In case you are in the midst of figuring out what to do over the Eid holidays, this is the perfect time to think about how you can incorporate the habits that characterise Ramazan (focus, generosity and reflection) into your life after the month is over, and thereby improve the quality of your work, productivity and overall outlook.
*Focus and discipline. Reduce office hours make people more focused and disciplined and therefore more efficient; they adapt themselves to a new work rhythm by prioritising important projects and keeping meetings short and to the point due to paucity of time. In short, they manage their time better, Therefore, if you are able to sustain the same level of focus after Ramazan is over, you will end up being far more productive.
*Generosity. According to an article in The Harvard Business Review, generosity is a key driver of success, not a by-product or a ‘nice-to-have’ quality. When you act with generosity you are consistently sharing information readily and giving your time and expertise to people who need it. Generosity includes acknowledging the contribution and needs of others, which leads to new or deeper connections between colleagues, as well as increased feelings of goodwill, which can result in a more productive team in the long run.
Reflection. New research concludes that taking time to reflect on our work improves job performance in the long run. So think, reflect and plan to improve yourself. Reflect on positive work experiences as well as negative ones, such as a mistake you feel you made or a time when yuan wish you had done things differently. Think about any counterproductive things you might be doing and create strategies to do better, as well as about skills that you are lacking and work towards acquiring them. The aim of self-reflection is to transforms the way you see yourself and how others see you, which results in changing you from being a passive worker to being a self-motivated one, who sets goals and accomplishes them.
By Fauzia Kerai Khan. The writer is Chief Consultant, i&b Consulting, Training, e-Learning.