Slideshows featuring three of Laura Stack’s published works are featured at Slideshare.net and have received hundreds of views. Get an overview of each of her books with tips from each chapter on how to leave the office earlier, find more time, and beat exhaustion!
Announcing a series of special public (open enrollment) seminars presented by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro, in Denver, Colorado! Hold the date and make your plans now to fly out and attend one of these innovative, productivity-boosting sessions:
February 24, 2009: Social Media and Technology: Tips & Techniques for Increasing Efficiency & Productivity (half day)
March 18, 2009: Microsoft Outlook Tips and Tricks for Skyrocketing Your Productivity (2003 and 2007 versions) half day
http://www.theproductivitypro.com/s_publicworkshops.htm
April 24, 2009: Become a Productivity Pro! Mastering Personal Productivity (fully day)
http://www.theproductivitypro.com/s_publicworkshops.htm
Working long hours and feeling like you aren’t accomplishing enough? Are you ready to learn to be more productive? Laura Stack is presenting her flagship productivity class at a rare public seminar in Denver on Tuesday, December 9, 2008!
Here is your opportunity to learn from The Productivity Pro® herself. Get the tools you need to become more productive at work so that you can achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time® and Leave the Office Earlier®!
| Become a Productivity Pro(R) with Laura StackDate: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Location: Denver, CO, EKS&H Public Accountants
Nearest Airport: Denver International Airport Grab a colleague! Reduced rates are available when registering three or more people from the same organization. To register or view complete seminar information and objectives, click here |
Ever had an argument with a colleague about the commas in a sentence like the following? The battery pack gives you several options: 6 hours, 4 hours, 3 hours and 40 minutes, 2 hours and 45 minutes. Is that four options or five options? A comma before the last and makes it clear. But do you ALWAYS need a comma before that last and? Answer: No, the serial comma is optional. But you’re always safe to use it for clarity sake—as illustrated in the “battery-pack” sentence.
Here are a couple tips to prevent grammar gaffes and save you a few minutes in reaching for a reference book:
• The assure/insure/ensure dilemma: (All three words mean to give a guarantee—but they aren’t interchangeable.) Use assure only when you’re referring to someone talking or writing. Use insure only when you’re talking about a monetary payment. Use ensure for all other situations.
• Myself or me? Wrong: For prompt payment, send the invoice to Kerry or myself. Right: For prompt payment, send the invoice to Kerry or me. Never use myself unless I or me is already used in the sentence; it’s used to add emphasis to those words. (Example: I told him myself.)
• To Capitalize or Not? Think “brand name” or generic. If the word under consideration is the brand name of something, capitalize it. If not, don’t. Example: He works at Universal as a vice president. He works at my company as a vice president. Vice President Jim Tuttle works in my department.
Need more help? Booher’s Rules for Business Grammar: 101 Fast and Easy Ways to Correct the Most Common Errors (McGraw-Hill) by Dianna Booher provides 101 more entertaining, brief chapters (most 1-2 pages) that focus on the common mistakes heard every day on the job. The “memory tricks” at the end of each chapter solidify the rule for the next time and the next, saving you valuable look-up time!
(Another tip: If you want to check for a skills gap in this area first, you can take a free online assessment at www.howsyourgrammar.com.)
Okay dear readers, you know I would NOT normally write about anything that I consider a waste of your precious time. But since only productivity enthusiasts read my blog, I know you will appreciate this. Even though it’s out of character for me, I am recommending you take a stress break and waste a good ten minutes watching Nick Pudder’s gag videos on how to be more productive. I’m still laughing. It’s Dilbert in real life!
How do you keep up with your laundry? I just heard from a reader who puts a load in before she goes to bed, throws it in the dryer on the way out the door to work, and uses the "touch up" feature when she gets home before folding. By doing this every day, she always keeps up with her laundry. She also recommended safety pinning socks together the minute she takes them off (she has a little basket in her closet), so she never has to search for and match socks. What little tricks do you have for staying on top of the skivvies?
A seminar participant shared a great trick she uses for those pesky salespeople who won’t take "no" for an answer:
<< We had an extension set up that goes directly to voice mail so when I get a sales call asking for my boss (I can always tell it’s a sales call), I just say one moment (they think they are getting through), and they are immediately directed to our message that states “Thank you for calling (XXX) Medical Corporation. If you would like to mail us information regarding your company, our address is… or, if you prefer to fax your information, our fax number is… Thank you for calling…" I love it!! They may call me back but….they go right back into my magic mailbox. It works great because I don’t have to waste my time getting them off the phone. >>
Heather M.
Some of the most unenergetic employees I’ve met in my 15 years of delivering personal productivity seminars are tax auditors in an accounting firm during the off-season. They are bored during most of the year and then worked to death during tax season. This constant bouncing back and forth between underwork and overwork has really sapped their motivation and desire to devote energy to their work. Conversely, the fall is the busiest time of my year, where there’s not much breathing space to be had until November. But I make sure to keep myself occupied productively when it’s slow; in fact, I look forward to those times.
If you are experiencing a slow time, don’t get bored or frustrated until things pick up again! Take advantage of it and even things out. Take the time to start those projects you’ve had on the backburner that "you never have time to get to" during the regular season. Learn a new software package. Organize your files. Give away books you’re not going to read again. Toss users manuals for software and gadgets you no longer own. When the heavy workload hits again (and you know it will), you’ll be ready. Shake thyself!
An article in last week’s BusinessWeek magazine made me laugh out loud. In an online study conducted from June 28 to July 5, 2007, BusinessWeek asked 2,000 Americans in middle management and above, 25 years and older, "Are you one of the Top 10% of performers in your company? The amazing result? A whopping 90 percent of managers think they are in the top 10 percent of performers at their workplace. 97% of executives, 91% of males, and 89% of females said yes. Hello? Can you say "denial"?
Obviously these ostriches have their heads in the sand. While I laud confidence and a positive attitude, most of these people are statistically wrong. So how would you KNOW if you were one of the top 10 percent of performers in your company? What is the value of your contribution? Leaders—you can’t manage what you can’t measure. What are the critical success factors in your organization for each position and for the company as a whole? What methods are in place to measure your peers on those factors across the company? A little competition in the workplace between managers, salespeople, etc., can be healthy and will really show who’s producing in key areas (not just occupying space and staying "busy"). What are you really contributing to your company?
The results from the Gallup Organization’s annual Work and Education survey show the average American averages 46 minutes commuting to and from work in a typical day. If you take out those who work at home, the average increases to 48.1 minutes per day. However, if you have above-average income and work more than 40 hours a week, your commute is greater than the average, and so is your stress level. Since the advice "move, earn less, and work fewer hours" doesn’t work, let me instead give you some ideas to make your commute more productive, efficient, and stress-free:
Use the phone. Now I’m one of those people who get aggravated while people are chatting away on their cell phones while driving…generally because they’re not, well, driving. Many people have no idea how slowly they’re going while they’re on the phone. Plus talking on the phone has proven to be unsafe, and many states have passed ordinances against it. Often, you’ll see someone pulled over to the side of the road to make a call.
That being said, you can get a hands-free phone installed, which uses a mounted phone and speakers. Many phones, like the Treo 650, use Bluetooth technology, which allows you to wear a wireless earpiece and talk hands-free. By using these safe options, you can still use your phone to call clients or catch up with friends and family while still keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Clear your brain. Basically, use your morning commute as a warm up to your day. On the way to work, do whatever helps you focus and arrive at your desk raring to go. For mass transit travelers, that may mean reading the daily paper with a cup of coffee. Drivers may like to listen to news radio for their daily summary.
Bond with your family. While driving together to “away” games or a relative’s house, you can sing songs, quiz your child on his spelling words, play “I spy” or another travel game, or listen to stories. When your eyes are on the road, your child may feel more comfortable than usual bringing up a touchy subject, so be available to just listen as well.
Shift your schedule. If you frequently get stuck in traffic, consider changing your schedule slightly to hit the road slightly before or after the rush, and use the time on either side to organize your day.
Use a voice recorder. I knew a professional speaker who wrote an entire book by talking while driving. She clipped a microphone on to her shirt and talked into a recording device (there are many available). Then she simply had those tapes transcribed, hired an editor to clean it up, and printed it at www.instantpublisher.com. She has published a book at the rate of about one a year using this method. Other people get voice recorders (Radio Shack sells a good one) with several minutes of tape and dictate their letters while on the go. If you’re blessed enough to have an assistant, he or she can type your letters from the recording. Some cell phones also have recorders built into them, so you can make your to-do list or remind yourself of things as you think of them. Do NOT, under any circumstances, attempt to write while driving unless you’re completely stopped.
Listen to books on tape. My favorite place to eat breakfast is a restaurant called Cracker Barrel…hash brown casserole, grits, and honey ham, baked apples…oh, sorry! The closest one to me is an hour’s drive away, so I don’t get to frequent it often enough because of traffic. But if you’re lucky enough to have one in your hometown or pass a sign for one along the road, STOP. You’ll notice that Cracker Barrel restaurants are always built right off an interstate exit. One of the founders’ core strategies was to make them easy on, easy off from the interstate. You could get to the next one on a tank of gas, refuel, grab a bite, buy what you need (and what you don’t need) in their little store, and get back on the road. Cracker Barrel has also came up with a clever book-on-tape program for frequent travelers. The next time you visit this restaurant, look for the spinning rack of tapes. You can purchase one audio book and, for a nominal fee, trade it in for another, anytime, at any other Cracker Barrel. Or you can get tapes and CDs from your local library before you go on a trip. You’ll notice that your perception of drive time is greatly reduced when you’re listening to an audio book. Your brain gets engaged in the story and time flies by. I have a friend who was planning an international trip, so she listened to French language tapes while in the car. Within three months, she learned enough French to get around nicely while there.
Carpool with your spouse. If you work roughly in the same area, hitch a ride with your sweetie! You can use the extra time each day to talk. While one person drives, the other can take care of miscellaneous family business on the phone. By the time you reach your door, the calls will be done and you can enjoy more quality time together at home.
Take the train instead. If you’re lucky enough to have a great public transportation system, use it! Of course, many professionals are forced into taking commuter trains because of traffic or distance or speed. But many people have told me they live for their train time because they can complete light paperwork, catch up on reading, pay bills, or just nap. By the time they arrive home, they feel rested and can settle into the second shift.
What are some other ways you take advantage of your commute time?
Twitter links powered by Tweet This v1.6.1, a WordPress plugin for Twitter.
