Here's a great article in Fitness Magazine.com on how to make time for your friends and family without getting overscheduled. Oh, wait! I'm quoted in it. :-) Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Do allergies reduce productivity?
Posted on 05/02/2007 by ·
Now here's a pharmeceutical company selling non-drowsy allergy medication that came up with the 2007 Reactine Quality of Life Report and the impact allergies have on sufferers of the condition. Highlights from the report include: - Allergic and Unbearable. Three out of four Canadians with allergies say symptoms increase irritability and fatigue, and 55 per cent claim reduced productivity (housework; on-the-job, academia). - It's not in Your Head: And this doesn't come as a surprise to health experts. This season 71 per cent of health professionals agree allergies can regularly or often affect a person's … [Read more...]
Stop Being Late: Time Management for Tardy People
Posted on 05/01/2007 by ·
Here's a nice article on 5 Ways to Stop Being Late. Made me start thinking about punctuality. A quiet amusement of mine is to watch the expression of people who arrive late for my time management seminars. Tail between the legs, these people shuffle in sheepishly mumbling something about traffic, while their friends tease, “How can you be late for a time management class?” The number one complaint I receive from managers who hire me to coach their staff on performance is something around “the inability to meet deadlines, is always late, is constantly running behind, or he/she forgot.” There are actually three types of people I see: 1. “Late” people are typically perpetually late, for everything. 2. “On time” … [Read more...]
Japanese organization helps men leave the office earlier
Posted on 04/03/2007 by ·
An article called "Japanese Housewives Win Right to Share of Ex-Husbands' Pensions" describes a new law now in effect in Japan to allow Japanese women to take half of a man's pension following divorce, women are filing in droves. In response, a new organization was established called Japan Aisaika -- the Devoted Husband Organization -- to urge men to leave the office earlier and change the way they behave at home. The group encourages husbands to stop being such workaholics, pay more attention to their families, and when they retire, become more independent and stop hanging around the house so much, which creates "husband at home stress syndrome" in women who have been used to their workaholic husbands never being home. Finally! A law that … [Read more...]
Self-discipline and time management
Posted on 03/28/2007 by ·
When you promise someone you will complete a task by a certain timeframe, do you do it? Or does the deadline slip past once again, with you muttering to yourself, “Stupid! What is wrong with you?” Now you aren’t able to focus on anything, always aware of this dark cloud hanging over your head. Guilt sucks the energy right out of you! Instead, decide today that you are going to be a person of your word. Are you reliable? Can people count on you to do what you say you're going to do? Do you have integrity and keep the deadlines you promise? What's others' perception of you? Do you live out what you affirm? Do you do what you complain about in others? What things do people "jokingly" say about you and your … [Read more...]
How Does Clothing Affect Personal Productivity and Energy?
Posted on 03/26/2007 by ·
Not only can Western society’s work ethic be rigid, but so can our clothing. There’s a reason that casual Friday was invented—it’s because we finally followed our intuition that uncomfortable clothing restricts our energy flow! In the 70’s movie Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman dresses up as a woman to get a job. While he’s donning women’s apparel he says something akin to, “Who’s the misogynist bastard who invented high heels?!” In my opinion, high heels and bras are tangible proof of evil. Wearing high heels on a regular basis can cause serious foot problems such as hammertoes, bunions, corns, calluses, Achilles problems, growth of nerve tissue called neuromas, and even stress fractures.[i] And that’s just your feet! High heels also cause knee … [Read more...]
Employee perks: complaining in first class
Posted on 03/12/2007 by ·
I love sitting in first class on an airplane. By policy, I travel coach to my speaking engagements. Occasionally, I will earn enough upgrade certificates in my mileage program to upgrade myself to first class, even though I’m only paying for a coach ticket. I feel blessed each time I get to sit there and would expect others feel the same way. But today I had a seatmate who complained about everything—the seats, the food, and the lack of choices on the menu. Excuse me? A lack of choices? The people in coach are jealous that you even have food! And this guy’s complaining about sitting in first class. Are you that way? Are you complaining in first class? I give training seminars at an accounting firm in Denver that has received the … [Read more...]
Increasing your stamina, endurance, and energy at your desk
Posted on 03/04/2007 by ·
Can you maintain your productivity all day? Even if you do start out the day with plenty of zest, you may eventually feel that energy slipping away. You can be zipping along just fine, then—Boom!—you hit what sports enthusiasts call "The Wall." How well you handle your energy budget will determine whether you break through the Wall and move on to the rest of your day—or just bounce off and slog through the mental mud. There's no magic pill to help you increase your endurance or skyrocket your stamina. If you Google “increase your stamina” and “increase your endurance,” you'll keep coming upon exercise tips (at least you will once you get past all the ads for vitamins and, yes, magic pills). There's a good reason for that. Much of your ability to make it through the … [Read more...]
The Crackberry: A Corporate Noose or Time Leveraging Tool: Time Management and Blackberries
Posted on 03/02/2007 by ·
I enjoyed this post about how to be more productive with your Crackberry, I mean Blackberry. Especially true is Nakagawa's comment, "...the people who are the most productive don’t seem to have them." I'm sure you have your beefs about Blackberry usage in your organization (or by your spouse, for that matter). If you were king or queen of the world, what "rules" would you create about Blackberry usage? In addition to the 10 the author lists, I'll add the following from personal experience: 1. Do not pretend you are listening to someone by brainlessly mumbling "uh-huh" while you are answering an email on your Crackberry. 2. Pay attention to the presenter during training sessions rather than using the time as your personal … [Read more...]
Handling interruptions: scheduling time for drop-in visitors
Posted on 02/26/2007 by ·
Schedule your interruptions. Perhaps one of the reasons you’re being interrupted so frequently is you’re never around and available. This is especially true of people who travel for a living or spent most of the day wrapped up in meetings. It’s understandable that you’ll be pounced upon by your assistant when you suddenly emerge, and she’s been waiting to ask you some questions for two days. Here are some ways you can actually plan for and around interruptions: · Schedule regular check-in times. If you have an assistant, you’ll want to set up a regular time (or several times) each day or week to touch base. Have your assistant “save up” all questions he or she has and ask them all at once during your regularly scheduled … [Read more...]
