What Gets in the Way of Real Productivity? A Behavioural Perspective

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Productivity isn’t just about tools, systems, or time spent working. If it were, we’d all be as productive as the technology we use. But the truth is, real productivity is often disrupted not by a lack of resources, but by behaviours, habits, and unspoken cultural norms that go unchecked in the workplace.

At Priority Management, we’ve spent decades helping organizations improve productivity not through gimmicks, but through behavioural change. The biggest obstacles to performance often lie not in what people are doing, but in how and why they’re doing it. Let’s take a closer look at what gets in the way.

1. Reactive Workstyles

In many workplaces, urgency overrides importance. Employees spend the majority of their day reacting to emails, instant messages, and last-minute requests. This reaction-based workstyle leads to fragmented attention and an inability to focus on high-value tasks.

From a behavioural standpoint, this is reinforced by reward systems: responsiveness is praised, while deep work often goes unnoticed. Over time, employees learn that being available is more valued than being effective.

How to address it: 

• Encourage a culture of planned work and prioritization

• Implement shared planning tools and visible calendars

• Coach teams on managing expectations around response time

2. Poor Information Management

Even the most capable teams can lose hours to disorganized information. Scattered notes, inconsistent file naming, multiple communication platforms, and lack of central tracking lead to duplication, rework, and confusion.

This isn’t a tech problem; it’s a behaviour problem. Tools like Outlook, Teams, and OneNote offer powerful solutions, but only when people are trained to use them in a structured, sustainable way.

How to address it: 

• Train teams on digital organization best practices

• Establish team-wide standards for file sharing and task tracking

• Reinforce the habit of putting information in the right place, consistently

3. Unclear Priorities

Without clarity, everything feels urgent. When individuals are unsure about their most important work, they’re more likely to fall into task overload and decision fatigue.

Often, this stems from leadership behaviours. If managers don’t regularly communicate shifting priorities, or if they model poor focus, their teams follow suit.

How to address it: 

• Leaders should clearly communicate what matters most

• Help individuals connect their daily tasks to larger goals

• Use planning rituals like weekly reviews and morning check-ins

4. Lack of Time Ownership

One of the most common behaviours we see in underperforming teams is a lack of time ownership. Meetings are scheduled back-to-back, work is accepted without negotiation, and there’s no protected time for focus.

Productivity isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things at the right time. That requires intention and the ability to say “no” or “not now.”

How to address it: 

• Empower employees to manage their own calendars

• Create a norm around blocking time for focused work

• Teach strategies for negotiating time and resetting expectations

5. Cultural Barriers to Change

Even when individuals want to change their behaviours, workplace culture can hold them back. A culture that celebrates busyness, rewards overwork, or penalizes boundaries will continue to undermine productivity, regardless of tools or training.

Behaviour change must be reinforced by environment. That includes leadership behaviour, peer norms, and structural support.

How to address it: 

• Model sustainable work habits at the leadership level

• Acknowledge and reward behaviour change, not just output

• Make room for reflection, feedback, and ongoing learning

6. Overreliance on Memory and Multitasking

Modern work involves too many tasks, deadlines, and inputs to rely on memory. Yet many professionals operate without systems for capturing and organizing these demands.

Multitasking may feel efficient, but it leads to more mistakes, lower retention, and higher stress. And when memory fails, important items slip through the cracks.

How to address it: 

• Train staff to externalize tasks using digital tools

• Build habits of regular review and task renegotiation

• Promote single-tasking and time-blocking for cognitive work

7. Misalignment Between Tools and Behaviour

Organizations often invest heavily in software—email platforms, task boards, CRMs, collaboration suites. But without alignment between tool capabilities and user behaviours, these investments underdeliver.

In other words, it’s not what tool you use; it’s how you use it.

How to address it: 

• Provide behavioural training alongside technical training

• Customize tool usage to match team workflows

• Review tool use periodically to adjust to changing needs

Final Thoughts: Productivity is Behaviour

Real productivity doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from doing what matters, with clarity and intention. That shift requires more than apps and systems—it requires behaviour change.

At Priority Management, we help teams and individuals build the habits, workflows, and mindset needed to work effectively in today’s environment. When behaviour changes, results follow.

If your team is struggling with the same challenges, reach out to your local Priority Management associate to start a conversation. Let’s turn good intentions into real outcomes.