In the beginning of spring, we all begin to reawaken. This lovely feeling of springtime renewal does wonders for our spirits, but often wreaks havoc upon our productivity. Good managers know that this seasonal mood shift can be harnessed to help create a boost in productivity–and habits that can last all year long.

Emphasize starting. Encourage your employees to begins as many things as possible–with the caveat that their objective is to finish (or sign off on) each task they start prior to beginning a new one. We tend to bite off more than we can chew, attributing a skewed perception of our realistic capabilities to the illusion of multitasking. To a certain point, multitasking can be a lifesaver, but you will be pleasantly surprised at how much your productivity increases when you choose to focus only on the task at hand, through to completion, prior to beginning a new task, project, communication, etc.

Don