Clarity in workplace communication is highly important in any format, and these days, more and more business is conducted through email. Therefore, it's beneficial to learn how to maximize the content of your email messages, while minimizing the possibility of confusion. You should start with an informative, keyword-rich subject line that grabs the reader's attention. Don't leave the subject line blank, and don't be vague or non-specific; on the other hand, don't overuse exclamation points or capital letters. Either might lead an inattentive recipient to think your email is spam, resulting in it getting deleted—something that might range in consequence from minor to disastrous. If you're replying to an existing email, don't change the subject line unless you must. Otherwise, the recipient … [Read more...]
Increasing Productivity: HR’s Strategic Role in Improving Workforce Productivity
Please join me on August 31 for a special audio conference through the Workplace Training Center. The topic is HR’s Strategic Role in Improving Workforce Productivity: Working with Your Managers to Create High-Performing Employees Employees are expected to be competent. But the really successful employees are SUPER competent—the ones that companies fight to get, fight to keep, nurture and develop, and see as future leaders in their business growth. How do you know who the “A” players are? HR professionals are in a unique position to work with managers to identify productive employees and help them become even greater performers. Using a model that assesses engagement and performance of each employee, HR professionals can work with managers on improving individual employee … [Read more...]
Burning the Daylight Oil
"The early bird gets the worm." -- Traditional Western proverb. "By getting up early in the morning, one also gets more time at his disposal for work as compared to late-risers. Scholar and thinkers get up early in the morning and contemplate." -- Rig Veda, Hindu sacred verses. You've got to admire those night owls—the co-workers who stay well past quitting time to get their work done, displaying an impressive level of productivity in the process. But if you don't fit that mold, there's no reason to let them hog all the glory. You can hit the ground running as the sun comes up, and get a head start by burning the daylight equivalent of their midnight oil. Your goal here is to get into the office before your co-workers do, so you'll have that quiet, pristine time all to yourself before … [Read more...]
Four Things to Stop Doing at Work
"Ill habits gather by unseen degrees/As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas." -- John Dryden, English poet (Absalom and Achitophel, 1681) Have you updated your NOT-to-do list lately? Most of us are pretty good about compiling daily to-do lists to guide our workflow, and there's no denying that those lists are vital for maximizing productivity. However, in many ways, a list of things you refuse to do is just as important. A not-to-do list doesn't have to be fancy. You simply start by writing down the time-stealing behaviors that you prefer not to take part in; then you review and revise your list periodically, to make sure you don't accidentally slip into habits that damage your productivity and keep you at work too long. Obviously, not-to-do lists will vary from person to person, … [Read more...]
What Does Office Clutter Cost You?
According to a recent CareerBuilder study, clutter could be costing you quite a bit! More than a quarter of employers said they are less likely to promote someone who has a messy work space. A large percentage of employers also feel that having paper piles on desks gives them a more negative impression of those workers. Surpisingly, a third of workers admit to having hoarding tendencies with 13% saying they have files which are more than five years old. If you're facing challenges with office clutter, we've got help for you! Spend an hour with me on my pre-recorded webinar "Organize Your Office and Your Life: Survive Information Overload and Clear the Clutter." You'll learn expert tips on keeping the clutter at bay so that you have more time to tackle that to-do list! … [Read more...]
How To Manage Crises While Maintaining Workplace Productivity
As much as we try to structure our work time, there's no scheduling the unexpected. Emergencies and other crises overwhelm us all occasionally; unfortunately, no one has ever invented a predictive model (or crystal ball for that matter) that can actually warn us about everything that might blindside us during the average business day. In a perfect world, we would expect the unexpected, since we all know from experience how quickly things can go south. But somehow, it rarely turns out that way. Ever the optimists, most of us look forward to the workday proceeding smoothly and according to plan, so we can keep to our schedules and maximize our productivity. And sure, optimism has its good points; but sometimes, we let a positive, can-do attitude blind us to the reality that things can and … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: Take Back Your Time From Technology
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) discusses the use of technology and how to keep it from controlling your time. (C) 2011 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Lessons from the 2010 American Time Use Survey
"The business of the United States is business." -- Calvin Coolidge and several other American presidents "Last year continued to show the effects of the weak economy. The amount of time spent watching T.V. and other nonproductive activities remains extraordinarily high." -- Alan Krueger, American economist, in response to the 2010 American Time Use Study. "On an average day, 20 percent of men did housework -- such as cleaning or doing laundry -- compared with 49 percent of women." -- Citation from the 2010 American Time Use Study. On June 22, 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the results of its annual American Time Use Survey (ATUS) for 2010. A yearly tradition since 2003, ATUS offers a fascinating glimpse into the ways that Americans spend an average day. This time … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: Refusing Can Free Up Time
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), talks about saying "no" so that you have more time. (C) 2011 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
SuperCompetent Speaking: How to Cram Lots of Information into Limited Time
Is giving presentations a part of your job? One of the biggest constraints you face when making any presentation is a limited amount of time to get your point across. This is true whether you're the keynote speaker for a convention and have a solid hour to speak, or you're pitching your proposed budget to the Board of Directors and are lucky to get ten minutes. Get tips from my latest "SuperCompetent Speaking" article at Training Magazine online. … [Read more...]
