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Strategies for Becoming More Conscientious
- Assess Your Conscientiousness. …
- Slow Down. …
- Get Organized. …
- Cultivate Conscientious Habits. …
- Train Your Focus. …
- Look Outwards. …
- Work on Your Willpower.
How to be more Conscientious – Jordan Peterson
What is conscientiousness?
A person can have high, medium, or low conscientiousness according to a scale that grades conscientiousness. You should ask yourself a few questions to see how you embody these typical characteristics of conscientious people in order to assess how conscientious you are at work:
Reliability
Are you good at creating reminders of your tasks and responsibilities? Can your workplace depend on you to complete them? Do you communicate with team members and adhere to deadlines?
Work ethic
Do you practice self-management? Do you persevere when faced with a difficult task and keep going when things are tough?
Organization
Punctuality
Do you arrive at work and meetings on time, answer emails quickly, and submit projects on time?
How to be conscientious in the workplace
By making some behavioral adjustments, you can increase your diligence at work. Here are seven actions you can take to exercise more diligence:
1. Be reliable
For instance, if you encounter a problem that will prevent you from submitting your work for a group project on time, you can be proactive and inform your team members of the problem right away so that they can make the necessary adjustments.
2. Develop a strong work ethic
By giving your full attention to the task at hand, managing your time so that tasks can be finished, and creating an execution plan for more challenging or complex projects, you can strengthen your work ethic. Distractions can hinder your ability to concentrate on your work and progress it in a meaningful way.
For instance, if you use a computer for work, you could add a browser extension to prevent yourself from visiting distracting websites during the workday.
3. Be organized
You can better avoid distractions and make significant progress in your work if you are aware of what you need to prioritize each day and estimate how much time it will take.
4. Be punctual
For instance, you could give yourself extra time for your commute to help ensure that you arrive on time even if there is a delay. If you have several meetings in a row, try to leave more time between them so that you can arrive at your next meeting on time even if the previous one ends later than anticipated.
5. Reframe the way you view tasks
If you believe that something you are doing is significant, enjoyable, and consistent with your values, it is simpler to change your behavior. Consider how important it is to respond to emails and how doing so could be consistent with your values, for instance, if responding to emails seems like a minor aspect of your job compared to tasks that demand more time and consideration. You can view it as a crucial task that will feel good to cross off your to-do list if promptly responding to general inquiries reflects favorably on the business and may attract potential new clients.
6. Create realistic goals
Setting realistic goals involves imagining the route to the goal, planning the necessary steps, and identifying any obstacles. Setting realistic goals and being conscious of your time use are both examples of conscientious behavior. Before you begin working towards the goal, you might want to reevaluate how you will get there if the path to achieving it seems difficult. Instead, you could spend some time planning out each step and gathering the necessary materials before carrying out your plan.
7. Build relationships with colleagues
Spending time with coworkers outside of work and asking them how they are doing and what they are working on can help develop a working relationship where you support each other’s goals and exchange ideas. Knowing that coworkers are dealing with their own issues at work can help you empathize with them and try to assist them when you can.
FAQ
What makes someone conscientious?
Conscientious individuals exhibit a strong work ethic, are dependable, punctual, pay attention to detail, and display commitment and purpose. They are frequently referred to as having “the perfect personality for a team.” They are the people you will watch schedule their tasks down to the last detail.
What causes low conscientiousness?
Losing a job recently: Being unemployed or out of work is strongly associated with lower levels of conscientiousness. Having to deal with new medical problems: When people experience medical problems, their conscientiousness increases to carefully handle their new circumstances.
Can conscientiousness be taught?
Through repeated practice, these skills can become learned and instinctive. At first, you might feel as though you are acting inconsistently. However, the majority of people can exercise their conscientiousness muscles by making small efforts, such as maintaining a clean desk, adhering to a daily work schedule, or striving to be on time.
What is an example of being conscientiousness?
One of the most obvious manifestations of conscientiousness in the workplace is avoiding procrastination and preferring to finish assignments much earlier than the deadline. These are the individuals who have never missed a deadline. Conscientious people are strict followers of rules and regulations.
