We are all familiar with the standard tips for increasing productivity. Organize your work area, create an agenda for your day, and avoid distractions. These tips are well and good, but they may not get to the heart of the matter.

Productivity is about more than good habits. It comes from a deeper place. Productivity is actually about personality. We all have blind spots and areas where we can grow. We also have invaluable strengths. Being productive is about learning to balance our challenges with our strengths.

Know Both Your Strengths and Your Weaknesses

We all think differently, value different things, and work in our own unique way. In our Understanding Your Wiring to Understand Others assessment profiles, we explore the DISC personality styles and how they effect our daily lives. This gives us insight into our strengths and our weaknesses, and lets us think of ways to balance them.

There are four basic personality styles in the DISC system: Dominant Driving Doers, Inspiring Influencing Impulsives, Steady Stable Supportives, and Competent Cautious Carefuls.

For the purposes of this blog, we're talking about people as if they fall completely within one personality style. In reality, we are more complex. Most people have some traits from multiple styles and to varying degrees.

Dominant Driving Doers

People who are Dominant Driving Doers are stars at overcoming obstacles and seeing the big picture. But to do this, they need to work in certain ways and they may need to adjust their approach to avoid blind spots.

To be productive, they may need to:

• Communicate more often.
• Remember to reward themselves and others for achievements.
• Be more sensitive to how others think and feel.

Inspiring Influencing Impulsives

People who are Inspiring Influencing Impulsives are great team builders, but they may sometimes need to work on more practical skills.

To be productive, they may need to:

• Set short-term goals and keep an eye on progress.
• Follow plans and keep their commitments.
• Focus on listening to be sure they understand what others want from them.

Steady Stable Supportives

People who are Steady Stable Supportives are even tempered and loyal, but they may sometimes need to work on opening up more and focusing their efforts.

To be productive, they may need to:

• Share their opinions and ideas more often.
• Concentrate on deadlines.
• Learn to welcome challenges.

Competent Cautious Carefuls

People who are Competent Cautious Carefuls have excellent focus and are systematic. They can benefit from learning to be less structured.

To be productive, they may need to:

• Act more spontaneously.
• Simplify their ideas.
• Loosen up a bit and be more generous in their evaluation of themselves and others.

To Get More Done, Grow as a Person

As Frank Kafka, the writer, so wisely said, "Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before." But first, you need to understand your strengths and your weaknesses.

The UpClose Team has been facilitating a course about personality styles for many years. Recently, we have begun developing an online alternative. To learn what your personality style is and find out more about the launch of the course, visit our website.

Your friends,
The UpCloseTeam