Project Success: Elements of High Productivity

I’ve been in the project management profession for more than a decade. Admittedly, I’ve had my share of times when I was less productive than I would like to be.

While I haven’t figured out an exact formula for having superior productivity at all times, I have noticed what contributes to both success and failure in high productivity, for me. These four elements help me stay on track.

Coachability
When you are coachable, you can easily adapt. You are willing to learn something new and possibly change something about yourself in terms of how you work, react or approach tasks.

Clarity of the overall goal
When I’m working on a project, I want to be clear on what we are working on, what the ultimate goal is, or final result that is expected. With the clarity of the goal, it’s easier to commit.

With clarity, commitment and coachability, you’re halfway there. What gets you to the end game is two other elements: discipline and self-control. I’m not perfect at either, but I’ve noted that when I am most successful, these two elements are present. When I fail or get close to failing, they are lacking.

Discipline
Discipline allows me to focus on the right activity and to motivate myself to do what needs to be done on a regular basis. While I might be good at “catching up” on what I’m behind on, if I have the self-discipline, most of the time, I’m on task.

Self-control
Self-control is an act of controlling one’s impulses to do something other than the task at hand. I catch myself now getting distracted by some activities, but ultimately, self-control allows me to avoid the wrong ones.

We have to remember that what we do is guided by how we think. Every day, I set a goal to have all of these elements in check for any specific project or task. It opens up actions and the things I need to do right away to either stay on track, get back on track or even outperform what was planned.

How do you stay productive?

Read more from Dmitri.

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