In a previous blog post, we discussed the ultimate bottom line in terms of your current job and your career. That ultimate bottom line is results, specifically your ability (or inability) to achieve them.

There are many ways to achieve results, and one way to do so is to focus on being more productive. When you're productive, you are actively completing tasks and solving problems. And both of those things lend themselves to achieving the results that you're seeking.

But how can you accomplish this? How can you be more productive on the job and in the workplace so that you achieve results and achieve them more consistently?

We're glad you asked! Below are four tips for becoming more productive in the workplace:

#1 - Be proactive, NOT reactive.

You can spend all day "putting our fires" and not really get any of your actual work done. Think about how you are going to proactively finish your tasks and projects. Create a plan for success, and then execute your plan. Avoid distractions and focus on getting done what needs to get done.

#2 - Create (sensible) a to-do list.

Part of planning your day can include a to-do list. However, be sensible about it. Don't spend an inordinate amount of time creating the list when you could be using that time to complete the items that you're putting on the list. It may seem like common sense, but it's actually quite easy for list making to get out of hand in the quest for more productivity.

#3 - Set deadlines for yourself.

You may not be a "deadline person," and that's understandable. But there's a good chance that your boss is a "deadline person" whether he or she wants to be or not. Completing tasks and projects is just one part of the equation. How quickly you complete them is another part. (And how well you complete them is yet a third.)

#4 - Take regular breaks.

You might think that you'll be less productive if you take breaks, but giving your brain and body regular breaks can help to keep you sharp when you need it the most. If you're working with machinery, staying sharp is critical for more reasons than one. When possible, strike a balance between working consistently hard toward your goals and taking a break to ensure that you work with maximum efficiency and focus.

If you are currently seeking a new job, Time Staffing's team of qualified staffing specialists offers assistance to job seekers in the light industrial and clerical fields. We prep candidates thoroughly by answering their questions and addressing their concerns.

Earlier this year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry's average of 45%.

In our previous blog post, we discussed how results are the ultimate bottom line when it comes to your current job and also your career.


But how do you go about achieving the results you need? Well, we're going to address the answer to that question during our next few blog posts.


When achieving results and delivering those results to your boss and/or employer, expectations are critically important. In fact, in some cases, the expectations regarding results can be just as important as the results themselves, at least from the perspective of the employee who is tasked with achieving them.


There are three primary ways that expectations are set within the workplace:

1.     1.The supervisor sets the expectations, with no input from the employee.
2.     2.The employee sets the expectations, presumably with permission from their supervisor to do so.
3.     3.The expectations are set by both the supervisor and the employee in a collaborative effort.

If you, as the employee, find yourself in either scenario #2 or scenario #3, where your input will be part of setting the expectations for when and how results will be achieved, the following should be your guiding mantra: "Under-promise and over-deliver!"


What this does NOT mean is you should "sandbag" or promise results that are so inconsequential that you might as well not promise results at all. What it means is promising to achieve results that are realistic for you to achieve, to the point where you are almost 100% sure that you will be successful. This is the "under-promise" part of the equation.


The "over-deliver" part is just what it sounds like. It means that you deliver more than you originally promised, and you can do so in two main ways:

1.     1.Deliver more results in the time frame in which you originally said you would.
2.     2.Deliver more results in a shorter amount of time than the time frame in which you originally said you would.

Obviously, the best way to "under-promise and over-deliver" is to deliver more results in a shorter amount of time. That is tantamount to a "double win."


Regardless of the manner in which you "under-promise and over-deliver," it's critically important that you do so. Delivering results is the ultimate bottom line in terms of your current job and your career, and this is definitely the manner in which you want to deliver those results.


If you are currently seeking a new job, Time Staffing's team of qualified staffing specialists offers assistance to job seekers in the light industrial and clerical fields. We prep candidates thoroughly by answering their questions and addressing their concerns.


Earlier this year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry's average of 45%.

When it comes to your professional life and your career, there are many people who want to tell you about the “bottom line” of this or the “bottom line” of that. And all of that is fine and good. We’re sure that these are wise people with sage advice to dispense.

However, when it comes to the ultimate bottom line regarding your job and your career, it can be boiled down to just one thing: results.

Everything begins and ends with results. There is a nearly endless supply of reasons why this is the case.

• Your boss wants results.
• Your boss’s boss wants results
• HIS boss wants results.

Or consider this series of events. Without results, no problems get solved. If no problems get solved, then there is no productivity for the company. If there is no productivity for the company, then there is no profitability for the company.

And if there is no profitability for the company, then you will not get paid and/or remain employed. (At least, not for very long.)

And all of this is when looking at results through the lens of your current job. But what about your career? Well, the same basic premise applies, just on a larger scale.

That’s because the best way to grow your career is to focus on results and provide the most and the best results possible at every stage of your career. That means at every job and with every employer for which you work.

In addition, when conducting a job search, your resume should focus on your achievements, specifically on your achievements tied to results. If you land a phone screen or an interview, then you should focus on those results and discuss how you got those results for your employer.

Remember: one of the major reasons that a prospective new employer would want to hire you is because they want you to achieve the same kind of results that you achieved for your current employer . . . for them.

If you go to work with a results-oriented mindset, then you give yourself a better chance for sustained professional growth. Ask yourself every day, “Which results do I need to achieve and what can I do to achieve them?” The answer to this question holds the key to your success not only in the short term, but also for the long haul.

If you are currently seeking a new job, Time Staffing’s team of qualified staffing specialists offers assistance to job seekers in the light industrial and clerical fields. We prep candidates thoroughly by answering their questions and addressing their concerns.

Earlier this year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%.

Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers!