Personality Gives your Productivity a Boost

It’s really easy to let your productivity at work slip in the summer months. It’s hard not to think about all the things you can be doing outside when the weather is great. The sun is shining, there’s no snow to shovel, and it’s not dark when you leave for work in the morning and coming home at night. With a few tricks of the trade, you can keep up your momentum year-round. Depending on whether you’re an Inquiring Green, Resourceful Orange, Organized Gold, and Authentic Blue, you’ll need to focus on different things to stay on top of your game.

Inquiring Green

Who are you?

• Analytical and strategic thinkers
• Value knowledge and competence
• Prefer independence and a logical approach

Productivity Tips:

• Explore Analytical Tools: Use project management and data analysis tools to organize tasks and evaluate performance metrics. Tools like Asana, Trello, or Excel can be invaluable.
• Create Work Blocks: Set aside uninterrupted blocks of time for deep work. This aligns with your need for focus and concentration, especially for the Introverts
• Continual Learning: Invest time in continuous learning and professional development. Take on some challenges and activities that spark your intellect and expand your knowledge base.
• Prioritize Tasks: Use prioritization techniques to tackle important tasks methodically, avoiding distractions and unnecessary multitasking.

Resourceful Orange

Who are you?

• Action-oriented and spontaneous
• Thrive in dynamic environments
• Enjoy challenges and variety

Productivity Tips:

• Keep Track of Your Tasks: Use flexible and interactive tools like Kanban boards to keep track of tasks in a visually engaging way.
• Short Bursts of Work: Break your work into a variety of shorter tasks to keep up your engagement. The Pomodoro Technique is one of my favourites.
• Get Moving: As some physical activity into your routine. Stand-up meetings or walking breaks, or just making a point to get up and stretch once an hour can help maintain your energy levels and creativity.
• Embrace Challenges: Seek out and volunteer for new and exciting projects that test your skills and keep you motivated.

Organized Gold

Who are you?

• Detail-oriented and reliable
• Prefer structure and order
• Value tradition and responsibility

Productivity Tips:

• Structured Planning: Use detailed planners or digital calendars to schedule your day meticulously. Tools like Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook can help you keep track of tasks and deadlines.
• Checklists and To-Do Lists: Create comprehensive checklists to ensure no detail is overlooked. This can provide a sense of accomplishment as you check off completed tasks.
• Consistent Routines: Create and follow consistent daily routines to streamline your work and keep you from spending too much time thinking about what you’re doing next.
• Delegation: Don’t hesitate to delegate tasks when need to. It helps to maintain order and efficiency in your work and life.

Authentic Blue

Who are you?

• Empathetic and compassionate
• Value relationships and harmony
• Thrive in collaborative environments

Productivity Tips:

• Collaborative Tools: Use collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to stay connected with your team and maintain open lines of communication, especially if you’re working remotely.
• Include Feedback: Regularly ask for feedback and use it constructively to improve your performance and strengthen relationships with colleagues.
• Personalize Your Space: Create a workspace that reflects your personality and provides comfort. This can help you feel more at ease and focused.
• Balance Work and Relationships: Schedule regular breaks to spend time with colleagues and build rapport. This can create a supportive work environment and enhance productivity for you and your colleagues.

Strategies for All Personality Types

While personalized strategies are highly great, some productivity tips can benefit everyone, regardless of personality, just consider how you may approach them differently from others:

• Time Management: Develop effective time management skills, such as prioritizing tasks, setting clear goals, and breaking work into manageable segments.
• Minimize Distractions: Identify the things that distract you in your workspace and take steps to minimize them, like using noise-canceling headphones or setting boundaries for interruptions.
• Mindfulness and Stress Management: Practice mindfulness techniques and stress management strategies to maintain mental clarity and resilience. Remember that mindfulness is lots of things, and doesn’t look the same for everyone. What’s important is that you figure out what works for you, and you keep it up.

By understanding and using the strengths of your personality, you can use productivity strategies that work with your natural tendencies, leading to greater efficiency and job satisfaction. Whether you’re an analytical Inquiring Green, a dynamic Resourceful Orange, a meticulous Organized Gold, or a compassionate Authentic Blue, you need to figure out what works best for you, and keep at it.

Brad Whitehorn – BA, CCDP is a lifelong Introvert, and the Associate Director at CLSR Inc.  He was thrown into the career development field headfirst after completing a Communications degree in 2005, and hasn’t looked back!  Since then, Brad has worked on the development, implementation and certification for various career and personality assessments (including Personality Dimensions®), making sure that Career Development Practitioners and HR Professionals get the right tools to do their best work.