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Excellence, Planning, and Effort: Baking the Productivity Cake

Posted on 09/04/2013 by ·

"One of the great challenges of our age, in which the tools of our productivity are also the tools of our leisure, is to figure out how to make more useful those moments of procrastination when we're idling in front of our computer screens." -- Joshua Foer, freelance American journalist and 2006 U.S.A. Memory Champion. As a rule, you don't just stumble across productivity—and it doesn't strike you out of the blue like a gift from Heaven. One of the most cogent observations I've seen on the subject comes from motivational speaker Paul J. Meyer: "Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort." Print out that quote, frame it, and hang it prominently on your wall. Take it to heart—because Meyer certainly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: ,

Productive Mentoring

Posted on 08/26/2013 by ·
Productive Mentoring by Laura Stack #productivity

Leaders tend to have one of two opinions on the value of mentoring inexperienced workers: either "it's something that would be nice to do if only I had the time," or "it's a complete waste of time." But in truth, mentoring is never a waste. In fact, it can boost the productivity of both the mentee and mentor significantly, and by doing so, it contributes to the success of the entire organization. But mentoring becomes a productivity accelerator only when taken seriously—i.e., when it becomes more than lip service or an educational tool indulged in as time permits. Productive mentoring kicks it up a notch, driving performance and challenging mentees to grow into their roles in profitable ways. Making It Work Everyone involved must be willing to take time for mentoring; you can't … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: ,

Recovering Your Common Sense: How to Rein in Information Overload

Posted on 08/21/2013 by ·
Recovering Your Common Sense: How to Rein in Information Overload by Laura Stack #productivity

"There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher "The abundance of books is a distraction." -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca, ancient Roman philosopher and statesman. Social researcher S.A. Wurman once calculated that every issue of the New York Times contains more information than the average person in Elizabethan England learned in their lifetime. Wurman released this startling tidbit back in 1987—before the info-splosion we call the Internet really got started. Imagine how much worse we have it today, with our daily deluge of print and broadcast news, webpages, social media, email, and more. Some researchers claim we now create more information every two days than we did from ancient times up to the year 2003. Add in easy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tools & Systems · Tagged: ,

Embracing Chaos: The Reality of Modern Leadership

Posted on 07/31/2013 by ·
Embracing Chaos: The Reality of Modern Leadership by Laura Stack #productivity

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people." -- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian leader "Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people." -- John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist. everything changes. That's the ironic paradox at the heart of our profession—and at some level, it's become essential to the continued growth and development of American business. Change stirs things up, cross-fertilizing ideas and aerating the waters of creativity. We may enjoy equilibrium—and humans certainly find it more comfortable not to have to scramble—but inactivity soon sours into stagnation. You can't rest on your laurels, because some hungry young company will always be pushing the envelope and trying to steal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

Productivity vs. Paralysis: On Accepting the Reality of Imperfection

Posted on 07/24/2013 by ·
Productivity vs. Paralysis: On Accepting the Reality of Imperfection by Laura Stack

“Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection.” -- Toba Beta, Indonesian author. problem of perfectionism. We can become so tightly focused on getting things "just right,” it’s difficult to let anything go. Of course, there's always something you can improve, if you just keep nitpicking at it. But at what point do you hit a point of diminishing returns? Eventually, the improvements you introduce are no longer worth the time you spend on them—and if you keep at it, you'll roll past your deadlines and crash your schedule. Let's face it: perfection rarely occurs in this world, and as Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy pointed out, “If you look for perfection, you will never be content.” Refusing to let go of something until it's perfect is akin to jamming a broomstick … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time Management · Tagged: , ,

Agile Project Management: Refining the Tactics of Productivity

Posted on 07/10/2013 by ·
Agile Project Management: Refining the Tactics of Productivity by Laura Stack #productivity

"Agility means that you are faster than your competition. Agile time frames are measured in weeks and months, not years." -- Michael Hugos, American business writer. "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion." -- Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tools & Systems · Tagged: , ,

Open Door Or Closed? Balancing Approachability Against Authority

Posted on 07/03/2013 by ·

"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." -- Leonardo da Vinci. "Nothing traps you in the urgency of the moment like availability." -- Sam Raimer, Baptist pastor and blogger. Anyone in a leadership position, from an office manager to a church pastor, has to carefully balance authority with approachability. Which should take precedence, if either? At one time, the answer was simple: authority was always preferable. But the workplace has changed radically in the last half century, and management experts have been debating the concept of the "open door policy" for decades. Some advocate its adoption on a wide scale, while others insist it can utterly destroy a leader's productivity. Given the wide latitude here, where should you strike the balance? In general, here are some … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

The Smartphone: Pocket sized productivity, or contract time-killer?

Posted on 06/28/2013 by ·

Today's post is from Nick Moores of Office Time One of the perks of working in our modern environment is the abundance of technology available to make the way we work simpler, slicker, and more effective. But do Smartphones truly enhance our productivity, or do they hold us back from the task at hand? In theory, digitization should enhance the way we conduct business, but occasionally the misuse of gadgets results in complicating or duplicating workload. One of the key points to remember when using a Smartphone to help streamline your professional life is to know the product through and through, and to learn how to set up your gadget so that it works for your needs. The ability to sync modern Smartphones with other devices and platforms is an essential tool in the quest to save time and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tools & Systems · Tagged: , , ,

The Magic Touch: What’s Your Special Productivity Talent?

Posted on 05/21/2013 by ·

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." -- Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher. "I don't have a lot of respect for talent. Talent is genetic. It's what you do with it that counts. " -- Martin Ritt, American actor and film director. While I've always emphasized competence, persistence, and hard work over talent, I'll readily admit that talent does exist. We all have a few things we do well without struggling, whether because of personality, genetics, environment, education, or some unique combination of these and other factors. The talent rule holds as true in the productivity field as in any other aspect of life. Right off the bat, you may be the best multiple-project juggler in the company; a natural at focusing; a genius at tweaking … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged:

A Review of Laura Vanderkam’s newest eBook: What the Most Successful People Do at Work

Posted on 04/22/2013 by ·

No matter what your field, you no doubt know a few superstars: people who somehow manage to outshine everyone else in terms of productivity, while keeping health and sanity intact. Every field has its Einsteins and Hawkings. You may even be one of them. In recent years, my colleague Laura Vanderkam has scrutinized how such superstars handle the 168 hours a week we're all gifted with, and what makes them so much more productive than most. She's reported the results not only in her bestselling 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than you Think, but also in e-books like What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. On April 23, Portfolio/Penguin will release the latest in the series, What The Most Successful People Do at Work. Like its … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: , ,