Teamwork is great and all, but sometimes, you just have to be selfish.
The nature of most startup teams is tight knit. You stick together through thick and thin – through long hours, late nights, frustrating fails, and stale pizza. You encourage each other, brainstorm together, and talk about the polar vortex ‘til you’re blue in the face. (Oh wait… that’s because the radiator isn’t working.)
This intense teamwork is what’s so great about startups. It can foster creativity and encourage honest, forward discussion in propelling your company towards success. But it also has the potential to inhibit productivity in team members who do not flourish in a constantly collaborative environment.
Your sales people might be stimulated by intermittent conversation, and that open floor plan might be great for the marketing team to bounce ideas around. But what about someone who is trying to write copy? Or code?
For those of us who don’t always work our best in the team-centric environment, here are some tips for increasing productivity, and allowing yourself to become a more “selfish” team player…
Understand your productivity needs
First thing’s first: what type of environment allows you to produce your best work?
Maybe it’s the assortment of buzzing phones in your office that’s distracting you. Or could it be the frigid temperature when your desk neighbor cracks a window mid-January? You can’t remedy the situation until you understand the problem, so mix it up and explore different variables of your environment.
Start by identifying the culprit and you’ll be on your way to establishing your productivity sweet spot.
Log off.
You can’t run, but you can hide.
Social media, emails, and instant messages can be even more distracting than the people sitting next to you. After all, there are billions of voices online, all vying for your attention to read their latest blog post, or help make their cute dog go viral.
If you need to carve out some time to complete your tasks without the constant distraction of the internet, then do the unthinkable and unplug. A simple status on whatever service people use to get your attention can be set to inform them that you’re currently unavailable and will be back at X o’clock. Communicate to your team that you’ll be logging offline and that if it’s really an emergency, they’ll have to come find you in person. (Which might be as easy as waving at you from across the room, which leads to our next tip…)
If it’s too noisy, leave.
This option varies in the layout of your office. If your startup is located in a cooperative workspace, there are probably cubbies or corners you can hide in that are less distracting than the open floor plan office. If this is not an option, maybe the coffee shop down the street will provide a more relaxing environment for a couple of hours.
Whether it’s in a private room or under your desk, find your happy place and make sure people know that it’s a “productivity zone”, not a, “come hang out with me in my happy place” place.
Listen to music.
Sometimes, you just have to suck it up and do your work in a room full of distractions. If this is the case, headphones can be a lifesaver. If you have the tendency to sing along with your jams, thus turning you into a distraction for others, then try wordless, classical options.
(I’m personally loving the “Film Score” channel on Pandora right now.)
Communicate your needs.
Still struggling to find the perfect environment for your personal productivity? Then it’s time to voice your concern to the rest of the team. Remember that closeness we were talking about earlier? That should also mean you can talk to each other about (almost) anything. So speak up and put your heads together to find a way for everyone to feel comfortable and productive in your workspace.
Your startup can only succeed if every member is experiencing the optimal work environment for the tasks they must complete.
Do your team a favor, and be a little selfish.