How to identify and improve your Productivity Style?

How to identify and improve your Productivity Style?

Can we improve productivity at work with productivity tool? How to improve my smart working? How to have a productive day at work? What are the different productivity tool?

Are these questions hovering in your mind often?

If yes, then this piece of reading is for you. Over here you will be introduced to the various productivity styles and also how to identify your productivity approach. Let’s begin! 

The 4 styles of productivity

Productivity is a concoction that is prepared differently by different individuals through the use of their unique methodologies. The cognitive style of the individual determines his approach towards productivity. 

Therefore, how an individual perceives, processes, and manages the information, categorizes the productivity styles into:

  1. The prioritizer
  2. The planner
  3. The arranger
  4. The visualizer

The prioritizer

The prioritizer is an organized, logical, and analytical person. With unswerving focus on work and the potential to identify the priority of work, such individuals are always busy improving their efficiency. 

They are rational thinkers who don’t prefer wasting time on non-factual information. Such people are rarely social. 

For them, spending time with friends in the office or extending the discussion beyond a certain point or even writing lengthy emails is equal to time wastage.

Their team contribution:

  • Provides in-depth and critical data analysis
  • Help solve logical problems
  • They are goal-oriented, decisive, and consistent players

Preferred productivity tools:

  • Daytum
  • Moosti
  • Witty Parrott
  • Wunderlist
  • Other classic low-tech tools. Example: legal pads and a label maker. 

Strengths:

  • Knows to prioritize task
  • Analytical skills
  • Focused
  • Good at decision making

Weaknesses:

  • Is less social
  • Extra competitive
  • Emphasis is on work quantity, not quality
  • Not flexible
  • Exercises excess control on others

The planner

The Planner is an organized person who executes every task in proper sequence after proper planning and detailed thinking. The key difference between a planner and a prioritizer is that the latter lays more emphasis on task completion specifically. 

Whereas the planner comprehends every minor element of the task and then plans the way the project is to be executed. 

The planner does not consider any project planning tool if he is not convinced of its utility. Though they are spontaneous, they often miss the project deadline because they are adamant about executing the task in a particularly planned manner only. 

Unlike prioritizers, their emails and discussions are more descriptive. But when they have to listen to others, they want the other person to talk accurately and precisely about the matter in concern. Their plans are detailed and meticulously carved. 

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They are good followers of the protocols set by their organization.

Their team contribution:

  • They are practical in approach
  • Are action orientation
  • Are good critics 
  • Organizes and maintains proper data and project plans 

Preferred productivity tools:

  • Toodledo
  • HabitForge
  • Agendas
  • Objectiveli
  • Low-tech tools like file folders, label makers, drawer organizers, filing cabinets, and other office supplies. 

Strengths:

  • Organized
  • Potential for curating detailed plans
  • Efficient management
  • Ability to identify concerns while planning

Weakness:

  • An adamant rule follower
  • Lack of flexibility
  • Lack of spontaneity
  • Lays more emphasis on process, rather than result.

The Arranger

Arrangers are good team players. They are expressive, emotional, and supportive at partnering with other team members. Their communication skills are superb enough to help them get the work done adroitly. 

Arrangers are more humane in their approach and less data-driven. They love to interact with other people, are confident enough to have eye-to-eye contact, are concerned about others’ emotions, and are open to raising questions in case of doubt. 

They are more inclined towards a comfortable working environment. Professionals with an arranger productivity tips are a source of motivation for others and exhibit positive vibes wherever they go.

Their team contribution:

  • Anticipate others’ emotional mindset 
  • Makes team interaction easier
  • Good at persuading and selling ideas

Preferred productivity tool:

  • focus@will
  • stickK
  • workshifting
  • Redbooth
  • Attractive and stylish office supplies

Strengths:

  • Good communication
  • Effective collaboration
  • Teaching
  • Empathic

Weakness:

  • Lack of planning
  • Talkative
  • Sometimes gets excessive emotional

The visualizer

The last productivity style is that of a visualizer. A visualizer is a person who is intuitive and holistic in his thoughts. He integrates and synthesizes the data well. 

 Their team contribution:

  • Comes up with innovative ideas
  • Creative problem-solving ideas
  • Ability to foresee the future, and mold the business strategies accordingly.

Preferred productivity tools:

  • Lifetick
  • AdBlock Plus
  • ZenPen
  • Visually and vibrant, with fewer technical tools

Strengths:

  • Open-minded
  • Innovative
  • Creative
  • Problem-solving skills

Weakness:

  • Overlook details
  • Too much impulsiveness
  • No planning

How to identify your own productivity style?

Now that you are well aware of the four different productivity styles and the productivity tool to be used by them, it is time to identify your own personality trait. Here are the points that will help you unveil your best approach to work.

Take the assessment test

Following are a few examples of assessment tests that you need to do to get the result of your productivity traits with productivity tool. Post this assessment, you will identify whether you are goal oriented or creative, or spontaneous. 

  • Assessment: What’s Your Personal Productivity Style? 
  • What’s stopping you from accomplishing your biggest priorities?
  • Live Your Best Life Using Your Strengths
  • How Productive Are You?

Identify your preferences

Get answers to these questions to identify your preferred style of working.

  • Do you like to work in a team or solo?
  • Are you plan and manage your time or work at the 11th hour?
  • Do you prefer working in a silent environment or in a lively work culture?
  • Are you energetic 24*7 or not?

Identify your strength and weaknesses

Take the following quizzes to analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Post this analysis, you can work on your shortcomings and take advantage of your strengths.

  • The Big Five Personality Quiz
  • StrengthsFinder 2.0
  • Myer-Briggs Type Indicator
  • Enneagram

Wrapping up

This is all we have to help you identify your productivity style. Maybe you have a mix of two styles. In that case, make use of productivity tool from both the categories to benefit your output. Identify the difference and improvement in your work quality post the implementation of tools that best fit your natural instinct towards work. Share with us your experience. We would love to hear.

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