Great professionals know the difference between being busy and being productive. Even if it’s similar in terms of checking off things on your list. You’re busy when you’re simply getting things done – and you’re productive when you accomplish things that positively impact your company.

The “million-dollar question” is: do you know how productive you are at work?

Here are 4 ways to find out if you are:

1. What’s your purpose?

Being productive means having an end goal. You know exactly why you’re working and what you’re trying to achieve. Your short-term and long-term goals are aligned in helping you move forward in your career. Having a goal also inspires discipline and determination to keep on doing what you need to do, even when faced with difficult challenges.

2. Are you indecisive?

Everyone has a fear of not knowing what to do. Or if we’re doing the right thing. What’s important is to take that one step forward and do what you can to support your decision. Not being able to make a decision hinders your progress because it prevents you from taking any action. You won’t be able to proceed and reach your goal if you don’t decide on anything. So, be brave in deciding and take action.

3. Do you multitask?

There are conflicting opinions about multitasking. On one hand, you are getting more things done. But on the other – you lose focus in completing assignments and might end up making mistakes. It’s counterproductive to get things done quickly, only to re-do them later. The best approach to getting things done is to accomplish them one at a time to ensure quality.

4. How resourceful are you?

How do you go about unforeseen obstacles that come your way? You should be quick on your feet. And quickly think of ways – or search for solutions that can best address the problem. Don’t wait for the problem to get worse. Or else it will disrupt your schedule and you’ll have no time to finish other tasks lined up for the day. Be proactive. Ask for help when you need it and be confident that your manager or colleague/s will extend a helping hand to get you out of a sticky situation.

Finally, you can also gain insights from your manager. Check with him/her to help you determine how productive you are at the workplace. And work out a plan on how to improve it to ensure you deliver up to standards every time.