Up Your Productivity--Not Your Hours

Before you spend another hour at the office, consider if it will be time well-spent. Here's how.

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For a long time, the picture of a good employee in the U.S. has been someone who stays late, comes in on weekends, and always appears to be grinding away. People like this sometimes make a big show of how busy they are. In actuality, though, productivity isn't about how much you're working; it's about how much you're accomplishing.
As Americans get smarter about efficiency in the office, many have started to accept more non-traditional ways of being productive like working remotely, using technology, and prioritizing. A Harvard business school professor recently chronicled changes like this in The New York Times.

Everyone appreciates a dedicated worker, but sometimes perfect is the enemy of great. Keeping a project moving forward is often more effective than waiting until it's totally polished. An object in motion, after all, tends to stay in motion. If you're overly meticulous, it can be hard to keep going.