Productivity. Get it right and you have those days when you feel like you’re ticking off to do list items at the speed of light. But on the down days (and we humans all have ’em) a lack of productivity can leave you feeling unmotivated and overwhelmed.
So what do we need to know about productivity? Let’s dive in with 14 fast facts, statistics and figures.
1. 84% of us procrastinate
A 2020 survey we ran showed that 84% of us are affected to some degree by the productivity killing plague that is… procrastination.
Yep. Most of us do it. So if you’re putting off those to do list tasks and finding literally anything else to do, you’re definitely not alone in that.
2. Early morning is the most productive time of day for 44% of employees
A 2019 study which surveyed 2,800 workers in the USA found that 44% cited “early mornings” as their most productive time of day.
3. A further 31% said “late mornings” are their most productive time
Just under a third in that same study said “late mornings” is when they get the most done.
4. So three quarters of us work best in the morning
In other words, for three quarters of employees, their most productive time of day is the morning.
5. Just 2% of us are particularly productive after work or late at night
Only 2% of respondents said they work best after hours. So perhaps burning the midnight oil isn’t such a good thing!
6. The least productive day of the week is Friday
This one might not come as a surprise. But the same study that found most of us are most productive in a morning also found that we’re least productive on a Friday. Just 11% of respondents said they’re most productive on a Friday compared with 29% on a Monday and 27% on a Tuesday.
7. 90% of people admit to wasting time at work
8. The average office worker spends 5 hours a week in meetings
5 hours a week – or an average of an hour a day for a 5 day working week!
That’s an awful lot of time being spent talking…
9. They’re also spending 4 hours a week preparing for them
And to make matters worse, they’re spending 4 hours on top of the 5, preparing for the meetings.
In other words, 9 hours (more than a working day) each week is being spent on meetings.
We’re not saying all meetings are useless. But we’ve probably all sat in plenty that are!!
10. The ideal working day is 6 hours
Some research now suggests that the ideal working day should be 6 hours as opposed to 8 in order to maximise productivity.
11. Productivity falls off sharply after 48 working hours in a week
A Stanford study found that productivity nearly disappears after 48 working hours in a week. So excessive extra hours really aren’t that productive at all.
12. Denmark has the shortest working week and is one of the most productive countries
Despite having the the shortest working week in the world (37.2 hours), Denmark is the third most productive country in the world.
13. Norway performs well too
Norway’s working week is just 38 hours, the third lowest in the world, but the Scandinavian nation comes in ranked the 5th most productive country.
13. We’re productive for less than 3 hours per day
A survey found that the average time that UK workers believe they’re actually productive for during a working day is just 2 hours and 53 minutes.
14. Poor sleep can kill employee productivity
Poor sleep or insufficient sleep results directly in lost productivity. Another reason not to be up late at night trying to tick off to dos!
Want to improve your productivity?
A few things I’ve tried and tested myself for better productivity:
- Adopting the Eisenhower Principle
- Pomodoro Technique
- Body doubling
