Robert Holden, in his book “Success Intelligence,” described the “Manic Society” as a fast-paced society where “busyness” has become a way of life. For those of us required to stay home, the quarantine may provide an extra free time that we can utilize to improve our productivity.
A good place to start is slowing down to rest and recover. In their book “The Power of Full Engagement,” Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz suggested that the average individual needs seven to eight hours of sleep. Insufficient sleep harms our physical and mental performance. Using the time to get enough sleep and improve our sleeping habits allow us to recover energy and be physically energized to face the challenges when we return to the workplace.
Improving our physical space also increases our productivity by making it easier to perform basic daily tasks. “5S” is a Japanese shopkeeping approach that helps identify and eliminate abnormalities that may cause errors and injuries.
In his book “The Toyota Way,” Jeffery Liker described each of the “5S” activities. “Seiri,” sort items, keep only what is needed, and dispose of items that are not required. “Seiton,” straighten and put things in order by assigning them a proper place. “Seiso,” shine and ensure cleanliness to achieve ideal operating conditions. “Seiketsu,” standardize by developing systems and rules to maintain the first three S’s. “Shitsuke” sustains the first four S’s through self-discipline by following established systems and rules.
Clarifying our purpose and setting our goals help us identify our priorities in life and allocate resources to activities where we can make a significant contribution. In his article “How Will You Measure Your Life?”
Clayton Christensen recommended that our lives be guided by a clear sense of purpose and the right metrics. Peter Drucker, in his article “Managing Oneself,” identified five questions that would help create a deeper understanding of ourselves. A renewed appreciation of ourselves may help clarify our purpose in life and identify metrics that we could use to measure our growth.
The five questions are: What are my strengths? Take time to identify results that you can generate with relative ease. These may suggest a natural talent when performing certain activities. When evaluating opportunities, choose the ones that build on your strengths.
How do I work? Take time to understand the work style where you are most effective. Make an effort to improve the way you do work and try not to assume work that is not compatible with your work style.
What are my values? Take time to clarify and reaffirm your values. Check if your values are aligned with those around you. If possible, choose organizations and people whose actions reflect your personal values.
Where do I belong? Take time to define your ideal work environment while taking into consideration your strengths, working style, and values.
What can I contribute? Take time to reflect on the value of your contribution to organizations and to other people.
With a clear purpose, you may also go further by setting or revising your goals. Holden described several goals in his “Intelligent Goal System.” Spiritual Goals articulate your purpose and values. Character Goals help you become a better person, partner, friend, or employee. Achievement goals are about the things that you want to do in life. Acquisition goals cover your financial targets and things that you would like to purchase. Relationship goals focus on developing essential qualities for relationships like intimacy, communication, forgiveness, and love. Destination goals define what you want to achieve when you reach a certain age. Present time goals are about daily or short terms tasks and activities.
Acquiring knowledge and new skills increase our productivity by enabling us to do more things more effectively. If you would like to gain knowledge about a specific topic, you may search for articles and learning resources on the internet.
There are also numerous “How To” videos on the internet that help develop new skills and techniques. For those without internet access, you may consider reading a book that covers a topic that interests you. It is also an excellent time to learn basic household skills like cooking, washing and ironing clothes, gardening, or washing a car. Aside from learning, it is also a source of physical activity, accomplishment and fulfillment during the quarantine period.
The quarantine is an unprecedented situation as it disrupts our daily life and productivity routines. It is understandable to feel unproductive when we are required to stay home. However, we should view the quarantine as a unique opportunity to work on things that would help us improve our performance and become more productive citizens when the quarantine is lifted.
Patrick David Cenon is an Assistant Professorial Lecturer at De La Salle University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate subjects in the Behavioral Sciences Department, College of Liberal Arts and the Marketing and Advertising Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business. Before joining DLSU, he worked for Toyota for over 13 years supporting various projects in the Philippines, Asia-Pacific, and Europe regions. He can be contacted at [email protected]
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.