Productivity vs Killing Time

How much time during our work day do we kill time? 10%? 20%? more?
Some days more than others? Today was a slow day in the claims office ... because we had everything caught up on Friday? because its relative to the number of shoppers in the store? (being the last week of the month, it is typical to have fewer shoppers in the store, waiting on their check on the first of the month.)

What do we base our job productivity on? There are some who don't care much about that, and go to their job with one thing in mind: to collect a paycheck. (And while I'm not against that .. I mean, I like work, but I wouldn't do it for free!) Then there are some who care a great deal about what they do, and why.

I'm sure there are productivity "markers" based on the job you're doing. If you're stock brokering, is a good day the day you "bag the elephant" [as they say in the movie Wall Street] ? If you're a used car salesman, is it the high profit sale you make to a businessman? or the lower profit sale you make to the single mom who desperately needs the car to get back and forth to work? If you're a stay at home mom (who, by the way, work the hardest, 24/7, in my opinion!) what is a good day for you? laundry finished, house clean, errands ran, kids tucked in bed? What part of your job is the "personal feel-goods" ??

I've been lucky in the jobs I've held over the years. I've done a lot of different things, and have an innate ability to break down tasks into workable portions and base my productivity and "personal feel-goods" into daily accomplishments and making sure my TO DO list is smaller when I leave than when I arrived.

But ... what triggers that sense within each of us? How and when do we learn about a job well done? Is it a part of our upbringing? And has this sense gone by the wayside?
Are we so caught up in the bottom line rewards that we forget about the people we're dealing with in the first place? No matter which job you're in, in the long run, it is always geared towards a customer. Be it service or sales of some product, the end of the line is the customer, or consumer.

So the next time you're wasting time at work ,,,... find something that will be a "personal feel-goods" at the end of the day.. and do it! You'll probably go home with a big smile on your face :) I know I do. (And it makes everyone else wonder what I've been up to.... )

HUGS to everyone!

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