Productivity Proverbs: ‘Toons to Keep You on Task [Infographic]

Wrike http://www.wrike.com 2m 583 #productivity

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Shocking stats: 83% of Americans consider themselves stressed at work, says a 2013 survey that polled 1,019 employed Americans by phone. The number in 2012 was slightly lower at 73%. Stress levels are on the rise.

So don’t deny it, we know that 8 out of every 10 of you reading this post are probably overstressed, overworked, and chronically distracted! You have a ton of tasks to accomplish, perhaps paired with unfeasible deadlines. And you are in constant battle with interruptions that threaten to drag your focus away from work.

Academic studies say that you are distracted, on average, every eight minutes — either by colleagues asking for help (“Do you have a second?”), or simply on your own (“I wonder if I have any new Facebook notifications?”) This inability to focus is negatively impacting the productivity of your entire organization.

That’s not a pleasant realization, is it? But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

The truth is that sometimes all you need is a break to recharge. Or a quick reminder that being productive is in your control. Know this: productivity is a state of mind (“Time to get things done!”), an action you take (“Can I get back to you after lunch?”), and a decision you stick to (“No Facebook for the next 2 hours!”) while performing a task.

To help you de-stress and get you into a more productive frame of mind, Wrike, a leading provider of online collaboration software, created a collection of cartoons containing productivity proverbs. These short, humorous, illustrated lessons each contain a nugget of wisdom to help jumpstart your day.

Feel free to print them out and mount them on your cubicle wall. Or go one step farther and share these productivity proverbs with your team to inspire them to reach higher productivity peaks with you!

Click to open / Right-click for save options

Productivity Lessons that have Endured Through the Ages

“It is possible to move mountains by carrying small stones”

5 completed small tasks are likely to bring you more satisfaction than one big task being 50% completed.

Source: www.sparringmind.com

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

Your brain is 60,000 times more productive when processing visuals. Why not visualize your plans?

Source: www.diyblogger.net

“A dull pencil is greater than the sharpest memory”

Studies prove that if you write down your goals, you are 33% more likely to achieve them?

Source: www.lifehacker.com

“No living man all things can”

41% of a knowledge worker’s daily tasks could be handled more competently if they were delegated.

Source: www.hbr.org

“A stitch in time saves nine”

GTD methodology recommends: if a task takes less than 2 minutes, then tackle it without delay.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

“An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening”

Only 10.2% of early birds feel overworked versus 26.7 of night owls.

Source: www.wrike.com (Wrike survey, 2013)

“Think of many things, do one”

Switching between multiple tasks decreases your productivity by 40% and lowers your IQ by 10 points.

Source: www.mashable.com, blogs.hbr.org

“Tell me and I’ll forget, show me, and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand”

We retain 75% of what we learn by doing compared to 5% when just listening.

Source: www.worldbank.org

“Better an ounce of happiness than a pound of gold”

56.7% of people feel motivated by good mood, while a possible reward encourages efficiency in just 42.1% employees.

Source: www.keyorganization.com, www.wrike.com (Wrike survey, 2013)

Infographic brought to by Wrike. Project management software that makes you more productive.

(