I was reading about a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. of 100 human resource executives, which found 56 percent said they would have normal office hours on Monday, citing the global nature of their businesses. Many people took the day off, turning it into a 4-day weekend. Those that are left in the office wish they weren't. So how to you get some last-minute pre-holiday productivity? Roll in giant recycling and trash bins and stage a paper-tossing contest between departments. Have employees clean out their filing cabinets, and whoever gets rid of the most paper in weight (adjusted to % based on the # of people in the department) gets a pizza party at lunch and leaves early. Of course, buy everyone pizza and let everyone go early, but you'll at … [Read more...]
Television needs a time management lesson
People always tell me how lucky I am to have the opportunity to be on television. "Wow, it must be nice to be such a celebrity!" they say. Right. So I'm supposed to appear on the CBS Early Show on June 26, live, to be interviewed about my newest book, Find More Time. I give up a weekend day with my family and make the long trek from Denver to NYC on Sunday. I arrive, fight NYC traffic for 90 minutes, check into my hotel, get something to eat alone (by the way, Sarabeth's Kitchen www.sarabeth.com has the best tomato soup I've ever had; their preserves are fabulous too), and sit down to think about the interview. Phone rings. It's the PR rep for my publisher. "Your segment's been bumped," she says. "Huh?" I … [Read more...]
Laura Stack to be interviewed on CBS Early Show!
Friends, please tune to the CBS Early Show on Monday, June 26, where I'm to be interviewed LIVE about my new book "Find More Time"! It will help me be less nervous in front of 3.2 million people knowing you are all rooting for me. … [Read more...]
Is Socializing a Waste of Time?
I read with a mixture of interest and amusement an article referencing a study done by OfficeTeam/ Robert Half International about whether socializing at work around the water cooler is a waste of time. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=2278 Predictably, workers said no. Predictably, managers said yes. The answer, of course, is YES...and NO. This is a silly study. As with any study, it's easy to skew the numbers. The answers vary, depending upon the context in which it's discussed and your point of reference. Certainly, socializing can be a waste of time. Thirty minutes spent chatting about your aunt Sally's surgery could qualify as a non-value producing activity. However, not all socializing is a waste of … [Read more...]
Get out of town and take a vacation
Have you taken your allotted vacation time this year? If not, check out http://search.csmonitor.com/2006/0612/p13s02-wmgn.htm. I'm quoted on my advice for a 10-day vacation, but it's easy to miss within the article. I've always thought one week was too short for a vacation, but two weeks seemed a bit too long, especially if I don't have my children with me. So I've come to enjoy a compromise at 10 days. It's long enough where I can relax and forget what day it is but short enough where I don't come back to an overwhelming workload. If you take these 10 days tagged on to Memorial Day weekend, July 4 weekend, or Labor Day weekend, you end up with 2 full weeks and three weekends, which gives you time at the end of your vacation to get organized and back … [Read more...]
Don’t forget to buy FIND MORE TIME on June 13!
Last reminder! On Tuesday, June 13 ONLY, if you purchase my new book Find More Time ONLY at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767922026/qid=1141425861/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-0341048-7344903?s=books&v=glance&n=283155, you will receive: *A 10-day eCourse on how to leave the office earlier * A poster on How to be P.R.O.D.U.C.T.I.V.E. * A self-study audio seminar and workbook on being more productive at work * A subscription to my monthly ezine "The Productivity Pro" * An eBook on Organizing Your Office and Your Life The bonus goodies offer does not apply to books purchased on any other day at any other bookstore. Best, Laura … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Find More Time for Your Life
You have a sink full of dishes, three loads of laundry, 17 bills to pay, you’re not sure how many e-mails to answer, a big stack of novels you’d love to read, and zero — count them — ZERO minutes of free time. “Where does the time go?” you lament. Here are some ideas to get you started on your quest to have a life: 1. Reduce waiting time. If your doctor or meetings always run late, plan ahead. Make good use of this time and carry note cards, bills and magazines in your tote. 2. Limit your television watching. Sensible limits may relieve guilt from overindulging, while freeing up time for more worthwhile pursuits. TIVO or tape your favorite shows and skip the commercials. 3. Say no to … [Read more...]
Organizing Your Parents’ and Grandparents’ Stuff Before They Die!
Oh my goodness. I just spent three days in San Antonio with my grandparents going through old photo albums, packets of God-knows-how-old photos, and envelopes with miscellaneous scraps. I HIGHLY recommend you take on this sort of project BEFORE your grandparents or parents die. I'm not even half-way done! I can't imagine how people can go through someone's things after they're are deceased and try to figure this out! Has anyone had this happen? "Who's this?" "Uhhhh...I think that's the neighbor's kid in Panama...1967 or so." "Who's this?" "Hmmmm...oh yeah! That was the lady who drew mom's blood in the hospital in 1996!" And so on. Right into the trash went those photos. My plan of … [Read more...]
Why Should You Care About Productivity?
I've had several people email me in the last few days about the U.S. productivity figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics a few weeks ago. Great news. 3.2% increase in the first quarter. But not quite where we were in 2002-2003 with levels over 4%. One quarter in 2003 had over 8%! That's when we were all working like dogs, when everyone was afraid of losing their jobs, before employees screamed "enough"! But still it's absolutely amazing that we can sustain this level of productivity. Fundamentally, why should you care? Well, why does your organization care about productivity? In order to be successful, your organization must both make money and save money. To make money, it must find and keep customers. To save money, … [Read more...]
Can Daydreaming be Productive?
You’re staring out your office window…lost in thought about your upcoming dinner party…when you jerk back to reality: “Oops, where was I?” you think, as you look down once again at the report on your desk. You’ve been daydreaming. Daydreaming can be a real productivity bandit, especially when you’re supposed to be focusing on a higher-priority project. Excessive daydreaming can waste precious time that could be better spent on other things. But daydreaming isn’t always bad. There’s a difference between true daydreaming as the brain’s response to overload or boredom and thinking time that may lead to promising ideas. How do you ensure daydreaming time is productive time? Don’t use daydreaming to procrastinate. Daydreaming can be a good tool for transitioning to a … [Read more...]
