My peoples,

I'm doing some research to find tools that can help people be productive on the job.
Can you help me?

What are the top ways by which you FOCUS YOURSELF, on the day-to-day job, so that you actually get not only QUANTITY of work done, but more importantly, QUALITY!!

As for me - I often use to-do lists and things. But I every day I create a new to-do list on paper, and often I misplace those papers! LOL!

Plus - one thing I hate is when you go into work planning to do some productive things, and then managers and co-workers start bringing drama your way!
DO THIS EMERGENCY TASK.
DO THAT EMERGENCY TASK.
THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.
OGA SAID DROP EVERYTHING AND HANDLE THIS WORK RIGHT AWAY.

LOL! Me I no like drama!

Anyway. Back to the original question. How do you manage to FOCUS and STAY PRODUCTIVE on the job?

How come there were no posts in reply to this very significant thread? For me, I create top fives for each day, i.e. The top five things I need to accomplish plus I maintain a diary. Helps me fix all that needs to be fixed whilst leaving room for contingencies.

To be productive in your job....

Be discpline
Be focus
Be attentive to details
Be willing to take challenges
Be willing to learn more (getting more certificate)
Be practical
And above all, be an assets to your compnay and not a cost

Well . . .

1. Be proactive. Don't let the day or task catch you off-guard. Be prepared.

2. Begin with the end in mind, i.e. what do you want to achieve at the end of the day? Write it down at the beginning, so you can use that as your day baseline.

3. Put first things first, i.e. start with the most important, that needs to get done. Those tasks that can't be rushed.

4. Think win win. When the coworkers come with their fire brigade situations, negotiate with them. Don't allow yourself to be snowballed or sucked into their activities. Find a way to satisfy them while not jettisoning your own critical deliverable. If you can't. it's better to buy time, find a stalemate, which gives you space to focus on your own tasks.

5. Seek first to understand, and then to be understood. Try to understand why they need you to DROP EVERYTHING, and focus on their tasks. When you understand, let them realize that you also have stuff to get done.

6. Synergize. Use other people to get parts of your task done quickly. Don't try to be a hero and do it all by yourself, if you can avoid it. Proactively use your informal connections to get things done quicker. Don't hide behind emails or memos. That informal phone call to a colleague, or desk-side chat, they can help oil the wheels of results!

7. Sharpen the saw. Take ergo breaks. I recommend ten minutes for every 100 minutes of work, because Africans tend to work slower than, say, Asians. International standard is a break every hour. Put in 100 minutes of work, then take a 10 minute break by going to pee, taking a glass of water, or just standing up and walking around.

This is all courtesy of Steven Covey's Seven Habits, and how I have applied them to my daily routine. Hope it helps!

The book 'Eat that frog' was helpful to me in this regard.

Mine goes like this:
1, Get a note, first thing on taking my seat every morning is to write down tasks I want to achieve for the day. I tick as I complete one and feel a sense of accomplishment.

2, Prioritize: rank the tasks in order of importance
3, Try to think on paper. Jot down every single thing. As new issues come up, take a note.
4, Look up to someone. Know that there is no two ways to getting to the top than being diligent and hardworking. This will motivate you.

Ajanlekoko's points are very helpful. I especially realize what wonders his no 6 on synergizing. I realize sending formal emails and memos slow down work sometimes. So I try to build informal friendship with colleagues, especially from other units. So when I need something from them to get my work done, I will just give a phone call or walk up to their desk "Hey, Wale, abeg wey that schedule? Send it to me asap. Trust you're performer(psyche)" and when he delivers, I show some appreciation "Great job. Thanks." Sometimes coopying his boss. That method works wonders, especially on my HR guys

AjanleKoko: Well . . .

1. Be proacaive. Don't let the day or task catch you off-guard. Be prepared.

2. Begin with the end in mind, i.e. what do you want to achieve at the end of the day? Write it down at the beginning, so you can use that as your day baseline.

3. Put first things first, i.e. start with the most important, that needs to get done. Those tasks that can't be rushed.

4. Think win win. When the coworkers come with their fire brigade situations, negotiate with them. Don't allow yourself to be snowballed or sucked into their activities. Find a way to satisfy them while not jettisoning your own critical deliverable. If you can't. it's better to buy time, find a stalemate, which gives you space to focus on your own tasks.

5. Seek first to understand, and then to be understood. Try to understand why they need you to DROP EVERYTHING, and focus on their tasks. When you understand, let them realize that you also have stuff to get done.

6. Synergize. Use other people to get parts of your task done quickly. Don't try to be a hero and do it all by yourself, if you can avoid it. Proactively use your informal connections to get things done quicker. Don't hide behind emails or memos. That informal phone call to a colleague, or desk-side chat, they can help oil the wheels of results!

7. Sharpen the saw. Take ergo breaks. I recommend ten minutes for every 100 minutes of work, because Africans tend to work slower than, say, Asians. International standard is a break every hour. Put in 100 minutes of work, then take a 10 minute break by going to pee, taking a glass of water, or just standing up and walking around.

This is all courtesy of Steven Covey's Seven Habits, and how I have applied them to my daily routine. Hope it helps!

Bookmarked. God bless you for this.