01 Aug 2023
Many people from developing countries like Ghana travel o developed countries to find better employment opportunities because they cannot find prospective opportunities in their native countries. The Ghanaian migrants earn a living abroad and then send money to Ghana to offer financial aid to their families. Because this is what they expatriate largely for. A report by the Atlas of Humanity said that about 4 million Ghanaian expatriates are living in foreign countries for jobs and higher education.
The financial contribution Ghanaian migrants make to the country’s economy is substantial through inward remittances.
A report by the World Bank said that the quantum of inward remittances to Ghana in 2022 was $4.66 billion.
After getting a job abroad, what do you think is essential for you? Continuing the same routine, staying where you are, and being contended with whatever you are doing and earning or trying to excel and achieve more?
Well, the answer seems pretty obvious.
But then what is the key to excel and achieve more? You can think of a higher level of education, a more refined skillset or a long experience in a particular field while trying to answer the question. But you are missing out on one critical point. Yes. It is your productivity level.
Your professional progress in a foreign land is directly proportional to how productive you are and how much value you add to your company.
Increased productivity means more excellence and progress.
This blog will shed light on productivity and guide you on how to be more productive as a Ghanaian migrant.
Productivity is a much-discussed topic these days. It has two levels. At one level productivity is understood as a measure of economic or financial performance that compares the number of services and goods produced, also known as output, with the number of inputs required to produce those services or goods.
Simply put, productivity means the amount of goods and services you produced within the given and available means.
The other level of productivity is the personal productivity level which is what you need the most as a Ghanaian migrant.
Personal productivity refers to how efficient you are at completing tasks within the given deadlines and how effectively you manage your time for doing so.
Being more productive means a higher income and more financial stability which in turn will help you offer more financial aid to your family back home through a money transfer to Ghana.
But remember that productivity comes at a later stage, that is when you find work in a foreign country. Therefore, you must know and keep an eye on the study and work programs that you can find abroad as an expatriate.
Let’s now understand different types of productivity.
It refers to how efficiently you complete your tasks and achieve goals.
It refers to how countries turn labour, material, and resources (input) into goods and services (output) which is known as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
It refers to how a business generates revenue from the available input consisting of labour, and materials.
It refers to productivity at a company level.
It is the revenue relative to the total labour hours of the employees of a company in a given quarter.
Let’s now understand how you can increase your productivity as a Ghanaian expatriate working in a foreign land.
Regardless of your job type and where you do it, you want to be more productive on the job. And particularly you want to be ultra-productive when you come from a humble financial background and have expatriated to earn a living to support your family back home in Ghana through an online money transfer to Ghana.
The following few steps, therefore, will help you increase your productivity. Take a look below!
Try to cut your to-do by half. You should know that not all tasks that you think you should do are crucial, impactful, and are, therefore to be completed in the sanctioned 8 hours. Try to focus on tasks that are critical and impactful.
Stop exerting your brain much. The ache you feel in your head is the result of your long hours of working, except for ailment. Your brain has used glucose and it needs a break. So, go for a walk or grab a snack and relax for a while.
Studies have established that only 20% of what you do every day produces 80% of the results. Therefore, try to eliminate the things that do not matter much during each working day as they affect your productivity minimally.
Start your mornings by taking a good breakfast, reading newspapers and meditating. Never check your emails soon after getting up as these dictate your day which is a productivity killer.
Your official tasks are a mix of normal things you do and some challenging tasks that can be assigned to you. Make sure to tackle and accomplish those challenging tasks before half day or before lunch.
Email serves as a distraction and is another productivity killer. But it does not mean you should avoid emails. Try to answer the critically important emails quickly. And if an email chain extends beyond two replies, well, then pick up the phone.
You naturally set a system over the years to be more productive. You can call it a routine. Create one in such a manner that it does not have any distractions. The best way to do this is to manage your time effectively and allocate time to certain activities without overlapping the two.
Focus on one task with full attention at a time. Stop undertaking several tasks at the same time. Studies have shown that changing tasks several times a day drops your IQ by 10 points. And you surely do not want that!
Increased productivity is the key to moving up the success ladder which can help you earn more over time. And this is what you need the most because you have expatriated to earn a living and send money to Ghana online for your family’s financial aid. Right? And doing so, therefore, with ACE Money Transfer will help you with a low fee, competitive exchange rates, and much more.
FAQs
What is productivity?
Productivity can be understood at two levels. At a collective level, productivity refers to the total output of goods and services produced from the given resources. At an individual level, it refers to how effectively you manage your tasks, meet deadlines, and handle your workload.
What are the types of productivity?
There are four types of productivity. These are personal productivity; national productivity; organisational productivity; and business productivity.
How to be productive as a Ghanaian migrant?
As a Ghanaian migrant, you can be more productive if you manage your time, focus on critical tasks, cut your to-do list short, learn email etiquette, avoid multi-tasking, take more breaks, follow the 80/20 rule, and focus on yourself in the morning.
What is the importance of productivity?
Productivity is critically important because it keeps you motivated and drives you towards your full potential. Being productive allows you to manage your life, work, hobbies, and relations with ease and peace of mind.
What NOT to do to be more productive?
If you want to increase your productivity, you should avoid working overtime, learn to say no, delegate responsibilities, not be a perfectionist, try to automate your tasks, avoid guessing and use solid data, and try to have a do-nothing time.
Resources
(Ghanaians in the World (atlasofhumanity.com)
(Personal remittances, received (current US$) - Ghana | Data (worldbank.org)