There are times when we all feel lazy or bored with the work we do. The need for an occasional break is also quite natural. There are times when we let laziness takeover and while away more time during work hours.
The sad part is that we often realize we are slacking at work, very late. It is often our colleagues and bosses who notice it first. You can notice it too by observing signs that are obvious to others.
Unmistakable Signs you’re Slacking at Work:
In every organization, there are individuals who while away their time with great pleasure. Many firms and top management are not aware of the amount of work allotted to each individual. This also causes slacking at work. Here are some simple signs that indicate you are slacking at work and it is high time you do something about it
1. Your Boss Hesitates to Give You Important Projects:
If you have been with the organization for a couple of months or over a year but you have never been assigned work of real responsibility, it is time you start thinking why. Most often, the answer is really simple.
It is because the management does not believe you will provide the assignment or complete the project on time. That could be the reason they do not assign sensible projects to you.
2. You Often Miss The Deadlines:
If you are accustomed to procrastination and often miss the deadlines, the management will surely lose their trust in you. You must always try and adhere to the deadlines provided by the firm or organization.
Try to meet the deadlines as far as possible. If you have missed deadlines more than the ones you have met, it is natural that the management won’t trust your ability anymore. There could be no better sign of your slacking at work.
3. You Often Make Excuses at Work:
Excuses are people’s simplest means to avoid the work at hand. If you make excuses often and try to avoid the work you are assigned, you are surely slacking at work. A person can never succeed in his professional career unless he takes up challenging tasks and proves his true potential. Slacking at work by making excuses simply closes doors to professional opportunities and growth.
4. Most of your Social Media Posts are Seen During Office Hours:
You may be a great social media addict. You may enjoy sharing day to day events with your friends and people in your circles. Yet, the office is not the place where you should pursue social networking.
If you post and like during office hours, sooner or later you will be noticed as an underperformer. It is best to avoid social networks during office hours unless your work involves social networking. Even if it does, avoid personal chats and posting during office hours.
5. You Use The Phone Often During Office Hours:
In the past, there were no mobile phones. People would never dare to use the office landline excessively. This naturally curbed the possibility of slacking at work by attending calls. Messaging was not possible on landline phones.
The modern world of smartphones is quite different. Here, people who lack self control may often use and misuse the phone during office hours. It may lead to slacking at work and losing out significant opportunities.
6. You Take Frequent Tea Breaks:
Tea breaks play an important role occasionally refreshing your mind. Frequent tea breaks are the simplest sign that you are no more interested in the work and wish to escape it somehow.
Many big office hours have a common machine for coffee and tea. While no one tells you this, if you spend most of your time around the coffee and tea machine chatting with people around, it won’t take time for people to understand that you are slacking at work.
Reasons for Slacking at Work and Ways to Deal with it:
There could be many reasons that cause a person to slack at work. People who realize they are wasting time at work, find out the reason and take preventive measures eventually to succeed in their careers. Here are a couple of common reasons for slacking at work and ways to deal with the same:
1. You are in the wrong field:
If you have no interest in the field you chose and you are there just because of peer pressure, very soon you are going to bored. One mistake most people make while choosing their career is not considering their priorities.
While money is surely one important aspect to be considered, it should not be the basis of your decision. You need to consider other aspects like your interest in the field, your skills and your knowledge in the field.
If you have realized that you are slacking because of a lack of interest in the field, consider changing your field. It is never too late to switch to another field. Yet, the sooner you know your lack of interest in the field, the better it would be for you to pick a new career and establish yourself in it.
2. Your manager too assigned to assign new tasks:
Sometimes, the fault may not be completely yours. If your management is not properly planned and organized, the manager may be overburdened with existing work. He may not have the time to evaluate and assign work as per your capacity. This may give you a lot of idle time at work which may lead to slacking.
In such cases, you may have to take time and decide the right step. And In some organizations, the management encourages the employees to come and speak their grievances. In such organizations, you can reveal the fact subtly to the manager in charge.
If the management is not so healthy and raising the issue may jeopardize your job, it is better to look for another job in an organization that is well managed.
3. You lack energy and nutrition:
These reasons seem difficult to believe but are very true. Lack of proper nutrition and sleep can make you lazy and lethargic. If your body lacks certain nutrients, it may react by being lethargic.
If you do not find any other reason for your drowsiness and laziness, consult a doctor. He may suggest some diet alterations and exercises that may revitalize you. It can help you regain your lost vigor and help you perform like before in office hours.
4. You lack confidence:
There is another reason why people slack in their careers and this is a lack of confidence. If they are not sure they can complete the task successfully, they will find excuses to avoid the task.
There could be many reasons for the lack of confidence. The first surely is the lack of proper knowledge related to the task. Second could be the lack of practical experience, in spite of theoretical knowledge.
In such cases, the only way to get over the problem is by trying to regain confidence. Make sure you have strong knowledge in the desired field. You must also try and gain practical knowledge. When you complete a few projects successfully, it will automatically help you regain confidence.
5. You are over stressed:
Stress could be a result of your problems. Yet, it affects your professional life greatly. People who are overstressed due to their problems are unable to focus at work. The stress builds up and diverts a person’s mind. This can affect a person’s job life and even prevent him from performing his best at the job he loves.
You should take efforts to learn how to keep personal and professional lives separate. Do not let the two mix up. Leave the household problems at home and arrive at the office with a clear mind that is willing to take up new challenges. really
If there is some serious problem that you cannot tackle all by yourself, you may meet a friend or dear one and discuss out the problem. If the need arises, you may even seek the help of a psychiatrist.
5 Simple Tips to Maintain Consistent Performance at Work :
Very often, we do not realize when we start slacking at work. This is because we do not continually monitor our performance. Here are some tips that will help you keep track of your performance and understand as soon as your performance affected:
1. Maintain Regular Targets:
Maintaining regular targets will motivate you. It will also help you notice as soon as you lose focus.
2. Gradually Increase your Targets:
As you work on a project, you understand the nuances as well as all the steps involved. This helps you complete the same work in lesser time. Do not waste that extra time you get. Instead, increase your targets at regular intervals.
3. Maintain a Fixed Timetable:
Some people are not born time conscious. They are prone to miss deadlines and a timetable may help them avoid this from happening.
4. Take Missed Deadlines Seriously:
Even one missed the deadline can create a very bad impression. So you need to take all those missed deadlines very seriously.
5. Time your Breaks:
To avoid extending the breaks beyond the permitted limit, you must time your breaks.
