Social networking is all the rage today. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace - the list goes on. It seems like everyone has one or more of these services, but how many people are thinking about how it can affect them professionally? And how does it affect your productivity? In terms of your professional image, there have been many news stories and articles about people getting fired or not getting hired for jobs because of the things they post on their profiles. In one of my time management seminars, a participant told me she didn’t hire an applicant because she researched his social sites and saw that he “wanted to do as little as possible for as much money as possible.” If you want to keep your social networking just "between friends," pay close … [Read more...]
Please take my poll on to-do lists
I will be on QVC between January 1 and January 8, 2009, selling my new Productivity Pro branded Day-Timer. In preparation, I'm conducting a brief survey about the to-do list habits of the typical person. When you think of something you need to do, what do you usually do? Please visit the survey on my LinkedIn page and respond to one of five choices. Thank you for your assistance! … [Read more...]
Laura Stack to present public productivity seminar in Denver on December 9, 2008
Working long hours and feeling like you aren't accomplishing enough? Are you ready to learn to be more productive? Laura Stack is presenting her flagship productivity class at a rare public seminar in Denver on Tuesday, December 9, 2008! Here is your opportunity to learn from The Productivity Pro® herself. Get the tools you need to become more productive at work so that you can achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time® and Leave the Office Earlier®! Become a Productivity Pro(R) with Laura StackDate: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Location: Denver, CO, EKS&H Public Accountants Nearest Airport: Denver International Airport Grab a colleague! Reduced rates are available when registering three or more people from the same organization. To register or view … [Read more...]
Are Punctuation and Grammar Quandaries Punching Holes in Your Productivity?
Ever had an argument with a colleague about the commas in a sentence like the following? The battery pack gives you several options: 6 hours, 4 hours, 3 hours and 40 minutes, 2 hours and 45 minutes. Is that four options or five options? A comma before the last and makes it clear. But do you ALWAYS need a comma before that last and? Answer: No, the serial comma is optional. But you’re always safe to use it for clarity sake—as illustrated in the “battery-pack” sentence. Here are a couple tips to prevent grammar gaffes and save you a few minutes in reaching for a reference book: • The assure/insure/ensure dilemma: (All three words mean to give a guarantee—but they aren’t interchangeable.) Use assure only when you’re referring to someone talking or writing. Use insure only when … [Read more...]
Change is productive
With all the US Presidential election behind us, regardless of your political persuasion, let's talk about the big message of the Obama campaign: change. If you want to become more productive, you'll have to be willing to make changes and create new, positive habits and leave old habits behind. It is easy to become set in our ways and continue doing things the way we've always done them because, well, it's how we've always done them. I'll take a line from Dr. Phil and ask "How's that working for you?" Content, satisfied people are not apt to make changes. After all, if everything is going along swimmingly, what's to change? But people and organizations must continue to change for things to improve. If your relationship with your significant other never changed, it would never grow … [Read more...]
What’s a ROWE? Understanding the Results-Only Work Environment
The biggest workplace revolution since the cubicle might someday make those stuffy little offices obsolete. It’s a whole new way to look at work. Picture this…what if…work weren’t a place that you GO…but it was a thing that you DO. That’s the idea behind the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE)—a concept originally conceived at Best Buy that has spread to organizations across many industries. It sounds so simple, but it can be a very tricky concept for some of us to wrap our heads around, especially for those that have been in a traditional workplace for a long time. Think about it. We talk about “burning the midnight oil.” We notice which cars are always in the parking lot at the end of the day. We listen to self-proclaimed go-getters brag about their 80-hour workweeks. But … [Read more...]
A Healthy Worker is a Productive Worker: take care of yourself during the holidays
It's only logical that the healthier you are, the more productive you can be. Think about it - the last time you were ill, how much work did you really get done? It is so easy today to neglect ourselves because we are "too busy" or "too tired." We're coming up on that busy holiday time of the year where everyone seems harried and has too much to do. The holiday season doesn't have to be a drain. Now is the time to take steps to keep yourself healthy! 1. Get enough sleep! I know, easier said than done - but it is important! 2. Get your flu shot. No, it isn't fun, but neither is the flu. 3. Don't neglect your exercise routine. It is easy during the holiday season to skip over your regular workouts. Try to stick to your routine, and you'll feel better! 4. Treat … [Read more...]
The Holidays are Coming! Get Ready by Clearing the Clutter
With the holiday season right around the corner, NOW is a great time to do some purging in the office and at home. December is a big month for donating used materials, household items and clothing---not only because of the holiday spirit of giving---but because December 31 is the last day of the year to get in your tax-deductible donations! With this in mind, do you really want to spend your precious holiday time frantically cleaning out your closets, office and basement, instead of spending it with family and friends? So start now! Do just a bit at a time so as not to become overwhelmed, but still in time to get it all done well before the end of the year. Pick one place to start like your office or your bedroom closet, or your kitchen cupboards. Really take stock of what is there. … [Read more...]
Laughter is Good for Productivity
Humor in the workplace is a productive thing, according to Psychologist Maren Rawlings from Swinburne University of Technology. In a recent study, Rawlings "found a direct correlation between the climate of good humor in a workplace and employee satisfaction." Previous research found a link between job satisfaction and productivity, so the logical leap is that humor is good for productivity. Of course this doesn't mean we can spend our entire days cracking jokes, but it says to me that we can lighten up and laugh a little. Rawlings also noted "If employers take measures to encourage a positive humor climate in the workplace, they are more likely to retain their staff." Keeping the staff you have rather than experiencing turnover is clearly more productive than re-hiring and training … [Read more...]
Don’t Panic, Just Unplug a Bit
Times are uncertain. The news programs and websites are all gloom and doom, full of distractions with the financial "crisis" and the upcoming elections. How do we stay productive when Chicken Little is screaming "the sky is falling"? Turn it all off, at least for a while. Stay off the news websites during the work day. Schedule yourself for some time to read up on the candidates, ballot issues and news that is important to you, but outside of that, turn it off. Keeping the TV on and constantly being on news websites is information overload that creates undue stress. What's going to happen is going to happen and you watching it unfold on CNN is not going to change anything. What we CAN do to help is to stay productive so that our businesses and households are as healthy as they can be. … [Read more...]
