Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), discusses how planning ahead can make transition time easier. (C) 2011 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Work Life Balance: Planning for Chaotic Transition Periods: Productivity Minute Video
Posted on 01/07/2011 by ·
What’s New In Microsoft Outlook Version 2010? Cool New Tips and Tricks
Posted on 01/05/2011 by ·
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
Posted on 01/04/2011 by ·
Business Productivity: For Executives – Attitude
Posted on 01/04/2011 by ·
"It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude." -- Zig Ziglar, motivational expert "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you are right." -- Henry Ford, American industrialist Your Attitude is your state of mind toward the world around you—the precious combination of motivation, drive, and proactiveness that help define who you are. If you want to succeed in the workplace, you need to ensure that the sum of those factors is positive, so that your Attitude can pull you forward, rather than drag you down like an anchor. You must be willing to look beyond (or around or under) the expected, and take steps toward achieving what you find there. Not only will such an outlook help you achieve the improbable on a regular basis, it'll help you get through … [Read more...]
Balancing Work and Family course on Udemy.com by Laura Stack
Posted on 01/01/2011 by ·
Business Productivity: For Executives – Organization
Posted on 12/28/2010 by ·
"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: Organize Your Children’s Items
Posted on 12/21/2010 by ·
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), shares tips on keeping your children's items organized. (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: For Executives – Efficiency
Posted on 12/16/2010 by ·
"Accountability breeds response-ability." -- Stephen R. Covey Once you reach the uppermost layers of management, Accountability becomes Efficiency—and as a C-Suite manager, one of your first tasks should be to implement Efficiency wherever necessary. If you've made it to the C-Suite, you didn't get there by accident. You were elevated to the position because of your demonstrated SuperCompetence in all aspects of your work life. It's a truism that you can't be SuperCompetent without having a highly-developed sense of Accountability; and as one of your company's leaders, you're a cornerstone upon which the entire organization rests. This means that you have to set the Efficiency example for your team to follow. The buck stops with you because it has to; after all, where else can it go, … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: For Executives – Focus
Posted on 12/02/2010 by ·
"The older I get, the more I see a straight path where I want to go. If you’re going to hunt elephants, don’t get off the trail for a rabbit." -- T. Boone Pickens, American financier At the lofty C-Suite level, the SuperCompetent Key of Attention transforms into Focus. Suddenly, your capacity to concentrate on your work and only your work becomes paramount—much more critical that it was before, if only because your actions impact the company more completely than they ever have. A distracted, overwhelmed CEO or VP can be much more damaging than a middle manager who can't keep his or her head in the game. Worse, the higher you go, the more distractions you have to deal with. When you're just Josephine Schmoe down in Cubical Land, it's hard enough to filter out electronic distractions, … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: For Executives – Availability and Scheduling
Posted on 11/23/2010 by ·
"There cannot be a crisis today; my schedule is already full." -- Henry Kissinger, American politician. "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." Stephen R. Covey, time management and productivity guru. "A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time." -- Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prizing winning author. One of the core keys of SuperCompetence is Availability: your willingness and ability to protect your time, so that you can accomplish your desired activities. At the C-Suite level, this translates as Scheduling—and Scheduling is about more than just accomplishing the things that you want to accomplish. CEOs, CFOs, Presidents, … [Read more...]
