Episode 407
Finding Your Unique Work Style
In this episode of "The Traveling Introvert," host Janice Chaka discusses understanding and leveraging your personal work style for maximum productivity while acknowledging it's unrealistic to be 100% productive all the time. She emphasizes the importance of identifying your peak productivity times and creating a weekly structure that incorporates focused work sessions, whether through techniques like Pomodoro or time blocking. Janice highlights the need to find a system that works for you, whether that's a to-do list, calendar, or a hybrid approach. She also urges listeners to ensure their work routines include time for self-care activities such as eating and recharging. The key takeaway is to develop a work style that aligns with your natural tendencies and supports your well-being.
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the traveling introvert. I'm so excited to talk to you today. I want to talk to you about understanding your personal work style. And so I wanna explore the strategy so it can help you thrive in your career while staying true to yourself and understanding your personal work style and how to leverage it for maximum productivity. And to be fair, this is not something that will happen all the time. One of the key mistakes that we make as humans and in the environment and the culture that we are in is thinking that we have to be a 100% productive a 100% of the time, and it's just not physically and mentally possible. So, really, one of the first things I want you to think about when you're understanding your personal work style is the fact that 80% is good. 70% is good.
Janice Chaka [:Having an occasional hour where you get a 100% is wonderful, but pick things that are obtainable when you're thinking about your personal work style and productivity. So first of all, let's acknowledge everyone has a unique work style. No 2 of us are the same. So understanding your particular work style is crucial because it helps you identify what environments, tasks, and schedules allow you to thrive. For many, this means recognizing the need for quiet or focus time to delve deeply into tasks without interruption, but it is not the same for everyone. So what works for Susan might not work for Bob, that might not work for for Pamela. It's all different. Start by reflecting on when you feel most productive.
Janice Chaka [:Is it early in the morning when some of the world is still waking up or late at night when distractions are minimum or some other time? Once you've identified your peak productivity times and there may be more than 1 in the day, try to schedule, if you can, your most demanding tasks during those period. Once you're figuring that out, let's talk about setting your week up for success. One strategy is to block out time for deep works work sessions where you focus on high priority tasks without distractions. Consider using tasks like the Pomodoro technique, which involves working in short focus first followed by short breaks. This can help maintain energy and flow and concentration throughout the day. That's just one thing that you could think about. You could do time blocking, where you block out certain times where you only work on one thing. Another thing to think about is whether you're more of a to do list kind of a person or a calendar person or something else.
Janice Chaka [:To do list enthusiasts often find satisfaction in checking off tasks and enjoy the flexibility of adding and removing items as they see fit. So if this resonates with you, consider using a digital app or a notebook to keep track of your tasks. On the other hand, if you prefer slight slightly more differently structured approach, you might lean towards using a calendar. Calendars can help you allocate specific times for each task, ensuring you dedicate sufficient time for both work and personal commitment. This method can also help prevent overcommitting by providing a very clear visual overview of your week and the time you have available to do things. Remember, there is no right or way to organ right or wrong way to organize your tasks. It's about finding what works best for you, And you might even find that a hybrid approach beneficial using a to do list for daily tasks and a calendar for long term planning or project management tools, for example. But as you explore these strategies, be kind to yourself.
Janice Chaka [:Allow for flexibility or experimentation. It's okay to adjust your methods as your needs and circumstances change. The goal is to create a work style that supports your natural tendencies and helps you achieve your goals without compromising your well-being. So if you do have a to do list, please make sure that one of the things in there is recharge time or activities that help you re to recharge. Also eating. A lot of the time, people get so hung up on their to do list that they forget to eat or take breaks for eating or drinking water and hydrating. These things are very important. So just think about what you can do to go ahead and think about your work style.
Janice Chaka [:And that might be different if you're under stress or depending on the type of project, if you're working with other humans and what that looks like. But knowing yourself and what works for you, maybe you like things to be color coordinated and you put your calendar with red and green and blue blocks to mean different things. Maybe your to do list is like that. Maybe you're a post it notes human. Whatever it is, find what works for you, create a system around it, and then use it and leverage it to do your best work. Thank you for listening. This is Janice at the career introvert helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.
