How are your habits affecting your personal productivity? Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), talks about taking time to look at your habits to see how they are helping or hurting your abililty to get things done. (C) 2012 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Hard Work vs. Talent: The Eternal Debate
Posted on 08/21/2012 by ·
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." -- Albert Einstein, German-American physicist. "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." -- Michael Jordan, American pro basketball player. "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." -- Stephen King, American writer. One of the cornerstones of American culture is the concept of human equality: the notion that while some of us may be born into better circumstances than others, we all have equal rights as human beings to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We've enshrined that status in the very documents that declare and outline our system of government. But as equal as we may be in the eyes of the law, … [Read more...]
Snoozing Your Way to Personal Productivity: How Much Sleep is Right for You?
Posted on 08/14/2012 by ·
"Sleep that knits up the ravel'd sleeve of care, The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, Chief nourisher in life's feast..." -- William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene II "Sleep is the best meditation." -- The Dalai Lama. "It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it." -- John Steinbeck, American writer. Do you get enough sleep at night? At first glance, you may wonder what this question has to do with personal productivity. But think back to the last time you missed a significant amount of sleep. How did you feel the next day? Were you able to get your work done efficiently and professionally? Probably not. I'll bet you felt tense, … [Read more...]
Reevaluate a Complicated Process
Posted on 08/08/2012 by ·
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), discusses processes and why they sometimes need to be re-vamped for better productivity. (C) 2012 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Join us on Facebook and Get a FREE download
Posted on 08/08/2012 by ·
Join us on Facebook and download the entire first chapter of "What to Do When There's Too Much to Do" free! … [Read more...]
Break Out of the Cube to Increase Employee Productivity
Posted on 08/06/2012 by ·
"Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements." -- Peter Gibbons in the movie Office Space, as portrayed by actor Ron Livingston. Most modern offices consist of open-format workspaces designed to encourage collaboration and sociability. This sounds reasonable enough...until you remember two inconvenient facts. First, external distractions tend to limit worker productivity, and second, open offices provide a constant stream of distractions. Nevertheless, businesses often put office-workers on display in cubicle mazes, overseen by a few managers in private offices. Walls (if they exist at all) rise just high enough to provide an illusion of … [Read more...]
Strategic Alignment is Critical to High Performance
Posted on 08/05/2012 by ·
In business, we measure success by the bottom line; or as I've heard some people put it, "we keep score with dollars." When you get right down to it, profit represents the combination of drive, work, and efficiency we call high productivity. Staying busy isn't enough; we have to stay busy at what matters, in ways that move us toward well-defined goals and objectives. I've dedicated my 20-year career to helping my corporate clients improve employee performance and execute on strategy. I’ve stressed the value of time management skills, productivity training, to-do lists, task triage, and avoiding distractions. I've pointed out how individual empowerment, effective teamwork, and a positive workplace atmosphere all contribute to the kind of employee engagement that yields high levels of … [Read more...]
The Effects of Multitasking and Digital Stress
Posted on 07/31/2012 by ·
Someone shared this with me and I wanted to pass it along to you. This is a fascinating study on the way our brains work and how multitasking not only affects our productivity but our health too. How do you feel about this? Comment below! Via: OnlineUniversities.com … [Read more...]
Does Groupthink Hurt Your Productivity at Work?
Posted on 07/30/2012 by ·
"Groupthink: a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action." -- Irving Janis, American research psychologist. "The tribe often thinks the visionary has turned his back on them. When, in fact, the visionary has simply turned his face to the future." -- Ray Davis, American motivational speaker and writer. Can working in an open office, engaging in brainstorming sessions, and contributing to a business team actually hurt your personal productivity? Excellent question, because all of the above—and many other group-oriented activities—are integral business practices in today’s companies. We've all experienced team-building … [Read more...]
ATUS 2012: America’s Personal Productivity Stats
Posted on 07/26/2012 by ·
"The American work ethic is something to be admired. Our workforce, regardless of position, works hard to produce the best product and serve customers to the best of their ability." -- Leonard Boswell, U.S. Representative for Iowa's Third District. "On days that they worked, employed persons spent an average of 7.6 hours working. More hours were worked, on average, on weekdays than on weekend days—8.0 hours compared with 5.7 hours." -- Citation from the 2011 American Time Use Study. Executive Summary: This year's ATUS data paints a picture of a nation working harder than ever, significantly exceeding the "traditional" 40-hour week and working nearly as hard on weekends as on weekdays. The workers among the survey population were clearly not slacking, any more than they were in 2010. In … [Read more...]
