In their recent study Learning in Tough Economic Times: How Corporate Learning is Meeting the Challenges, ASTD and i4cp report that in this economic downturn, more organizations maintained their commitment to learning, and that commitment correlates strongly with better performance in the market. These organizations are not only trying to survive the downturn, but also to emerge strong when the economy recovers. Maintaining the learning function helps the organization stretch the lean workforce, while keeping their workers prepared for the future. Download an Executive Summary of the report or purchase the full report from ASTD. … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: Learning in Tough Economic Times Pays Off for Many Organizations
Posted on 08/21/2009 by ·
Time Management: Laura Stack Article Featured in Productive Magazine
Posted on 08/17/2009 by ·
The latest issue of Productive! Magazine features Laura Stack's article "I spend waaaaaay too much time on..." The digital magazine has already exceeded 6,000 downloads. Visit Productive! Magazine online at www.productivemagazine.com for your free digital subscription filled with great articles and tips on being more productive. Laura's featured article talks about time managment, what some of the biggest timewasters are, and how to avoid them. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Personal Productivity: Why Greensizing is Productive
Posted on 08/11/2009 by ·
We all want to do our part to help the environment. But if you can give the Earth a break and increase your productivity at the same time, that’s a real no-brainer! Luckily, a lot of the things you can do to help sustain the planet can help sustain your productivity as well. Read on for tips on how to green-size your life and get more done at the same time. Use less paper. About 80 percent of papers that are filed are never referenced again. What a waste! A good solution? File less. An even better solution? Produce less paper to begin with. That doesn’t mean you have to constantly inconvenience yourself or feel guilty about ever sheet that comes off the printer. It just means you should think twice before you hit “print.” Do you really need a paper copy of that e-mail message or … [Read more...]
Increasing Productivity: I spend waaaaay too much time on…
Posted on 07/14/2009 by ·
I asked readers to fill in the blank on our last monthly survey and received some great responses. There were tons of interesting answers, but it didn’t take long to start seeing some patterns. Read on for the seven most common responses (and what you can do about them). 1. E-mail. Let’s face it. E-mail can be a phenomenal productivity tool, but it will eat your day alive if you let it. Lots of people complain that their overflowing inbox is beyond their control, but here are three steps you CAN take to start getting a handle on it right away: Do you keep one eye on your inbox all day long? What does that do to your productivity? If you drop everything and attend to every e-mail that comes in throughout the day, you are derailing your productivity, over and over again. Not … [Read more...]
Online learning library of Microsoft Outlook training videos with Laura Stack
Posted on 07/07/2009 by ·
With email being such a huge productivity drain right now, I created a brand-new online video learning library to conduct Microsoft Outlook training virtually. (I am a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist in Outlook.) The series includes ten 1-hour modules of online self-paced training. You can watch these streaming videos from the privacy of your own office, from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Each flash video includes a detailed workbook with screen shots, so you can repeat on your Outlook. Microsoft online video learning library with Laura Stack: Module 1: Customizing Your Outlook Module 2: Inbox/Outbox/Sent Items/Drafts Module 3: Tasks Module 4: Calendar Module 5: Notes and Journal Module 6: Contacts Module 7: Time Savers Module 8: Advanced E-mail … [Read more...]
Engaged Employees Are More Productive
Posted on 07/05/2009 by ·
Hopefully by now we all get it: this economy is challenging, things are changing, and everyone is looking for ways to do more with less. Unfortunately, as many companies struggle to adjust to this new reality, opportunities are being missed. Often we are so focused on stretching an organization’s financial and other resources that we become less effective in managing our human resources. Why do you think that is? A lot of the time, it’s just a matter of focusing on the tangible rather than the intangible. If you can improve a machine’s output by 10 percent, that’s obviously a good thing. But improving an employee’s productivity…that’s much more difficult to turn into a percentage (or a dollar figure). Regardless, it is the manager’s job to get the most out of his or her employees. … [Read more...]
Laura Stack receives the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) in Outlook 2007 credential
Posted on 06/26/2009 by ·
The Productivity Pro(R), Inc. is delighted to announce that Laura Stack has received the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) in Outlook 2007 credential. A Microsoft Business Certification shows employers that you have the technical skills to solve real-world problems by using advanced features of Microsoft Office programs. Not only did she pass, but the test administrator remarked that Laura's test results were the closest to a perfect score she had ever seen on the exam. The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) credential is a globally recognized standard that validates skills with using the 2007 Microsoft Office system and meets the demand for the most up-to-date skills on the latest technologies from Microsoft. Candidates who successfully complete the … [Read more...]
Time Management: Ten Reasons Tasks Never Move off Your To-Do List (and how to fix it)
Posted on 06/10/2009 by ·
I recently surveyed my readers on the eternal question of productivity: Why is it that some things on your to-do list never get done? Some great responses rolled in, ranging from the classic (too many interruptions) to the matter-of-fact (I don’t feel like doing it). But as diverse as the responses were, it didn’t take long to see certain themes emerge. Below are the top ten issues at the heart of the problem and some guidance on how to deal with them. 1. You haven’t made the necessary decisions. Your to-do list should be full of clear, actionable ideas—in other words, things you can actually do. If you have a vague goal, like “Have a sale,” you’ve still got a lot of thinking to do before you can hit the ground running and make real progress. Take a minute to figure out exactly … [Read more...]
