Seven Major Barriers To Productivity That You Should Eliminate

All the factors that make you spend too much time on a particular task are barriers to productivity. They are also related to the circumstances that make you invest more resources and effort to achieve a goal.

Being productive is beneficial for both employees and the companies they work for. This is important for the employees as it frees up some time for them. For companies, this means that they can achieve their goals effectively.

But people do not always succeed in being productive, and many do not even understand why. There is obviously a big decline in productivity, and even if the problem goes unnoticed, it greatly affects your schedule. So what are these obstacles? How do they affect you? Keep reading to find out.

Seven serious barriers to productivity

Lack of motivation

Lack of motivation is one of the biggest enemies of productivity. You will not make an effort when you are not interested in what you are doing and it does not add anything to your life. In other words, you are not doing your best because you have no motivation to be effective.

This often happens because the company does not offer enough incentives. At other times, it is due to personal difficulties that simply weaken your motivation. In either case, it is a problem you should investigate and try to eliminate.

2. Lack of organization

Proper organization is important to be effective. You should not have to spend 40 minutes looking for a file or paper. Therefore, organization is an important piece of the puzzle.

However, there must be both physical and mental order for it to work. Physical order is simply about organizing material elements, while mental order is about planning tasks and activities. There are times when 15 minutes of planning saves two hours that you would lose due to poor organization.

Lack of communication

Ideally, there should be open, clear and respectful communication. A person who does not feel comfortable revealing their ideas or initiatives will surely be unmotivated. In the same way, the general atmosphere will be tense and unmotivating when the person is not allowed to be part of the discussion.

Respectful communication helps people feel more engaged and involved in their work. It also facilitates the relationships between all the people who are part of the organization. In addition, it gives a greater sense of belonging, which leads to a greater commitment.

Poor work environment – one of our most common barriers to productivity

The work climate includes the entire physical environment, as well as the relationships between the members of the organization and hierarchies of power. Motivation is contagious when it is positive, as are constructive attitudes and positive interactions.

This is because a bad work climate leads to disinterest, mental laziness and lack of commitment. Thus , everyone must do their part and the premises must be in good condition for a good atmosphere to exist.

5. Unreasonable schedules

Excessive workload is one of the biggest barriers to productivity. Some people claim that the more hours they spend on a task, the better results they get. Reality, however, indicates the opposite.

Long working hours lead to fatigue and this is notorious for reducing productivity. Both body and soul need breaks and rest to recover to full capacity. Otherwise, people become sluggish, clumsy and more likely to make mistakes.

A bad relationship with the boss is a serious obstacle to productivity

A bad boss is a nightmare that most people have experienced at some point. What is a bad boss? Well, it’s someone who behaves like a tyrant, issues contradictory orders and is constantly looking for “mistakes”. However, there are some who make themselves known for the opposite: they are constantly absent and rarely have answers.

The main difference between a real leader and a bad boss is that the former inspires, while the latter creates fear. Of course, the one who inspires motivates and engages. He who only barks and gives meaningless orders only creates passive obedience. The latter definitely does not contribute to productivity.

7. Social networks

These have become one of the great enemies of productivity because they interrupt us at work and steal valuable time. The worst thing is that most of these interruptions and this time consuming do not provide any benefits in the end.

People are in the habit of checking all messages, no matter how irrelevant they may be, and taking a break from work to take care of them. Science estimates that it can take us up to 23 minutes to get back to work.

As you can see, it is important to reflect on the above factors as they can affect your productivity. They are actually very easy to change, which would make you much more productive and efficient. Therefore, consider them and make improvements where you need them.