Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro, discusses how to make your technology work for you. … [Read more...]
Inconsiderate Ignorance: Mindless Public Use of Technology
Posted on 04/27/2015 by ·
In a memorable scene in the movie Star Trek IV, Mr. Spock delivers the famous Vulcan neck pinch to a kid who’s blasting rock music on a boom box at obnoxious levels. As he turns off the music, his fellow bus passengers applaud. I've sometimes wished I could do the neck pinch on the drivers of those cars who think their stereo bass should rattle my bones. I shouldn't be able to feel music through steel and glass from a dozen feet away. A few weeks ago, I published a blog about how some people inconsiderately disrupt other peoples' lives through sheer mindlessness. This includes inconsiderate use of technology. I learned of an excellent example recently, when my office manager Jin shared a story about taking her family out to eat at Olive Garden one Saturday. They heard talking and music … [Read more...]
Awesome Efficiency: Five Ways to Maximize Team Productivity
Posted on 08/07/2013 by ·
"Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things." -- Peter Drucker, Austrian-American management guru. "The highest type of efficiency is that which can utilize existing material to the best advantage." -- Jawaharlal Nehru, former Indian Prime Minister. What comprises true efficiency, at least in a useful business sense? That's a question worth pursuing, because the answer isn't necessarily what you might expect. Business "efficiency" has evolved beyond its classic dictionary definition, which is essentially minimizing the resources required to do something. That's fine as far as it goes—but what if the thing done right isn't the right thing? If your mechanic changes the wrong tire on your car, it doesn't matter how efficiently he does the job; you've … [Read more...]
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...]
The Laura Stack App is here!
Posted on 05/25/2012 by ·
We invite you to download the new "Laura Stack" mobile app for iPhone and Android to get the latest updates and free stuff! Go to your phone's market and search for my name. If you're a consultant, trainer, speaker, or coach, I highly recommend you contact David Matthies at freshthinkapps.com to chat about building a mobile app for YOU! … [Read more...]
Effective Teleconferencing Tips for Virtual Teams
Posted on 05/15/2012 by ·
Effective Teleconferencing Tips for Virtual Teams: Following the 3P’s for Success Your marketing team is based in Chicago; you work from your office in Denver; and the team works from field sites all over the globe. You need to connect voice-to-voice to discuss next quarter’s sales efforts and don’t have the budget to travel to a central location. Teleconference, to the rescue! Conference calls can be a great way to connect virtual teams from around the world. They are less expensive than face-to-face meetings, can often take less time, and allow teams to communicate more informally, ask questions, and solve problems better than email. Holding one should be a no-brainer. What can be so hard about a group of people talking on the phone? All you have to do is connect everyone on … [Read more...]
A Fun Little Tool for Increasing Productivity
Posted on 10/20/2011 by ·
It's frustrating to want to print from a website when the formatting doesn't work. It's inefficient to try to copy and paste into another document to print. I found a useful little tool on the web that makes it easy to print from websites, so I wanted to share it with all of you! Check out PrintFriendly when you need to print from a website. It allows you to see a preview of how your printed page would look, and also allows you to print as a PDF. Just enter in the url you want to print from: Click "Print Preview" to see what your page will look like, then select Print or PDF and you're all set! Increases efficiency, saves ink, and saves time. Very … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: Take Back Your Time From Technology
Posted on 08/02/2011 by ·
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) discusses the use of technology and how to keep it from controlling your time. (C) 2011 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: No Nosing In on Family Time
Posted on 05/31/2011 by ·
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) discusses the importance of getting things done at work so your family time is not compromised. (C) 2011 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
