If you read our first batch of productivity proverbs, you may remember that a picture is worth 1,000 words. So, without further delay, here are 5 more proverbs to get your productivity juices flowing on those days when all you want to do is crawl back into bed.
6. “An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening.”
Wrike recently conducted a survey to determine work how different lifestyle habits play a role in workplace productivity. We found that the proverb exists for a reason; only 10.2% of early birds feel overworked versus 26.7% of night owls. It might be difficult to wake up in the morning, but at the end of the day you'll appreciate the stress-free evening.
7. “Any time means no time.”
We all work with or know someone who constantly says, "I'll do it tomorrow." Or maybe their cousin, the person who flippantly thinks, "It doesn't matter if I procrastinate now, I can get it done any time." Don't take a lesson from them. According to Wrike's productivity survey, more than 50% of employees feel that deadlines mobilize their best skills. If your boss claims that a project has no deadline, set one for yourself and stick to it. Working without deadlines increases chances you will never start the project at all, so do yourself a favor and make "any time" today.
8. “Think of many things, do one.”
Think you are good at multi-tasking? Research shows that only 2% of people are good at juggling tasks without letting the balls drop. The rest of us may think we're keeping everything in the air, but more research suggests that we are actually knocking down our IQ by 10 points when we try to multitask, and our productivity is decreasing by as much as 40%. It's not your fault; the brains of "supertaskers" simply process information differently. So if you have a lot of ideas, write them all down (after all, a dull pencil is greater than the sharpest memory!) and then focus on one task at a time for the best results.
9. “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.”
This proverb goes one step farther than the classic, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," proverb. It is better to teach someone the answer rather than giving it away, but even more than that, you must involve them in the teaching. We retain 50-90% of what we learn by participatory teaching methods, compared to just 5% when listening. No more lectures!
10. “Better an ounce of happiness than a pound of gold.”
Do you remember the old Mastercard commercials? The products bought in the commercial were expensive, but they happiness received was priceless. And according to Wrike's productivity survey, over 56% of surveyed participants feel motivated by a good mood, while the possibility of reward encourages efficiency in just 42.1% of those same employees. So don't overvalue money while undervaluing happiness; happiness is enough of a reward to boost your productivity.
Did you like these amusing productivity lessons? Share them with your friends!
We hope our 10 pieces of wisdom will help rejuvenate you at work. Save them in your phone, print them out as office decor, and read them over again when you're in a slump. And don't forget to spread the wealth to your friends and colleagues - we all have off-days.
![7 Time-Savers for the Overworked [Infographic]](https://web-static.wrike.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=900,format=auto/blog/content/themes/blog-v4-theme/dist/img/featured-image-placeholder.png?av=1e59a781eae484feae8c711131bb7991)
