Boosting
Self-Productivity – The Chanakya Way
There have always been debates
and discussions on the role the employers have to play to increase employee
productivity. Increasing productivity is always the biggest challenge and in
the top of agenda of HR Professionals. It is widely believed and researches
have confirmed that employee productivity has to play a major role in reducing
stress, burn-outs, and turnover rate. In the midst of all such debates the
question lies – Are only Employers responsible for enhancing Employee
Productivity? The answer is “NO”.
Around 2300 years ago, a
scholar named Chanakya also known as Vishnugupta authored the celebrated work
on Ancient Indian Polity & Economics called, “Arthashastra”. This work is
relevant in the modern contexts too. The first section out of the seventeen
sections of Arthashastra is concerning discipline of self and the kingdom.
Principle
# 1: Wake-Up Early
Waking up early in the morning
boosts the productivity of the mind. It enhances the power of creativity,
innovation, and application of execution in the people 5 folds than the people
who rise late.
“A
man who wastes one hour in the morning ends up hunting for one the entire day!”
Principle
# 2: Work-Out Every Morning
Early morning work-outs are the best medium of keeping
oneself active the entire day. 45 minutes of daily work-out say at 6:00 a.m. in
the morning gives the body and mind the energy and strength to keep going the
entire day without tiring. It can create magical results in enhancing
productivity. You just need to follow the routine and the routine will ensure
that you stay two-steps ahead of others at the workplace.
“As long as your body is healthy and under
control, the mind will work its way through difficult times!”
Principle
# 3: Eat Healthy and Eat Often
Eating healthy does not mean eating less or eating in a
restricted quantity. Eating healthy means eating food that is nutritious and
helps you give the energy to remain productive the entire day at work. One
should eat at least 4 times a day and in small quantity.
“A
man’s capacity to work is determined by his body; and his health is determined
by the food he consumes!”
Principle
# 4: Learn Atleast One New Thing Every day and Talk About it
One should spend at least one hour in a day to learn one new
thing that one has never learnt before. It gives the confidence of wisdom and
enables one to be better than others at the workplace. Talk about what you
learnt with colleagues and peers. Instigate a healthy discussion or a debate.
It enhances your morale and renders you more productive.
“Learning
is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it
feeds you on your journey. Therefore learning is a hidden treasure.”
Principle
# 5: Read Once a Day
It is miraculous that an activity like reading can create in
one’s life. Reading a few pages or a chapter daily before sleeping gives the
utmost relaxation to the nerves and helps reduce the stress inculcated during
the day.
“Let not a single day pass without your learning a verse,
half a verse, or a fourth of it, or even one letter of it!”
Many of us may feel that it is impossible to carry out the
above activities in the current day-to-day hectic life where one hardly gets
time to even breathe. By the time the day ends, we just want to get home and go
to bed. However, the above activities shall seem impossible only for the first
few days. The fun and enjoyment part of it starts as soon as one’s body, mind
and soul gets used to the routine. It shall then become an inseparable of your
life.
