We have all struggled with properly managing our time at one point or another. These struggles may lead to vows of never procrastinating again or creating some elaborate organization system that will be completely abandoned after only a week or two. But what if you learned about your productivity style instead of solely focusing on strategies to manage your time?

According to workplace expert Carson Tate, knowing your productivity style and yielding to it can ultimately save you time. She believes that we all have unique ways of being productive at work, school, and in our everyday lives. The instinctual ways that we tackle a long to-do list or a week full of project deadlines, is what we should learn to trust and perfect. Productivity is hindered when we rely more on time saving strategies than or own natural ways of doing things. In Tate’s book, Work Simply, she outlines 4 major productivity styles that can be used to work smarter.

1. The Planner

You are notoriously organized thanks to your super detailed to do list. The calendar is also your best friend and is most likely jam packed with business and social events. Your plans consume you and you seldom if ever deviate from them but you would not have it any other way. Making plans and thoroughly examining each action step for flaws is what you thrive on. Because of this you are not usually open to spontaneous activities which can sometimes cause you to miss out on opportunities.

Key Characteristics

• Practical
• Organized
• Detail oriented

Tips

Make the most of your superb organizational skills by grouping similar tasks together and creating schedules to make sure you carry out your plans.

2. The Prioritizer

The facts are what’s important to you and you analyze them to the endth degree. You do this in order to devise the best strategy to complete your work assignment or task. Fact-based, realistic thinking helps you to efficiently complete your work. Because of your laser-like focus you can be very rigid in your approach to completing your duties. The prioritizer may seem like a planner at first but what differentiates them is that the planner can get lost in all the plans and forget to prioritize them.

Key Characteristics

• Analytical
• Logical
• Decisive
• Problem Solver

Tips

If you don’t already do so, create routines for things that you do often. For example, if you find yourself sending the same email often create a template to save time.

3. The Arranger

You love to connect with others in your personal and business interactions. Collaboration and forging genuine relationships is greatly important to you. Getting everyone on board with an idea or project is a natural gift for you. You do so by relying on empathic measures instead of strictly the facts. These qualities give you an edge when it’s time to pitch an idea at work because you speak to the individual not just the group. Unfortunately, your natural inclination towards group projects can make it difficult for you to work alone.

Key Characteristics

• Empathetic
• Facilitator
• Persuasive

Tips

Add a stimulating activity such as listening to music or a podcast to your workday to get through the solitary moments. This will help to increase your energy level especially if you do not often work with others.

4. The Visualizer

You are the brainstormer who has Post-it notes everywhere. Intuition guides your work decisions while you juggle multiple tasks. For you, the pressure of doing so is exciting. In fact, you prefer to have many projects to work on at a time or boredom takes over. A varied workload enables you to stay productive and engaged leading to revolutionary ideas. Unfortunately you tend to overlook details due to your incessantly impulsive approach. Nonetheless, your unconventional work style is usually what it takes to bring on much needed changes in the workplace.

Key Characteristics

• Creative
• Innovative
• Intuitive

Tips

Finds ways to mix up your tasks, doing this will keep your creative juice flowing. Also try to block off at least 15 or 20 minutes each day to let your mind run free.

Contributor:

Elise Elbourne
blissfullyblossomingbeauty.com