Productivity Keynote Speaker Leadership, Sales, & Team Productivity Expert
Maximum Results. Minimum Time.®
303-471-7401

You are here: Home / Archives for Stress

Time-Saving Tips for the Holidays!

Posted on 12/10/2008 by ·
Time-Saving Tips for the Holidays

When was the last time you had a really relaxing holiday?  I don’t mean that peaceful thirty-minute aftermath that follows a successful dinner party or the kids’ gift-opening extravaganza.  I mean a holiday that is relaxing, from beginning to end.  That includes travel, dinner preparations, and shopping.  All it will take is a little organization and advance planning.  Here are some tips to get you started. Plan your travel now.  Need to be out of town to see family or friends?  If you haven’t already made arrangements, make it a priority.  Especially if you plan to fly, the best deals disappear fast.  Get online and start shopping around as soon as you know where you need to be and when.  Once the arrangements are made, start getting things squared away with work.  Whether you need to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance, Performance, Personal Productivity, Time Management · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Change is productive

Posted on 11/06/2008 by ·

With all the US Presidential election behind us, regardless of your political persuasion, let's talk about the big message of the Obama campaign: change.  If you want to become more productive, you'll have to be willing to make changes and create new, positive habits and leave old habits behind.  It is easy to become set in our ways and continue doing things the way we've always done them because, well, it's how we've always done them.  I'll take a line from Dr. Phil and ask "How's that working for you?"  Content, satisfied people are not apt to make changes.  After all, if everything is going along swimmingly, what's to change?  But people and organizations must continue to change for things to improve.  If your relationship with your significant other never changed, it would never grow … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork, Life Balance, Personal Productivity · Tagged: , ,

A Healthy Worker is a Productive Worker: take care of yourself during the holidays

Posted on 11/03/2008 by ·

It's only logical that the healthier you are, the more productive you can be.  Think about it - the last time you were ill, how much work did you really get done?  It is so easy today to neglect ourselves because we are "too busy" or "too tired."  We're coming up on that busy holiday time of the year where everyone seems harried and has too much to do.  The holiday season doesn't have to be a drain.  Now is the time to take steps to keep yourself healthy! 1. Get enough sleep!  I know, easier said than done - but it is important! 2. Get your flu shot.  No, it isn't fun, but neither is the flu.  3. Don't neglect your exercise routine.  It is easy during the holiday season to skip over your regular workouts.  Try to stick to your routine, and you'll feel better! 4. Treat … [Read more...]

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

Laughter is Good for Productivity

Posted on 10/13/2008 by ·

Humor in the workplace is a productive thing, according to Psychologist Maren Rawlings from Swinburne University of Technology.  In a recent study, Rawlings "found a direct correlation between the climate of good humor in a workplace and employee satisfaction."  Previous research found a link between job satisfaction and productivity, so the logical leap is that humor is good for productivity.  Of course this doesn't mean we can spend our entire days cracking jokes, but it says to me that we can lighten up and laugh a little.  Rawlings also noted "If employers take measures to encourage a positive humor climate in the workplace, they are more likely to retain their staff." Keeping the staff you have rather than experiencing turnover is clearly more productive than re-hiring and training … [Read more...]

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

Don’t Panic, Just Unplug a Bit

Posted on 10/10/2008 by ·

Times are uncertain. The news programs and websites are all gloom and doom, full of distractions with the financial "crisis" and the upcoming elections. How do we stay productive when Chicken Little is screaming "the sky is falling"? Turn it all off, at least for a while.  Stay off the news websites during the work day. Schedule yourself for some time to read up on the candidates, ballot issues and news that is important to you, but outside of that, turn it off. Keeping the TV on and constantly being on news websites is information overload that creates undue stress. What's going to happen is going to happen and you watching it unfold on CNN is not going to change anything. What we CAN do to help is to stay productive so that our businesses and households are as healthy as they can be. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance, Time Management, Tools & Systems · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Results-Only Work Environment

Posted on 10/02/2008 by ·

I found an article at BNET.com very interesting.  Separating hours on the job from results has been a boost to productivity in many situations.  Outside of the service based or retail environments, should our productivity be based on hours spend on the job, or on what is accomplished?  Some companies, like Best Buy, have implemented the Results-Only Work Environment or “ROWE,” and finding success.  When I chat with audience members after giving a keynote speech, they tell me about coworkers who spend 10-12 hours a day in the office and get nothing done.  That's because being physically in the office has little to do with productivity.  Some people can be there ten hours a day and get virtually nothing done, while others can accomplish great amounts of work in just a few hours.   Part of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork, Life Balance, Performance, Personal Productivity, Time Management, Tools & Systems · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Would you rather vacation with your spouse or your Blackberry?

Posted on 09/23/2008 by ·

People love their Blackberries, no doubt.  A recent study confirmed this, according to an article on WCBSTV.com.  They may be terrific productivity tools for some, but at what cost?  The article by Scott Rapoport states “The study of 6,500 traveling executives says 35 percent of them would choose their PDA over their spouse.”  Wait a minute – people would choose a communication device over a loved one?  If this is true, where have we gone wrong?    It is important to keep track of your business, be connected to your co-workers, clients and employers.  Blackberries certainly have made this easier, particularly for those who don’t spend most of their time in the office.  With this easy connectivity, are people losing the ability to know when to turn it off?  It would seem that technology … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork, Life Balance, Performance, Personal Productivity, Tools & Systems · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stop Trying to Be on Time!

Posted on 08/29/2008 by ·

Stop Trying to Be on Time! Victor Borge, the Danish humorist and musician, was well into a performance when a woman came in late, fighting her way through the rows to her seat near the front. Borge stopped playing and as she proceeded—trampling over people, rustling, and disturbing her way to her seat—he said (much to her chagrin, as all eyes focused on her ill-timed arrival), “Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me.” After she sat down, he walked over near where she was sitting and said, “Where are you from, Ma'am?” “Fifty-Seventh Street,” she said. “Well, Lady, I'm from Denmark, and I was here on time.” While Borge might have been trying to get a laugh from his audience, his obvious annoyance speaks to the principle of Preparation in Mark Sanborn’s newest book, The Encore Effect: How to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance, Performance, Personal Productivity, Time Management · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Are People Who Have Their Dream Jobs More Productive?

Posted on 08/28/2008 by ·

Do productive people always have their dream jobs?  No.  Are you more productive when you enjoy what you’re doing and are happy in your work?  Yes.  So do you find your work fulfilling?  Or are you just going through the motions to pay the bills?  What if you’re in a job that is a springboard to the next one?  That’s fine.  There’s a difference between everyday annoyances and unsettling, deep malcontent.  Life’s too short to keep a job that makes your stomach hurt.  As they say, do what you love, and the money will follow.  How do you know if you’re in your dream job? • Make a list of your dreams.  You may have only one; you may have several.  Some may be really big.  Some may be small.  “I want to make jewelry and sell it online.”  “I want to be a meteorologist.”  “I want to start my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance, Performance, Personal Productivity, Time Management · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Staying Productive During Back to School Time

Posted on 08/26/2008 by ·

It’s back to school time!  With three kids in elementary and middle school, this is a New Year of sorts for parents.  Here are some tips to help you stay sane and productive: Back-to-the-Future. The first step in moving forward with back-to-school resolutions is to take a look back. What were the situations from the previous school year that could use improvement? Did your child often miss the bus? Did they have a hard time making the honor roll or even passing grades? Was everyone too busy to sit down for dinner together? Once you figure out what areas need improvement, it will help set goals for the upcoming year. Talk to your children. Whether your school-age children are in elementary school or high school, talk to them about areas they would like to see change, both personally and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork, Life Balance, Performance, Personal Productivity, Time Management, Tools & Systems · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,