Maximizing productivity has become a cultural obsession, but as much as we try to increase efficiency and motivation, we aren't always looking at science and research to guide our behaviors.

The research about productivity sometimes turns up counterintuitive facts. For example, you might think that good weather puts you in a positive mood, which makes you more productive. The first part of that statement is true, but sunny days actually have a negative effect on productivity. Similarly, you might think that a bigger bonus at work will motivate you to do a better job. But studies showed the opposite to be true.

Here are four incredible findings about productivity and how you can use the information to your advantage.

1. Being Creative Outside Work Increases Work Productivity

Painting, playing a musical instrument, or writing poetry can help you become more productive at work. A 2014 paper by Kevin Eschelman and his co-authors (references below) found that creative activities help employees recover from work, which in turns helps them be more productive. It was true of both employees who rated themselves and those rated by others.

Creativity isn't limited to decoupage, pottery, and other fine arts, the authors discovered. It can be something as simple as decorating your home or cracking jokes. And even if the creative activity is similar to your work, such as a professional photographer who shoots pictures of her kids on the weekends, it still counts.

What Can You Do? Based on the studies, the key seems to be having control over what you choose to do in your free time and developing a mastery of your chosen creative outlet. Pick activities that make you happy and that you get better at doing over time. Remember that indulging your creative side, whether it's taking taekwondo lessons or gardening, is good for your job performance.

2. Big Bonuses Decrease Performance

Research by Dan Ariely, Uri Gneezy, and their co-authors found that monetary rewards for tasks could improve performance on tasks, unless they are too high. When the bonus to complete a task was extremely high, performance on a variety of tests plummeted compared with when a small or medium reward was offered. For workers, this means the promise of a huge bonus could actually sabotage you from doing your best work. Essentially, people choke under pressure. The study had people complete tasks that tapped a variety of skills, including motor skills, memory, and creativity. The authors did find that there is an optimal level of reward (or punishment) for motivating workers, but when that reward is too high, people almost always blow it.

What Can You Do? Short of asking your boss to not reward you with a whopping bonus at the close of a project, there may not be much an individual can do to thwart this productivity stumper. If you have influence on company culture, however, it might be worthwhile to spread bonuses across milestones rather than give them as lump sums at the end of a project or quarter.

3. Sunny Days Make People Less Productive

If rainy days always get you down, take comfort in knowing they might also make you more productive. Researchers from Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted studies in 2012 that showed indoor workers had increased attention and focus, and thus increased productivity when the weather outside was crummy. A 2008 paper similarly found that on rainy days people put in an average of 30 more minutes of work than they did when the sun was shining. Even just looking at photos of outdoor activities, such as boating on a sunny day, can result in decreased productivity.

What Can You Do? Take advantage of your peak productivity when snow, hail, and rain are falling from the sky. Buckle down and do your best work. On gorgeous days, don't fight the fact that your productivity will be lower. Instead, if you recognize your productivity is flagging, switch to a task that's useful but doesn't require as much focus as your hardests tasks. For example, clean your desk, follow up on phone calls, or answer emails. When decorating your workspace, keep pictures of loved ones around, but maybe stash the vacation photos elsewhere. They could be distracting you more than you realize.

4. Poor Sleep Could Cost $2,000 a Year in Productivity

In 2010, sleep and behavior researchers calculated the cost of poor sleep on productivity. On average, it was $1,967 per person per year, although for one company in the study, the cost was almost twice that: $3,980! The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, classified more than 4,000 participants into four groups: insomniacs, people with insufficient sleep syndrome, sleepers who were at-risk of poor sleep, and good sleepers. Insomniacs and those with insufficient sleep syndrome had worse productivity, performance, and safety outcomes when compared with those who were good sleepers or merely at-risk for poor sleep. The insomniacs also reported significantly worse effects of fatigue on their attention, decision-making, memory, and motivation at work.

What Can You Do? Clearly, adequate sleep is crucial to productivity, but getting more quality sleep is easier said than done. The root causes of poor sleep are often hard to pinpoint, though in this study, two big data points stand out as related possibilities. Almost 67 percent of respondents were either overweight or obese, and sleep-disordered breathing was the most common disorder cited. Being overweight or obese also just happens to be a leading cause of sleep-disordered breathing. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight might be an indirect factor to becoming your most productive self (once again, that's easier said than done).

Additionally, study participants who worked irregular schedules had worse sleep than those with regular schedules. If you have the option, you'll probably sleep better and be more productive if you can work a typical nine-to-five or similar schedule.

 

References

Ariely, Dan, Uri Gneezy, George Loewenstein, and Nina Mazar. "Large Stakes And Big Mistakes." Review of Economic Studies 76 (2009).

Connolly, Marie. "Here Comes the Rain Again: Weather and the Intertemporal Substitution of Leisure." Journal of Labor Economics (2008).

Eschleman, Kevin J., Jamie Madsen, Gene Alarcon, and Alex Barelka. "Benefiting from creative activity: The positive relationship between creative activity, recovery experiences, and performance-related outcomes." Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (2014).

Lee, Jooa Julia, Francesca Gino, and Bradley R. Staats. "Rainmakers: Why bad weather means good productivity." Journal of Applied Psychology (2012).

Rosekind, Mark R., Kevin B. Gregory, BS, Melissa M. Mallis, PhD, Summer L. Brandt, MA, Brian Seal, PhD, and Debra Lerner, PhD. "The Cost of Poor Sleep: Workplace Productivity Loss and Associated Costs." Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2010).