Work like nobody’s judging

Humans are fundamentally social creatures; we’ve always lived in family-like groups, and generally speaking, we do better in numbers, whether it’s a survival situation or modern-day life in the big city.

So it’s curious to recognise that, when other people are around, we tend to stop being the absolute best that we can be on an individual basis.

This is summed up perfectly by that cliched quote that’s forever going around the internet, and says something like: “Sing like nobody’s listening. Dance like nobody’s watching. Love like you’ve never been hurt.”

The first two points are good descriptors for how an audience leads us to under-perform; the last is a good example of why.

In practice, we tend to lower our own expectations of our performance, to avoid being judged too harshly by others when we are putting in the maximum possible effort.

You can experience a similar phenomenon in the workplace, where few individuals are willing to work to a productivity level substantially above that of their fellow team members, even if they are physically and mentally capable of doing so.

Instead, your productivity tends to drop to match the people around you – and in the worst situations, the perception that you are the ‘busiest’ person in the room can trigger a downward spiral of falling productivity throughout the employee base.

For those of you in a fixed, salaried position, the arguments in favour of working like nobody’s judging you are less persuasive, as you don’t immediately stand to earn any extra money for doing so.

You may be able to negotiate flexible holidays, where you accrue extra days for working harder when you are there, or paid overtime if you are able to assist colleagues who are behind in their workloads.

But it is the self-employed and those whose income is directly linked to the amount of work that they do who stand to benefit the most from a carefree approach to work.

For those people, setting aside those usual doubts about how you might appear to the outside world can be a very useful thing to do, allowing you to work to the absolute maximum of your full potential, without holding anything in reserve.

Put the right tools at your disposal, sell your old iPad or laptop if it’s past its best, and invest in a sensible selection of new devices that give you what you need to get things done.

As long as you don’t overdo it, there’s no reason why working ‘to the max’ should lead to burnout; if anything, there’s a good chance you’ll leave yourself with more free time to relax and recharge your psychological batteries.

You’ll impress customers and your boss, if you have one, with your sound work ethic, and there’s a good chance that you’ll make fewer mistakes, as well.

Ultimately, the way you approach your work is all in your own head; get your way of thinking right, and you can truly begin to capitalise on the time you devote to your career.