Business Productivity: Technology In the Workplace 2010 Study

Intercall recently published the 2010 study on Technology In the Workplace. The findings of the study make it clear that today's workers are feeling the pinch of tough economic times and increased pressure to do more with less and stay connected to the office even in off hours. Almost half of American workers who use technology at work believe that in this economy they must produce more even though they have fewer resources. Twenty-five percent of American workers feel their job security "is partially dependent on their supervisor seeing they are connected to work even after hours." Even with the increased workloads, Americans do see technology as a key part of productivity in the workplace. Job satisfaction increases when companies provide technology tools to help workers do more in … [Read more...]

Time Management: The Productivity Minute #24 – Procrastination

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) talks about the productivity killer - procrastination! (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]

Time Management: The Productivity Minute Video #23 Do NOT Make New Year’s Resolutions

Are New Years Resolutions really productive? Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), talks about how resolutions and how to really make positive changes for the New Year. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]

Office Productivity: Stop the Meeting Madness

Stop the Meeting Madness

Meetings can absolutely eat up your day if you let them. Ever seen the Dilbert cartoon about preliminary pre-meeting meetings? Does it feel like you're stuck in that Dilbert cartoon and can't get anything effective done? Well, you don't have to take it anymore! Keep these things in mind when dealing with time-stealing meetings. Refuse Face-to-Face Meetings When Unnecessary Determine if you really need to meet in person. How many times have you attended a meeting and asked yourself, "Why am I here?" Hopefully, by now you've started protecting your time from every person who wants a piece of it. If my clients want to meet in person, I charge a consulting fee. For telephone calls, no charge. Ninety percent of the time, a conference call will suffice. Extra travel time and expenses are … [Read more...]

Time Management: The Productivity Minute #19: Business Processes That Make No Sense-United Airlines

Are your employees bogged down with business processes that make no sense? Laura gives an example of a United Airlines policy that not only inconveniences customers, but also wastes employee time. Eliminate business processes that don't make sense! (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. … [Read more...]

Expert Chat: Digital Quicksand: Time-Draining Habits in a Web 2.0 World

Speaker: Laura Stack (SL: LauraStack Ghost) Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker. Where: Sun Campus in Second Life (SLURL:http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sun%20Microsystems%201/141/132/23) When: October 13, 2009 - 9am SLT / PT (check your local time) Topic: Digital Quicksand: Time-Draining Habits in a Web 2.0 World Businesses and individuals worldwide keep finding interesting ways to use social networks and other interactive online media to do some pretty amazing things – from building their brands to getting to know their customers. Like most technology, social networks and other social media tools are great resources but lousy masters. You could spend all day hopping around to different sites, updating your information, and connecting … [Read more...]

Time Management: Ten Reasons Tasks Never Move off Your To-Do List (and how to fix it)

Ten Reasons Tasks Never Move off Your To-Do List

I recently surveyed my readers on the eternal question of productivity: Why is it that some things on your to-do list never get done?  Some great responses rolled in, ranging from the classic (too many interruptions) to the matter-of-fact (I don’t feel like doing it).  But as diverse as the responses were, it didn’t take long to see certain themes emerge.  Below are the top ten issues at the heart of the problem and some guidance on how to deal with them. 1. You haven’t made the necessary decisions.  Your to-do list should be full of clear, actionable ideas—in other words, things you can actually do.  If you have a vague goal, like “Have a sale,” you’ve still got a lot of thinking to do before you can hit the ground running and make real progress.  Take a minute to figure out exactly … [Read more...]

Business productivity: The Productivity Minute #14: Obsessive Compulsive Social Media Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Social Media Disorder You absolutely need a presence in social media as a business strategy, but do you have Obsessive Compulsive Social Media Disorder? Listen to Laura Stack explain how you can be involved in social media without living in social media. Learn how to increase efficiency, reduce multi-tasking and reduce wasted time using social media. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]

Microsoft Email: The Productivity Minute #12: Curing the “Reply to All” Sickness

Don't you hate it when someone sends an email to 15 people asking for input and someone hits "Reply to All" and creates a huge volley of 47 messages later?  AAAAAAH!  In this episode, Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), gives three better ways to handle email when you need to get ideas from a group of people.  (C) 2009 Laura Stack.  All rights reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]

Increasing productivity: 55-1/5 Ways to Boost Productivity Today!

Okay, let’s face it. We’re all trying to do more with less.And chances are that you and your company have already made the big, tough decisions needed to streamline operations. But what about the little things?You can still boost both personal and team productivity in lots of smaller ways that are easy to implement and provide immediate results. Read on for quick tips on getting more done. 1. Hit the ground running. Don’t waste the first hour of the day. As soon as you arrive, focus on getting something done before you even think about checking Facebook or dropping in on a coworker. 2. Decline a meeting. Meetings are necessary. Every meeting is not. Don’t automatically accept every meeting invitation you receive, especially if there is no clear agenda or outcome. 3. Close your e-mail. Do … [Read more...]