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Staying Ahead of the Game: How to Prepare for Your Next Workday

Posted on 11/11/2014 by ·
Staying Ahead of the Game: How to Prepare for Your Next Workday by Laura Stack #productivity

"The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today." --Elbert Hubbard, American writer and artist. You might not be thinking of much more than getting home as you head out the door from work. After a long day in the office, it's nice to get away, reboot the brain, and spend time with those you love. As the old song goes, it’s five o’clock somewhere. I totally get that! However, that doesn't mean you can't spend a little time prior to the end of your workday preparing for the next one. It's logical, it saves times, it's really easy, and it will give you an edge the next day. Here are a few quick suggestions to help get ready for tomorrow, today! 1. Get your workspace in order. As the day starts to wind down, clean up your desk. File any stray papers or receipts … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: , ,

Filling in the Gaps: Making the Best of Unexpected Downtime

Posted on 11/04/2014 by ·
Filling in the Gaps: Making the Best of Unexpected Downtime by Laura Stack #productivity

"There's no such thing as downtime for your brain." -- Jeffrey Kluger, American writer. As a survivor of the dot-com bubble and the Great Recession, you've probably developed a kind of "go-go-go" attitude about business and work. Agility, flexibility, and speed are the name of the game for those of us who want to maximize our productivity and success. But I admit I do sometimes get frustrated when other people or circumstances affect my productivity, and there’s seemingly nothing I can do about it. Going to my doctor’s office is a prime example. Because I know the value of time and respect her time, I arrive before my scheduled appointment and sign in. And then I wait. And wait. Then the nurse will eventually take me to a little room in the back, where she’ll leave me after taking … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time Management · Tagged: , ,

Get Back On the Horse: Recovering After a Bad Decision

Posted on 10/28/2014 by ·
Get Back On the Horse: Recovering After a Bad Decision by Laura Stack

"Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you." -- American writer Gayle Forman. No matter where you stand in the company hierarchy, no matter how well you've done your due diligence, and no matter how careful you are before committing yourself to a course of action, sometimes you're going to crash and burn. Bad decisions are inevitable, and they're rarely obvious except in retrospect. I’ve taken speaking engagements that, looking back, I shouldn’t have agreed to accept. It was a bad decision, and I wish I hadn’t done it. But I learned a lot through the process. Sure, you can minimize the occurrence and impact of mistakes, but short of hiding in your office and refusing to make any decisions at all, you'll never be able to avoid them. Your leaders expect you to make … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: , ,

Short, Sweet, and to the Point: Boost Your Productivity By Saying No

Posted on 10/23/2014 by ·
Short, Sweet, and to the Point: Boost Your Productivity By Saying No by Laura Stack #productivity

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Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: , , ,

Total Transparency: Making an Open Book of Your Worklife

Posted on 10/16/2014 by ·
Total Transparency: Making an Open Book of Your Worklife by Laura Stack #productivity

"Even the oldest trees aren't ashamed to stand naked." -- Marty Rubin, American author. How transparent is your organization? Does every person in every department have a working knowledge of the organization's goals, mission and vision, and core values? Perhaps your organization even practices a more radical transparency, where any employee can check the monthly numbers, read board meeting minutes, and review proposed policy changes. Some companies also provide access to their capital structure and strategy, stress collaborative decision-making—and even make everyone's salary a matter of public record. This type of corporate-level transparency seems to result in a happier, more productive workforce overall—a lesson to take to heart if you happen to be a manager yourself. People are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: , ,

Rest Your Way to Success: The Value of Productive Relaxation

Posted on 10/09/2014 by ·
Rest Your Way to Success: The Value of Productive Relaxation by Laura Stack #productivity

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." -- Chinese proverb. When I first read that the average American worker left 9.2 vacation days unused in 2012—three more than the year before!—I was shocked, but not surprised. Even in the waning days of the Great Recession, workers were still overstretched. They worried about taking all the time they were owed, lest they be replaced with hungrier workers while gone. Even today, half of us expect to work during vacations, and a third of us eat at our desks. It might be nice to return to the old days, when office life seemed easier, but I doubt that will happen. The business world is normalizing at a new level, one based on agility, speed, flexibility, and on-the-spot execution. This means that things will never be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance · Tagged: , ,

Keeping It to Yourself: Five Things a Wise Manager Never Delegates

Posted on 10/02/2014 by ·
Keeping It to Yourself: Five Things a Wise Manager Never Delegates by Laura Stack #productivity #leadership

"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.” -- Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States. As a leader, you know you must delegate many of the tasks for which you’re ultimately responsible, if you’re to be successful in meeting your goals. You know you can’t do it all yourself. Typically, under-delegation is more common than over-delegation, and most leaders should give more away. That said, there are some things leaders should never delegate. Some tasks obviously shouldn’t be delegated, such as the combination for the safe containing the bank's gold bullion, or the passwords to critical organizational computer files; however, sometimes it’s less clear-cut, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , , ,

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Office

Posted on 09/25/2014 by ·
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Office: Engaging Others with Good Humor at Work by Laura Stack

Engaging Others with Good Humor at Work “Right now, this is a job. If I advance any higher, this would be my career. And if this were my career, I’d have to throw myself in front of a train.” -- Jim Halpert, character on the TV series The Office. Clearly, work is no laughing matter. It's where you spend a good third of your life, focused on the things that really matter so you can out-produce your competitors and flood the bottom line with black ink. Some people forget that work is just a part of life—you’re not supposed to live to work—and they become consumed by it. Yes, you should enjoy your work and even be just as passionate about it as your personal life, but don’t take it so seriously! Some people need to lighten up a bit to avoid a coronary (you know who you are). Humor Has … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: ,

Four Must-Have Travel Apps

Posted on 09/18/2014 by ·
Four Must-Have Travel Apps by Laura Stack #productivity

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." -- George A. Moore, Irish writer. Unlike some of my colleagues, I've always believed in using travel time to get ahead on my business work. That way, when I get home I don't have to play catch-up; instead, I can spend more time with my friends and family. I'd rather rest from the rat race in my own living room. In my constant search for ways to save time while working, I've investigated or tested dozens of mobile apps that help me complete my work more easily. Most do a good job, but some stand out more than others. Here are four superbly helpful and productive travel apps I urge you to try if you haven't already. (Now that the Wi-Fi is available on some flights, they're more useful than … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Productivity · Tagged: ,

Give Me a Break! Get Your Rest and Protect Yourself From Burnout

Posted on 09/11/2014 by ·
Give Me a Break! Get Your Rest and Protect Yourself From Burnout by Laura Stack #productivity #rest #balance

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." -- John Lubbock, British scientist and politician. By nature, most of us in the business world feel driven to prove ourselves—by working hard, generating massive productivity, and moving up through the ranks. Before long, it becomes second nature to work long hours with a tight focus on work, often to the exclusion of other things in life. Some of us willingly sacrifice exercise, a decent diet, vacation, weekends, and even family time to get ahead. But what are we getting ahead for? If you really care about your work, you'll want to do what's best and most productive for the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance, Personal Productivity · Tagged: , ,