Brand You: The Basics of Personal Branding

"Life is one big pitch, so you'd better start practicing." -- Dan Shawbel, personal branding expert "What's a brand? A singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect." -- Al Ries, coauthor of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing "All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You." -- Tom Peters, American business writer Back in 1997, Tom Peters articulated a concept that had been around for decades: "Brand You." In an influential article in the magazine Fast Company, Peters argued that it's no longer enough to be quietly talented and hardworking in order to get ahead. While skills remain crucial, he noted, success in the … [Read more...]

What’s New In Microsoft Outlook Version 2010?

When I think of productivity tools for the modern business professional, one of the first that comes to mind is Outlook, Microsoft's insanely useful personal management program. Outlook began life as an email client, and it's still a great one; but in the past decade, it's grown into so much more. These days, Outlook is also one of the chief ways that savvy business professionals manage their time and maximize their accessibility, from scheduling their meetings to keeping track of their personal contacts. This past year we were blessed with a new version, the inventively-named Microsoft Outlook 2010. It's chockfull of interesting and practical features--some of them completely new, and others refinements of features introduced in earlier versions. In this article, I'll show you how to … [Read more...]

What’s New In Microsoft Outlook Version 2010? Cool New Tips and Tricks

Webinar 19: Planning and Executing Long-Term Projects: Project Management for Non-Project Managers

When I think of productivity tools for the modern business professional, one of the first that comes to mind is Outlook, Microsoft's insanely useful personal management program. Outlook began life as an email client, and it's still a great one; but in the past decade, it's grown into so much more. These days, Outlook is also one of the chief ways that savvy business professionals manage their time and maximize their accessibility, from scheduling their meetings to keeping track of their personal contacts. This past year we were blessed with a new version, the inventively-named Microsoft Outlook 2010. It's chockfull of interesting and practical features—some of them completely new, and others refinements of features introduced in earlier versions. In this article, I'll show you how to … [Read more...]

Laura Stack’s “Staying on Top of the Inbox” course on Udemy.com

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Business Productivity: For Executives – Organization

"Ignorance is not bliss. It's fatal. It's costly. And it's for losers. You either get organized, or get crushed." -- Donald Trump, American businessman One of the Six Keys of workplace competence is Accessibility: your ability to organize the inputs and outputs in your work life, so that you can easily locate data in any medium—whether it's in paper files, on your computer system, on the company Intranet, or distributed in your team members' heads. Given the fact that modern workers are constantly bombarded with data and communications, just being able to access information efficiently can enhance productivity to a surprising degree. At the C-Suite level, Accessibility morphs into Organization…and from a productivity standpoint, it's more important than ever. Organization means more … [Read more...]

Productivity Minute Video: How to Organize A Room

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), shares tips on room organization. (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved … [Read more...]

Business Productivity Video: Handling Your Paperwork

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) shares tips on managing all the paper that comes across our desks. (c) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved … [Read more...]

Time Management: Productivity-Boosting Sites on the Web

PC Magazine recently published a list of "52 Incredibly Useful Sites." The web can sometimes be filled with time-wasting sites, so it's great to have a list of sites that can boost productivity and make web-surfing more enjoyable. Kudos to PC Magazine for this great list! Enjoy: http://www.pcworld.com/article/194735/52_incredibly_useful_sites_the_full_list.html … [Read more...]

Business Productivity: SHRM Interview on Social Media with Laura Stack

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Time Management: Social Media Un-Productivity: How to Avoid Addiction

SOCIAL MEDIA UN-PRODUCTIVITY – HOW TO AVOID ADDICTION I’ve coined the term Obsessive Compulsive Social Media Disorder. Do you have it? Many people confess, “Facebook is my secret addiction. I’m obsessed! I don’t really know how to cure it, but I spend hours every day on Facebook, plus LinkedIn, Twitter, and all my other social media sites. I’ve not yet been able to monetize the results of this activity and am not really sure whether I am getting any business off of it.” It’s a common complaint. You absolutely need to have a presence in social media and spend time doing it; however, it can be a huge productivity drain if you are not careful. Here are a few tips to make it more manageable and more productive: 1. Do not leave your Twitter feed open and observe posts in real time. … [Read more...]