How To Be More Proactive At Work: 8 Practical Tips
Proactivity is one of the characteristics that makes the difference in terms of people’s work success. Someone who has the ability to remain willing to carry out their work tasks with the best disposition will have an easier time performing in the workplace.
In this article We are going to see various keys on how to be more proactive at work
The term proactiveness refers to an attitude of control with which the subject is capable of taking responsibility for his activities and getting down to work to be able to carry them out efficiently. The proactive person is capable of carrying out personal strategic planning to manage their tasks and carry them out.
Individuals who possess this characteristic are little influenced by environmental circumstances that may interfere with their work; That is, regardless of what happens around them, they generally look for a way to finish their work well.
With a reactive subject the opposite happens, They look for excuses to justify their lack of commitment to activities what they are supposed to do.
How to increase work proactivity?
Let’s see a list with some strategies to improve proactivity in the work area from proactivity. These guidelines will allow you to improve both your performance and your time and resource management.
This first tip refers to the basis of proactivity. A person who is capable of keeping his or her workplace tidy has or is looking to possess a better planning capacity and sense of order than those individuals who do not pay attention to this aspect. This simple fact goes hand in hand with a better willingness to work efficiently
In addition, this includes moving away, deactivating or hiding elements that can act as distractions when working: a smartphone, a portable console, a television set, snacks, etc.
2. Keep positive thoughts
Our actions originate from thought, that is why we must be very careful about their quality. By setting out to think positively, we are already taking significant steps towards improving our proactivity.
Positive thoughts motivate us , constitute a way of seeing things in the best way and consequently the process of doing them is made easier for us. Even when something looks good, we will be able to find the best solutions to the conflict.
3. Seek participation
Getting actively involved in the work dynamic will make you little by little acquire and normalize the behavior of being proactive. You can achieve this by making small positive changes in your daily life. For example, get involved in your colleagues’ conversations and contribute opinions to their debate.
Believe it or not, actively participating in conversations and gatherings with colleagues encourages better performance at work, despite being a “passive” activity. keeps you connected to what you need to do and gives you ideas to do it
That doesn’t mean you should become everyone’s problem solver, but it does mean that you always maintain the ability to prevent things from going wrong for any circumstance beyond your control.
In other words, think positive, but keep your feet on the ground and take precautions. This way you will prevent things from getting out of control and you will not be surprised when it is, but you will be able to find the best way out of trouble.
5. Get used to solving
In the work environment it is necessary to get used to looking for practical and effective solutions, otherwise we could incur involuntary waste of time trying to solve things in the wrong way, or failing to do tasks by dedicating ourselves to others too much.
6. Develop decision-making capacity
A proactive person is capable of make decisive decisions when others do not dare to do so To be proactive you have to take risks from time to time; Calculated risks, of course. The ideal is to study our decisions before taking the step, being careful not to over-evaluate.
Above all, it is very important that you learn to detect analysis paralysis: the situations in which we remain “frozen” thinking about what to do, without daring to make a decision and move from words to actions. Remember that introspection and reflection can become an excuse not to leave the comfort zone.
7. Use new technologies
In the current era we have at our disposal a series of technological resources (apps, programs, etc.) that can help us simplify various aspects of our lives, including work.
A good way to increase proactivity at work is to take advantage of these resources, which In many cases they help save time and resources For example, there are very useful apps for keeping schedules and structuring time well, or that include brief relaxation exercises for breaks.
Of course, make sure that these electronic devices do not become a source of distractions, as we saw in the first point.
8. Self-motivate
Proactivity responds to the motivation we have to carry out our activities in the best way possible. This motivation can come from within us or from outside, through rewards.
Subjects who are capable of maintaining a high level of proactivity are responsible for keeping themselves motivated, through the management of their thoughts, their work spaces and their way of setting goals through their actions and experiences. The key is to focus on the benefits we will obtain if we carry out our assignments properly.
