In any case, leave a meeting when you have finished with your part and it is evident that you are not adding value or something relevant.
Use Common Sense as a Guide
Guide you by common sense, in general, helps to get rid of certain bad practices. This means that if following a “rule of the company” will result in something, at first sight, looks ridiculous, then we can discern that “that rule has to be changed“. As simple as that.
Final considerations
While not all employees can implement these improvements in daily workflows or operations, and many companies are not willing to change their policies simply because it has to follow an archaic structure, we can show these initiatives whenever we can.
It is possible that many leaders realize that to have continuous improvement, especially from the employee’s point of view, some processes that have no meaning and are a waste of time must be sacrificed.
So you know, the next time these situations come up, try to change the approach to improve productivity both work and personally.
If you never communicate anything, nobody will know what you want. Dare yourself!