I'm quoted in the Alabama Press-Register in an article by Kaija Wilkinson called "Express Yourself," discussing productivity in office cublicles or "workstations" as they are called today. She discusses how neat they should be, configuration, use of personal items, and design. Pretty good article. I come across as a bit of a neat freak, so I wanted to provide some additional commentary on why I think it's a good idea to maintain a neat workstation. Order is your ability to sort, filter, and process information effectively. It’s also your ability to FIND what you want, when you want it. It’s how tidy your work areas look, inside and out. I believe a messy office is a career detriment. I can’t tell you how many negative comments I hear, such as, … [Read more...]
Make Productive Use of Driving and Commuting Time
Travel time can seem like wasted time! I like being a passenger in a car much better than a driver because I can observe the scenery, read a magazine, and catch up on phone calls. As the driver, you can’t do anything (safely) that requires your hands or eyes. You’re strapped into your car seat without much to look at except the bumper in front of you. So there’s nothing you can do, right? Wrong! Try these activities during long commute times: Use the phone. Now I’m one of those people who get aggravated while people are chatting away on their cell phones while driving…generally because they’re not, well, driving. Many people have no idea how slowly they’re going while they’re on the phone. Plus talking on the phone has proven to be unsafe, and many states have passed ordinances … [Read more...]
Employee perks: complaining in first class
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
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
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
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...]
Time management and chronic pain
It’s very hard to do much of anything when you’re in pain. Chronic pain can really sap your energy. I’m guilty of putting up with too much pain, deciding “that’s just the way it is; nothing I can do about it.” I’ve been in a few car accidents over the years—including one major one in which I fractured my back at 20 years old. I’ve dealt with whiplash (and corresponding problems with my cervical spine) and a compression fracture between my shoulder blades (and corresponding problems with my thoracic spine). I went through a lot of physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and injections to try to cure the pain, and many treatments were helpful, but nothing completely resolved my pain. So basically I endure a dull ache in my back. I often have the … [Read more...]
Control Your Technology…Don’t Let It Control You
Today’s children spend an average of 15 hours a week watching television, playing video games, and surfing the Internet. Is there any wonder why childhood obesity has risen at alarming rates? Laptops, PDAs, pagers, cell phones…the technological devices that were supposed to make our lives simpler are taking away our lives. We’re working harder to keep up with our own inventions. The “always available” nature of technology wreaks havoc in some people’s personal lives. The price of being available 24-7 is the loss of time for loved ones, reflection, relaxation, and spiritual growth. It’s time we asserted control over technology and used it to enhance our lives, rather than robbing our lives of sacred time. Limit your television watching. When I was a child, I was allowed to watch two … [Read more...]
Time Management in Space? Productivity for Astronauts?
I recently met a former astronaut, Rick Searfoss, who told me he brings on the lessons of teamwork, leadership, innovation and peak performance lessons of human spaceflight down to earth for all to enjoy (www.astronautspeaker.com). I bit and asked him what he learned about time management by being an astronaut and if there was such a thing as productivity in space. His quotes on how the principles of productivity apply in space fascinated me, and I hope you gain some insights from his experiences as well: “There’s nothing so bad that you can’t make it worse.” He spent hundreds of hours in a simulator, training on what to do in an emergency, and working on procedures he may never have to use. From a technical perspective, the rookie pilot the left has the most … [Read more...]
Controlled by your computer
I just read this quote by Lewis Eigen, uttered in 1961, which is even more profound today than it was then: "The workers and professionals of the world will soon be divided into two distinct groups. Those who will control computers and those who will be controlled by computers. It would be best for you to be in the former group." A 2001 survey sponsored by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and conducted by Harris Interactive shows that the increased use of technology such as cell phones, beepers, email, and computers has had a tremendous impact on the feelings of overwork in America. The four out of ten employees who use technology often or very often for their jobs during typical non-work hours more frequently feel overworked. About one-fifth of employees in the study said they often or … [Read more...]
