Let them see cats! 3 strange ways to increase productivity

Are your team spending more time talking about the latest episode of MasterChef than actually doing their work?

If the mid-afternoon rolls around and productivity flies out the window, you may be wondering how to best encourage your employees to pick up the pace and get more done.

Fortunately, managing their performance doesn’t need to be difficult. With the right management skills and training, you can soon have the team humming along.

In the meantime, you might be looking for some new and creative ways to increase productivity in the workplace. Here are three unexpected tips that science proves actually work!

Look at pictures of cute animals

While it may sound strange, taking a break from the spreadsheet to look at the latest cute animal pictures on BuzzFeed could actually help boost performance.

Researchers at Hiroshima University conducted a study to see what effect photos had on a participants’ ability to play a version of the board game Operation. The scientists found that the individuals who had viewed photos of baby animals prior to the games were able to perform the assigned task more accurately than if they had not seen the pictures.

Perhaps you should invest in a cute animal calendar for your employees’ desks?

Work less

Rather than telling your team to work more to get more done, try giving them additional time off. The focus should not be on how much time they are spending on tasks, but rather how much they are getting done in the time they have.

As Tony Schwartz, author of ‘The Power of Full Engagement’, explains: “Manage your energy, not your time.”

Allowing your team to take time off will not only give them a chance to recharge and refresh, it should help them to focus and perform better when they return to work.

Take a nap

At some point between 1pm and 3pm, you and your team need to pull out the pillows and hit the hay for about 25 minutes. Researchers from NASA found that a well-timed nap in the mid-afternoon can boost performance by 34 per cent.

These unique tips can help you to increase the productivity of your team, leaving more time to look at pictures of cute animals and take mid-afternoon naps.