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Lifting Your Spirits: Pumping Up Productivity with Pleasant Surroundings

Posted on 07/01/2014 by ·
Pumping Up #Productivity with Pleasant Surroundings y Laura Stack

"We are what we see. We are products of our surroundings." -- Amber Valleta, American actress. While there are jobs that take place in harsh environments, if you're reading this article, I doubt you do. However, perhaps it’s sterile, or uncomfortable, or hot. Poor working conditions can lead to decreased productivity and inferior performance. For example, we know that poor ergonomics cause repetitive motion injuries, so addressing these issues costs less in terms of insurance costs and lost productivity. Nowadays, desks tend to be at the right height, computer screens at the right distance to avoid eyestrain, and keyboards easier to use. What are some other ways you can make your office a better place to work? 1. Bring a little of the outdoor world inside. Did you know that in … [Read more...]

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Looking for a productivity boost? Go back to school this fall!

Posted on 06/12/2014 by ·

NEW Complimentary eCourses from Laura Stack, delivered right to your inbox! In more than twenty years of helping leaders create high-performance cultures and accelerate growth, I've identified four key factors that must be in place for a leader to execute strategy efficiently. Without these elements, execution can fail—even when it's based on a mature strategy. The Four Keys to Effective Strategic Execution—Leverage, Environment, Alignment, and Drive—represent solutions to the 36 Execution Obstacles and form the L-E-A-D Formula™ outlined in www.ExecutionIsTheStrategy.com. The following four eCourses comprise the Four Keys to Efficient Strategic Execution (each one is a 13-week eCourse): Leverage Environment Alignment Drive Register for these additional complimentary eCourses … [Read more...]

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Adjusting Your Attitude for Maximal Productivity

Posted on 04/08/2014 by ·
Adjusting Your Attitude for Maximal Productivity by Laura Stack #productivity

Simply put, your attitude is the state of mind you present to the world. To succeed in the workplace, the sum of the factors that comprise your attitude must be positive, so it pulls you forward on your path to success. In my experience, a positive outlook helps leaders attain the improbable on a regular basis, both from themselves and through others. At a minimum, it will help you get through those inevitable times when everything looks dark and seems difficult. When interviewing workplace superstars for upcoming books, something that used to surprise me (but doesn’t anymore) is with rare exception, they think positively. They’ve discovered a little secret—when your reach exceeds your grasp, you can accomplish amazing things with a positive attitude. I’ve interviewed many leaders who … [Read more...]

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Trusting Your Skills: The Value of Unquestioning Faith in Your Abilities

Posted on 01/28/2014 by ·
Trusting Your Skills: The Value of Unquestioning Faith in Your Abilities by Laura Stack #productivity

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." -- Larry Bird American basketball player. I’ve observed that many of the most successful people in the business world are so absolutely confident in themselves and everything they do that they can come across as brash and cocky. Think of people like Richard Branson, Donald Trump, and Bill Gates. They take to heart the axiom formulated by John Eliot, author of the book Overachievement, who pointed out: "The best in every business do what they have learned to do without questioning their abilities—they flat out trust their skills." Eliot, a highly-regarded psychologist, focuses on cultivating self-confidence as one means of what I … [Read more...]

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New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on 01/01/2014 by ·
New Years Resolutions

According to University of Scranton, only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Why is this number so low? Researchers say our resolutions are often intangible, too extreme, and too long-term. We use terms like “lose weight” or “get out of debt.” Instead, be more specific and make a concrete checklist or to-do list of obtainable goals, outlining specifically how you plan to achieve your New Year’s Resolution. For example, if you want to get out of debt, your checklist might look like this: Transfer credit card to low-rate card Only charge what can be covered Eat out once every two weeks Close unused credit cards Put a freeze on credit Sign up for a personal finance class Buy Suzy Orman latest debt book Consolidate student loans Researchers say that if you … [Read more...]

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Don’t Think Yourself into a Corner!

Posted on 11/08/2013 by ·
Don't Think Yourself into a Corner! by Laura Stack #productivity

The human imagination is a wonderful thing. When you throw open the floodgates of creativity and embark on a brainstorming session, you can formulate any number of ways to deal with an unsettling problem. Afterward, you can test your ideas to see which one will work best for your specific situation. This is where some of us run into the brick wall of overthinking. Ironically, creativity can be a drawback if allowed to range too freely, especially if you have trouble evaluating the ideas you've dreamed up. I recently read an article in which the authors criticized "idea monkeys," creative people with so many bright, shiny ideas they can't bear to settle on just one and explore it fully. Until they learn to prioritize and focus on their best ideas, they won’t accomplish much. The other … [Read more...]

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Output, Not Busywork: The True Key to Productivity

Posted on 11/06/2013 by ·
Output, Not Busywork: The True Key to Productivity by Laura Stack #productivity

"Don't confuse activity with achievement." -- John Wooden, American college basketball coach. "Beware the barrenness of a busy life." -- Socrates, ancient Greek philosopher. All my career, I've personal fought my tendency to “stay busy,” as if by doing so, I’ll inevitably be more productive...as if constantly getting things done, one after another, were somehow enough to ensure success. Intellectually, it takes very little effort to refute this tendency, though the proof never seems to get through to the people who need it most—from the $100-an-hour executive micromanaging his $10-an-hour assistant, to the teams who spend fifteen hours a week in meetings and spin off report after report, trying to figure out why they aren't more profitable. Hard work is necessary to succeed in any … [Read more...]

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How to Escape a Workplace Productivity Rut

Posted on 08/23/2013 by ·
How to Escape a Workplace Productivity Rut by Laura Stack #productivity

By now, you've internalized the basics of time management in an effort to maximize your productivity. You know you must be self-disciplined, shut down distractions, eliminate time-wasters, improve information handling, and make every effort to smooth out your workflow. The problem is, you can do everything right and still end up with poor results if you're not careful. After following the straight and narrow path for a while, you may discover that you've worn yourself into a constrictive rut, where speedy reaction to the evolving business environment becomes difficult. In the end, your efforts to save time might result in a willingness to do no more than necessary to meet minimal standards. It's happened to us all at one time or another, sneaking up on us due to lack of time, poor … [Read more...]

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Million Dollar Productivity

Posted on 08/19/2013 by ·
Million Dollar Productivity by Laura Stack #productivity

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Breaking Parkinson’s Law: Six Ways to Deliberately Constrain Your Workflow

Posted on 05/13/2013 by ·

"I might as well put some action in my life/Breaking the law, breaking the law..." -- Judas Priest, British heavy metal band. "[Parkinson's Law] is the magic of the imminent deadline… The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus." -- Timothy Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week In an essay published in the The Economist in 1955, British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson formulated his most famous axiom: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Though originally applied humorously, Parkinson's Law hits uncomfortably close to the mark. You can apply it to everything from committees to finance to corporate structure—and people have. I believe it's especially applicable to personal productivity. … [Read more...]

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