How Curiosity Can Make You More Productive

Trying to think of ways to boost your productivity at work – or to help others boost theirs?

Try curiosity.

An inquisitive approach to life, researchers say, can pay off in far more ways than simply having a head full of new facts.

Researchers in Indonesia, studying finance professionals, found a link between curiosity and independent employee behavior. Curious employees were more likely to master their work duties, contributing to increased performance.

Other researchers found that when leaders are curious, their employees feel a greater degree of psychological safety and are more likely to speak up at work. (It should be noted that this was truer for male leaders because employees expect female leaders to be curious. Perhaps paradoxically, that reduces the impact of their curiosity.)

On the whole, though, a curious outlook can make you more engaged and creative at work – especially important in a time of low employee engagement.

If curiosity doesn’t come naturally to you, here are three things you can try to kick-start it:

Read, watch, or listen to something informative but entirely unrelated to work.

Maybe it’s a true crime podcast. Maybe it’s a video series exploring other countries’ culinary traditions. Maybe it’s a book on Civil War history, or fungi, or the sense of smell and how it evolved.

The important thing isn’t gathering specific facts, fascinating as they might be. The important thing is developing that attitude of wanting to learn new things, of being open to surprise, of willingness to change your understanding of the world based on what you learn about it.

That can’t help but translate into more curiosity and flexibility at work. When you’re curious about the larger world around you, it naturally follows that you’d be the same way about the environment where you spend so much of your day.

Pick up a new skill – one that encourages further exploration.

You don’t have to be great at it. That’s not the point. The point is to reawaken the sense of discovery and accomplishment you knew as a child, when you were learning new skills left and right. 

And what happened when you learned to read? You learned to read more challenging things. When you learned to write, you learned to use those words to set your imagination free. When you learned to ride a bike, it freed you to get out and explore your surroundings more.

So, choose something that expands your world and makes you want to go deeper, farther, higher. Maybe it’s learning a new musical instrument, or picking up another language, or even learning to properly barbecue. The point is to feel like a curious kid again.

Don’t just talk to coworkers. Listen to them.

Now, nobody’s asking you to plop down at a coffee shop and ask the person at the next table about the meaning of life. (Nobody’s telling you that you can’t, either, but it’s usually best to keep things light.)

But at work, you’re around people you at least know as acquaintances. So you have a starting point for curiosity and discovery. 

The key is to be open, rather than intrusive. If openings present themselves, see where they lead. Maybe a colleague mentions a new restaurant, or asks about the band t-shirt you’re wearing. Openings can go both ways, and a workplace culture of curiosity benefits everyone

Ask open-ended questions and then listen without interrupting. It gives the other person a chance to share their thoughts and opens the door for you to discover new things.

“What do you like about that place?”

“I haven’t seen that show. What’s it about?”

“If I were to listen to their music, what should I start with?”

For more on personal development, check out Developing Your Emotional Intelligence

Now, not everyone is wired to explore curiosity in the same way. And that’s fine, so long as you do something to broaden your horizons on a regular basis.

The curious nature you’ve applied outside of work can help you inside the office too. Asking coworkers about their interests is great, but understanding their responsibilities can have a domino effect.

It starts with curiosity; asking how they approach things or how they developed their methods. This builds a better understanding of how their work affects your work, which then builds collaborative relationships, which then builds camaraderie. All of this adds up to create a workplace of recognition and gratitude, which improves employee mental health and retention. All because you brought a curious nature.

Whatever route you take to curiosity in your personal life, or in your interactions with colleagues, watch it reap benefits in your work life as you explore new developments, new ways of doing things, and new solutions to the problems you face on a daily basis.