Announcing The Productivity Pro® Microsoft Outlook virtual training series! Attend “live” training with Laura Stack, a Microsoft Certified Specialist in Outlook, from the privacy of your home or office. I’m going to present ten modules covering various aspects of Outlook step-by-step. This isn’t just computer training. It’s real-world, reality-based workflow processing that helps you actually be MORE productive with Outlook, instead of wasting hours every day playing with it. I estimate most people know 10-20% of the capacities of Outlook. Even if you think you’re an “expert,” you’ll be shocked by what you don’t know you don’t know. I’m making each one-hour webinar very affordable at $39 per person. If you attend all ten, the price is discounted to $349 per person. If for some reason you … [Read more...]
The Productivity Minute #9: Stress and Performance
Everyone has stress! But is yours the good kind or bad kind? Positive stress can create improved productivity levels, but negative stress can cause performance to decline. Learn to diagnose your stress levels and determine the proper balance in your life. … [Read more...]
Recessionary Productivity Strategies: How to Get Lean and Mean in 2009
Times are tough. That means businesses everywhere are forced to do more with less. Budgets are being cut. Headcounts are being reduced. In many offices across the country, the only thing that isn’t being reduced is the workload. It all comes down to finding ways to do more with less – more work with fewer people, bigger projects on smaller budgets. Just remember that, historically, great opportunities have been found in times of great challenge and hardship. Now, as organizations and as individuals, we all have a (hopefully!) once in a lifetime opportunity to look a global financial crisis in the face and excel in spite of it. So how do we survive and thrive in an economy that bites back? It’s time to take the gloves off and get lean and mean in 2009. Here are three simple … [Read more...]
The Productivity Minute #8: Channels of Communication and Unproductive Email
Email, voicemail, and conference calls have revolutionized how we communicate in corporate America and around the globe. In today’s fast-paced business environment, companies depend on technology to link virtual teams across cities, states, and countries. Yet most companies don’t provide training on how to productively communicate with these resources. Whenever I find myself on the receiving end of an email volley, in which an email has repeatedly gone back and forth, I will simply pick up the phone and end it right there. Some people don’t put enough thought into which technology they will select to effectively communicate their message. For any given purpose, one channel (or medium) will be more effective than another. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights … [Read more...]
Textmarks Tip of the Week
Did you know that you can subscribe my "Tip of the Week" via text messaging through TextMarks? Get a productivity tip each week by signing up here: Get your own at TextMarks! … [Read more...]
The Productivity Minute #7: The Importance of Boosting Employee Productivity in Down Times
Tough economic times are packing a one-two punch in the workplace. First, everyone is forced to do more with less (POW!). Second, you have to do it all while dealing with the nagging anxieties that come with an uncertain economy—threats of downsizing, bankruptcies, cost containment, you name it (POW, again!). So how do we cope—as leaders and as productive employees? by Laura Stack (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]
Work life balance: How to Make the Most of 5:00-9:00 PM
Let’s forget about 9:00 to 5:00 for a minute. We spend lots of energy making sure that we are efficient and productive during the workday. But what about AFTER the workday? Do you find yourself keeping your nose to the grindstone and working diligently throughout the day only to have it all unravel when you step through the door at home? I hear it all the time: “I’m so exhausted when I leave the office, but I always know there is more work waiting for me when I get home. What can I do?” With most of the day behind us, it’s easy to lose our focus and end up letting those precious hours at the end of the day go to waste. Keep in mind that those weekday hours from 5:00 ‘till 9:00 make up 20 hours of your week! Not many of us can afford to waste that much time. Ask yourself a few … [Read more...]
The Productivity Minute #5 – Sleep: The Secret Productivity Trick
Laura Stack shares ideas on how to boost your productivity during the day by sleeping better at night and provides some tips on how to do it. Watch video below. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All right reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
The Productivity Minute #4 by Laura Stack – Graciously Refusing Requests from Coworkers Part II
Laura continues her tactful advice on how to handle coworkers who drop in with requests that you must refuse---and how to say NO without actually saying the word. The Productivity Minute video podcast By Laura Stack, www.TheProductivityPro.com (C) 2009 Laura Stack. … [Read more...]
