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Triaging Time: Four Timewasters that May Not Occur to You

Posted on 02/23/2015 by ·
Triaging Time: Four Timewasters that May Not Occur to You by Laura Stack #productivity

I'm a big believer in recovering lost time by killing timewasting behaviors, jettisoning useless tasks, and tightening work processes. But no matter how well you've triaged your schedule, you can probably do even more. That's because most of us engage in small, thoughtless actions or omissions that cost us time. Let's look at the worse time-nibblers you may still engage in. 1. Randomly checking email. Even if you've made a commitment to spend less time on your email, it's too easy to log on to see what's come in just before you knock off for lunch or take that much-needed break. Before you know it, you've lost 15 minutes. Clamp down on this temptation, unless you're expecting an important email that requires a prompt response. Spend time planning out a project instead. 2. Failing to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity, Personal Productivity, Time Management · Tagged: , , , ,

Time Management: Audio Podcast: I Spend Waaaaay Too Much Time on…

Posted on 11/18/2009 by ·

I asked readers to fill in the blank on our last monthly survey and received some great responses. There were tons of interesting answers, but it didn’t take long to start seeing some patterns. (C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com Powered by Podbean.com … [Read more...]

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

Business Productivity: The Top Ten Commandments of Social Networking Etiquette

Posted on 10/23/2009 by ·

The Top Ten Commandments of Social Networking Etiquette: 1. Thou shalt develop a purposeful social media strategy. 2. Thou shalt dedicate yourself to really learning how to use the ones you choose. 3. Thou shalt not sell yourself before earning the right to do so. 4. Thou shalt not keep your browsers open all day. 5. Thou shalt turn off all notifications and alerts. 6. Thou shalt do real work during the day. 7. Thou shalt not use social media to waste time. 8. Thou shalt limit the number of visits to your social media sites. 9. Thou shalt post once and let the third-party software post the rest. 10. Thou shalt not update us when you go to the bathroom. What would you add to this list? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity, Time Management, Tools & Systems · Tagged: , ,

Increasing Productivity: What Is The Number One Time-Waster?

Posted on 09/15/2009 by ·

The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey for 2008 has recently come out, and it holds some interesting statistics about the way Americans as a whole spend their time. A common frustration we hear from people is that there just isn’t enough time for what’s important. Looking at the survey results it would appear that watching television is the number one time-waster in people’s days. According to the survey, over 80% of people spend close to three hours a day watching television. The only other things American’s spent more time on were working and sleeping. If you’re looking for a quick fix for time issues, it’s a good idea to take an honest look at your leisure time and see if television is eating up a large portion of it. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing a bit at … [Read more...]

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Time Management: Laura Stack Article Featured in Productive Magazine

Posted on 08/17/2009 by ·

The latest issue of Productive! Magazine features Laura Stack's article "I spend waaaaaay too much time on..." The digital magazine has already exceeded 6,000 downloads. Visit Productive! Magazine online at www.productivemagazine.com for your free digital subscription filled with great articles and tips on being more productive. Laura's featured article talks about time managment, what some of the biggest timewasters are, and how to avoid them. Enjoy! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance, Time Management · Tagged: ,

Increasing Productivity: I spend waaaaay too much time on…

Posted on 07/14/2009 by ·
I Spend Waaaaay Too Much Time on

I asked readers to fill in the blank on our last monthly survey and received some great responses.  There were tons of interesting answers, but it didn’t take long to start seeing some patterns.  Read on for the seven most common responses (and what you can do about them). 1. E-mail.  Let’s face it.  E-mail can be a phenomenal productivity tool, but it will eat your day alive if you let it.  Lots of people complain that their overflowing inbox is beyond their control, but here are three steps you CAN take to start getting a handle on it right away: Do you keep one eye on your inbox all day long?  What does that do to your productivity?  If you drop everything and attend to every e-mail that comes in throughout the day, you are derailing your productivity, over and over again.  Not … [Read more...]

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

Posted on 06/10/2009 by ·
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...]

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The Productivity Minute #11: How to be Unproductive

Posted on 04/22/2009 by ·

If you were actually trying to be unproductive, what would you do? If someone were watching with a video camera from your ceiling, what behaviors would you change. Laura Stack dishes about participants in her time management seminars telling their secrets of how they waste time. And how their images of an unproductive day often resemble their actual days! (C) 2009 Laura Stack. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]

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The Productivity Minute #3 by Laura Stack – Graciously Refusing Requests from Coworkers Part I

Posted on 01/26/2009 by ·

The Productivity Minute, Episode 3.  How do you say NO without saying NO?  Laura Stack explains how to tactfully decline requests by coworkers in this episode. (C) 2009 Laura Stack.  All rights reserved. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork, Personal Productivity, Time Management · Tagged: , , ,

Social Media: What, why, and how to be productive – Podcast

Posted on 01/23/2009 by ·

Like it or not, social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are here to stay – and it isn’t just kid stuff anymore.  In fact, 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. How do you keep it from sabotaging your productivity? Powered by Podbean.com … [Read more...]

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