Don’t you hate it when someone sends an email to 15 people asking for input and someone hits “Reply to All” and creates a huge volley of 47 messages later? AAAAAAH! In this episode, Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), gives three better ways to handle email when you need to get ideas from a group of people.
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.
Okay, let’s face it. We’re all trying to do more with less.And chances are that you and your company have already made the big, tough decisions needed to streamline operations. But what about the little things?You can still boost both personal and team productivity in lots of smaller ways that are easy to implement and provide immediate results. Read on for quick tips on getting more done.
1. Hit the ground running. Don’t waste the first hour of the day. As soon as you arrive, focus on getting something done before you even think about checking Facebook or dropping in on a coworker.
2. Decline a meeting. Meetings are necessary. Every meeting is not. Don’t automatically accept every meeting invitation you receive, especially if there is no clear agenda or outcome.
3. Close your e-mail. Do you drop what you’re doing every time you hear the new e-mail sound or see that little envelope icon in your system tray? Close Outlook and focus on the task at hand. Better yet, turn off the alerts and notifications in your email program.
4. Use voicemail. An always ringing phone is a productivity killer. If something is worth your time, the caller will leave a message. Let it go to voicemail when you’re focused.
5. Institute office hours. If you have a constant stream of people dropping by, consider setting up regular hours of daily availability. Then stick to it.
6. Say “no.” As companies try to do more with less, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to cut back on lower-value activities. Don’t be afraid to decline tasks that aren’t a good use of your time. (The first time you do this will be the hardest.)
7. Keep a time log. Do you have a good idea of how you spend your time each day? If you don’t, use a paper time log or track your time in Outlook so you know how your precious minutes and hours are being spent. The Journal is great for this.
8. Help your team prioritize. Make sure they know what’s important so they can allocate their time and energy appropriately. Help them help you.
9. Set goals. Once priorities are crystal-clear, be sure to set some measurable goals. Appropriate, attainable targets will help keep your team moving in the right direction.
10. Take an interest. Doing more with less can lead to less discretionary time and more stress. Show your people that you have an interest in them beyond their role as employee. If they know you care, they’ll be more engaged in what they’re doing.
11. Delegate. Are you the only one capable of doing a given task? If not, consider passing it to someone who’s also able. Your time is too valuable for tasks that don’t require your skills and expertise.
12. Define roles. Make sure everyone on your team knows who is responsible for what. Lack of clarity will lead to diminished productivity.
13. Fail fast. Even when resources are limited, it’s important to continue taking risks. Don’t be afraid to fail, but if something doesn’t work out, be committed to failing quickly and moving on.
14. Look ahead. The higher up in an organization you are, the more you should be looking ahead. If you are dwelling on the past or bogged down in the details of the day, you won’t plan effectively for what’s down the road.
15. Question everything. Rethink tasks, big and small. Don’t just assume that because it’s on your list it needs to be done. If cuts can be made, make them.
16. Think bottom line. In the simplest terms, there are really two sides to a successful business: saving money and making money. If what you are doing doesn’t help your company do one or the other, give some serious thought to whether it’s a good use of your time.
17. Provide options. When dealing with your peers or higher-ups in your organization, don’t just point out problems. Today’s businesses need solutions. If you’re going to bring up a problem, bring a few possible solutions and recommendations along as well.
18. Be available. With heavy workloads and economic anxiety, your people are under considerable stress. Make sure they know you can be reached to discuss any issues they might have…large or small.
19. Segment tasks. If a project is too big to get your head around, make a list of the first few steps to get you started.
20. Defend your time. We’re all getting good at managing shrinking budgets, but why aren’t we more protective of our time? Don’t just give yourself away to anyone that asks. Be selective.
21. Train on the cheap. A three-day trip out of state for a seminar or conference might not be in the budget this year, but you still don’t want people getting rusty. Keep an eye out for less expensive, less time-consuming training activities like conference calls and webinars.
22. Train each other. Instead of relying on traditional, formal training methods, consider tapping your team. Let your people take turns sharing their expertise with the group through an informal presentation. Or tackle a business book together and digest the results afterwards.
23. Use checklists. It’s amazing how a simple checklist can keep a task moving along. Whenever possible, create a list to address recurring needs.
24. Meet smarter. Don’t sit down at a meeting without an agenda. Start on time, end on time, and stay on task in between.
25. Brainstorm smarter. Ever attend a brainstorming session that turned into a lengthy, anything goes free-for-all? If you need to get the creative juices flowing, stay on track by having a clear goal in mind and working towards it consistently throughout the session.
26. Collaborate smarter. Use common sense when collaborating. Don’t wade through a 15-page e-mail string trying to solve a problem that could be addressed with a two-minute phone call or a quick team synch-up.
27. Complete a task terribly. If you’re having a hard time getting started on something—such as writing a letter or drafting a report—take a few minutes and do an absolutely terrible job. Just getting started is half the battle. You’ll find that it is quite easy to transform your shoddy first draft into first-rate work.
28. Expand horizons. A challenging business landscape is the perfect time to improve the capabilities of your team. If someone shows an interest in something beyond their job description, considering finding ways to get that person involved. Give your solid performers the opportunity to knock your socks off.
29. Make a public promise. Sometimes the best way to get something done is to state your goal publicly. If you tell your team you will review their job descriptions by the end of the week, you’ll be less likely to put it on the back burner.
30. Set expectations. When someone requests something of you or your team, agree on a timeframe for completion. It will help you manage your priorities and provide better service if you don’t have a big stack of ASAP projects with unclear deadlines.
31. Help others help themselves. If someone is asking you to do a task that they should be doing on their own, offer support without agreeing to do the work. Tell your requester that you’d be happy to review a draft or weigh in at a team meeting, but that you aren’t available to inherit the project. You might end up with very limited involvement. And sometimes, you’ll find that with the project wasn’t a priority after all (go figure).
32. Consistently work towards the big prize. Sometimes you’ll have a big idea that can never seem to gain traction, thanks to all of the day-to-day issues competing for your attention. Carve out some daily or weekly time to work towards that big goal, whether it’s writing a book, developing a high-profile initiative, or building a tough business case. An hour a week now can add up to big things down the road.
33. Schedule appointments with yourself. Don’t just use Outlook for your daily appointments. If you need to carve out time to work on something specific, put it on your Tasks and block out time just like you would a meeting with a real person. Don’t stand yourself up!
34. Put the economy in perspective. With all the economic doom and gloom in the news these days, a lot of people are carrying around serious financial stress. Help your team understand where your company stands in the scheme of things. A realistic idea of where things stand will mean less nagging anxiety and better productivity.
35. Recognize achievement. Especially when things get hectic, it’s easy to miss opportunities to praise the people on your team. When financial options are limited, a little recognition for a job well done can go a long way.
36. Reward often. Even if it’s just buying a round of morning bagels or dishing out the occasional gift card, look for opportunities to reward achievers, both individually and as a group.
37. Segment tasks. If you can never seem to get the ball rolling on a big project, think of it as a series of smaller tasks. The work will seem less intimidating, and you’ll have a good chunk done before you know it.
38. Stop doing something. Sometimes, serous prioritization means letting go of certain tasks or responsibilities. If something isn’t adding value to the organization, it’s time to let it go.
39. Be in customer service. We tend to think about our work in terms of the things we create – reports, documents, etc. Try to think of yourself as a service provider, focusing on relationships, prompt responses, and strong rapport with others.
40. E-mail efficiently. If you’re getting a ton of e-mails each day, it’s probably killing your productivity. Encourage your team to save their thoughts throughout the day and drop them into a single message. You can answer in one fell swoop instead of 17.
41. Minimize interruptions. Don’t make it a habit to drop everything whenever someone stops by your desk or calls you on the phone. Politely but firmly direct non-urgent issues to a later time when you can give the matter your full attention without compromising what you’re doing. Schedule the meeting while they watch.
42. Eat well. Eating a real breakfast and a healthy lunch will help you feel better and have a more productive day. People who say they don’t have time to eat are full of hooey. You always have time for what you choose to make a priority.
43. Walk around. Human beings weren’t designed to sit at a desk under fluorescent lights all week. Make it a point to get up, walk around, and catch some sunshine throughout the day. You’ll be amazed at how a five-minute stroll can improve your perspective and take a bite out of stress.
44. Batch tasks. Don’t let small, repetitive tasks repeatedly interrupt your day. Carve out a few dedicated minutes each day to handle repetitive tasks like filing, processing mail, or handling invoices. Get things done in batches.
45. Think production, not perfection. Perfectionism can be productivity’s biggest enemy. Sometimes good enough really is good enough. Save your perfection for when it really matters.
46. Be decisive. Don’t waste time with indecision. It will often take less time to correct a mistake than it does to obsess over the decision. Once the decision’s been made, it’s easier to move forward.
47. Be on time. If you want others to respect your time, you need to respect theirs. Plus, being consistently on time sends a message that you are reliable and have your act together.
48. Opt out. That means taking a pass on any clubs, task forces, committees, mailing lists, etc. that are demanding more of your time than they are worth. Don’t feel guilty about it.
49. Avoid toxic people. Some people are never happy and are eager to tell you why. They can occupy your time and drain your energy. Don’t let them.
50. Be healthy. A strong, healthy body is the foundation of productivity. Eat well, get some exercise, and take care of yourself. Better health means more energy. More energy means getting more done.
51. Help your team understand their contribution. Company leadership might talk a lot about corporate goals and objectives, but it isn’t always easy for employees to understand how their contributions influence the big picture. Help them get the idea.
52. Tame technology. Every piece of technology has a point of diminishing returns. If you’re wasting time surfing the internet, obsessing with your BlackBerry, or updating your social networking profiles, take a step back and reassess how you’re using the tools.
53. Burn the midnight oil sparingly. There will ALWAYS be more work to do than time to do it. Putting in long hours at the office or late nights at home should be the exception, not the rule. Focus on getting more done during regular working hours and reclaim your life.
54. Organize your space. Clutter and confusion will not only slow you down, but it will drain your energy as well. Make the effort to get your work area in order and reap the benefits day after day.
55. Uni-task. Multitasking has its place, but the best way to get something done is with uninterrupted focus. Be like a postage stamp…stick to one thing until you get there.
55-1/5. Close out the day. Don’t waste the last few minutes of the day. Make it a priority to close out your day by organizing yourself and setting priorities for the day to come.
Make it a productive day! (TM)
(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.
Forget multitasking: the real skill you need to compete in the business world and in life is efficiency. The ability to pick up new tricks and hacks quickly but effectively is priceless. This list of 100 awesome cheat sheets can help you to learn and do everything in less time, from working on your blog or designing a web page to losing weight and growing your own herb garden.
Technology has given us so many options when it comes to keeping track of our to-do lists—Smartphones, web-based applications, desktop applications, PDAs—but figuring out the best system for you can be a real challenge (and a frustrating one at that).
Interestingly enough, even with all the technology out there, informal research (mine and others’) still shows that when push comes to shove, most people still fall back on good old-fashioned paper. In fact, a lifehack.org survey shows that not only do most people use a paper to-do list, but that paper is more than twice as popular as any other method listed!
Why is that?
Because we’re human.
Life doesn’t always happen when you’re sitting in front of your computer. We sit in meetings. We leave the office and go home. We travel. And no matter how attached we are to our Treos and Blackberries or how sophisticated the technology becomes, most people simply don’t like making lists or taking notes while squinting at a tiny screen or getting thumb cramps trying to punch in line after line of text.
The bottom line is that handhelds are great for portability and storing reference information, but they’re just not configured for extensive note-taking. That’s why so many handheld users end up being the most disorganized and messy of us all. Without a paper planner, the inevitable to-do lists and reminders end up scattered all over the place on sticky notes and little scraps of paper. Without a “home” for it all, these notes become disorganized, lost, and useless.
So what’s the solution? Let’s look at some of the most popular approaches to organizing your to-do lists (and your life) and see if we can come up with a solution that uniquely suits you.
Paper Planners. Interestingly enough, people who use paper planners exclusively are often the most well organized of us all. Paper planners allow you to have your system available at all time, combine your personal and professional lives, see an instant view of your schedule, and keep manageable to-do lists. In the over 100 training seminars and speeches I give ever year, I’ve met countless numbers of people who tell me how they abandoned their trusty paper systems in search of hip “paperless” PDA methods—just to become so disorganized that they reverted back to paper.
However, for all the advantages, there are challenges with using a paper planner only. With hundreds of contacts, it’s often impractical to keep track of everyone on paper. Other workers in your organization can’t check your calendar for availability if you’re not on the system. Your assistant can’t schedule appointments for you easily without worry of double booking. And you can’t access your email from the road on paper.
Desktop software. Desktop computer software—such as like Outlook, Lotus, and GroupWise—is great. It allows you to manage your contacts, calendar, and to-do lists in one place without having to work with a pocket-sized interface.
In fact, desktop software is absolutely perfect—assuming that you never leave your desk—ever. But you do have to go home. And then when you think of something you need to do at work, you have to make a note. And the scrapping begins. You probably have meetings. If someone says, “Let’s meet again next Thursday. What’s your schedule?” Your very unprofessional response is “Uh, I don’t know. It’s on my calendar back at my desk.” If you appear so out of control, why would anyone trust you with something more important?
Business (and life) has a tendency to happen on its own terms, so it is important to have a system in place for gathering things like notes, appointments, and contact information, at least until you get back to your desk. I always recommend that everyone have some sort of paper system to supplement whatever they are doing electronically. A spiral notebook is disorganized due to the rigid binding: notes, to-do’s, phone numbers, and random information is all mixed together, forcing you to go back and re-read, re-write, and re-organize. You must constantly review old pages to determine what isn’t done. Spiral notebooks become a blur of cross-outs and scribbles due to non-flexibility. That’s why I designed The Productivity Pro® DayTimer® with rings, so the pages could be moved around. You could also print your Outlook calendars and carry them around with you. Or you could sync to a PDA. I personally hate tapping on the screen all the time. Don’t get me wrong—I love my PDA (I use a Mogul by Sprint)—but really only for email, texting, phone calls, and contact management. I prefer to see a big-picture view of my schedule and things to do on my trusty paper system. I just don’t feel creative when I’m not putting pen to paper, and a centralized system beats scraps paper every time!
Web-based applications. As it becomes easier and easier to find an internet connection when you need one, Web-based applications can be a great organizational tool. Whether you use the Web simply to access your calendar or are set up to remotely access your entire PC, it is nice to be able to get what you need from any computer with an internet connection.
Especially if you travel often, using Web-based software comes in handy where traditional desktop software might break down. You don’t need to get to your computer; you just need to get to a computer.
However, Web-based software has the same problem as desktop software—it isn’t always going to be at your fingertips. That’s why, just like with a desktop application, you’ll still need a paper supplement.
Handheld devices. By this I basically mean anything that fits in your pocket—a PDA, Treo, Blackberry, Smartphone, whatever. When handhelds started catching on, many were probably thinking that our organization problems were solved. After all, we could finally have the best of both worlds—technology and portability.
Unfortunately, most of us quickly found that however sophisticated an electronic device could become, they still didn’t quite cut it. The task list isn’t user-friendly. Even if you understand categories well enough and can sort your list, the devices max out at usually 15 categories. And nobody wants to scribble with a stylus or furiously thumb-type their way through a meeting or conversation, and you look like a dork. (I gave myself a painful condition called “Blackberry Thumb” from attempting it.) And even if you do get all of the information entered properly, tiny navigation screens and tinier font sizes just don’t quite cut it.
Handheld devices are great when you need to enter a new contact’s information on the fly or check to see if your schedule is open two Thursday’s from now, but they still can’t do the job of simple pen and paper when it comes to writing notes and creating lists.
The Solution—a Hybrid method! It’s getting harder and harder to find people that don’t use some form of electronic organizing tool, but even the most tech-savvy tend to fall back on paper for some tasks. If you’re listening to a voice mail on your phone, what are you doing? Writing down the message. Bingo. You need a paper planner. When you’re talking to the Hertz customer service agent on the phone, and he asks for your Gold number, what are you doing? Trying not to hang up on the person while you mumble, “Uh, hang on, it’s in my…phone.” Bingo. You need a paper planner. You’re sitting in a meeting talking with your biggest client. What are you doing? Typing notes with your thumbs while attempting to listen? I doubt it. Again…you need a paper planner…one place that will consolidate your lists, reference information, and notes.
I became so frustrated watching people struggle with finding an effective way to use their hand-held organizers in the real world that I teamed up with Day-Timers, Inc. to create a paper system that is specifically designed for users of hand-held organizers (although it works just as well for those without handhelds).
The Productivity Pro® DayTimer® planner has monthly calendar tabs but no time slots on the daily pages (you probably keep that sort of information on your computer or handheld). This gives you a large, easy-to-manage writing space for your notes, lists, and those pesky to-dos that always seem to be slipping through the cracks otherwise. (Visit www.daytimer.com/productivity to check out the planner.) It also has tools to help with things like long-range planning and ongoing lists—things that don’t always have an intuitive home within electronic organizers. If you’re more curious exactly how it works, get a sneak peak of the planner directions and features and benefits. It allows instantly-accessible paper that allows you to follow my mantra: if you think it, ink it! ™
Beginning May 10, there will be a 20% coupon off the purchase of a bundle: my smooth black Nappa leather binder, storage case, and one-year of neutral, dated pages and inserts (start date July 2008) at www.daytimer.com/laurastack (click “Laura’s products”). Guys, don’t worry—no frills—I designed this with you in mind. Hopefully this will help you create a time management system that exactly meets your needs. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Make it a productive day! ™
Listen on…
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Pretty much anybody you ask will tell you they’re pressed for time. There just aren’t enough hours to get it all done, yadda yadda yadda. So we prioritize, streamline, and simplify. You can improve your efficiency until you’re blue in the face, not to mention very tightly wound, but you still aren’t addressing one of the biggest time and energy wasters in your day: incoming information. As my 13-year-old daughter, Meagan, would text on her phone: “TMI” (translation: Too Much Information).
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com
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.
Where do you stand in this new phase of the internet revolution, which many techies are calling “Web 2.0”? Perhaps you avoided it altogether…or you’re an addict…or you’re somewhere in between.
Like most technology, social networks and other social media tools are great resources but lousy masters. You could spend all day hopping around to different sites, updating your information, and connecting with people all over the world. But how does that add to your daily productivity?
Since it’s a brand new year, let’s take a look at how you’ve been wasting time online. Or perhaps you should be spending more time dipping your toes in the social media waters!
What is social media?
Don’t worry if you’ve never quite gotten your head around the term. Even the experts don’t have a great definition for it. Think of it this way: social media generally refers to web-based tools that help you connect with people and share information.
This means networking sites, such as LinkedIn and MySpace, as well as information sharing tools like blogs. Social media is really about connecting people with one another and/or information.
What’s the point?
There was a time when social media was just a novelty—something that people did just for the sake of doing it. The technology was new, and it was fun to connect with people and find new sources of information and new perspectives. (It can still be a lot of fun!)
The explosion of blogging created an environment where anyone could be a publisher and share their ideas for little or no cost. The advent of social networks gave individuals unprecedented access to one another; suddenly chatting with your old friends from college wasn’t limited to the class reunion.
And today, social media has evolved beyond being just a toy for tech-lovers. As more and more people get involved and the concepts become more mainstream, social media has also become more useful as a professional tool. For example, my favorites are:
• LinkedIn is a great site that allows you to create a professional profile and make business contacts online. Most users see the site as a relatively no-nonsense one, which makes it a great resource for building professional relationships and for reaching out to people that you’d like to meet virtually. I have 400+ contacts currently, all of whom I know personally and would do business with or refer to others. You can view my LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurastack.
• Blogs, such as TypePad or WordPress (part of your site or not), have become a great way to share your expertise with the world and build your personal or corporate brand. My blog www.TheProductivityPro.com/blog allows me to share productivity news and insights in an impromptu, informal way. That means my clients and those interested in productivity are more likely to be familiar with my work, my personality, and my qualifications.
• Twitter is a micro-blog, and has a concept that is perhaps the simplest of any of the social networking sites out there. Throughout the day, you post the answer to a straightforward question, which is “What are you doing?” Your updates (“tweets”) are limited to 140 characters. Others can elect to follow your updates and view your posts. Because of the no pressure, minimal approach, you’d be amazed at how quickly you can build your network on Twitter. It is a great, fast-paced way to meet people, keep up with your friends and colleagues, and build your personal brand online. You can follow my tweets at www.twitter.com/laurastack.
I could go on about the different platforms that are out there, but that really isn’t the point. The thing to keep in mind is that there are a variety of sites available to you and that you need to pick and choose which make sense for you. My favorite is LinkedIn, where I can ask people in my network for introductions to people in their networks. I’ve gotten business from doors that have been opened by others for me.
Don’t spend a whole lot of time doing research or comparing sites. Go with your gut and start exploring what is out there. Some things you will like and see the value in, some you won’t. The best way to figure out what’s what is to experiment a little. These sites are extremely user-friendly and are designed to be intuitive. Generally speaking the site will ask you for your information as you go and help you get started. The best way to decide what appeals to you is to do some browsing online and try a platform or two to get your feet wet.
Laura, my feet are already wet. Now what?
Once you have accounts set up on one or more social platforms, there are a few things to keep in mind concerning the day-to-day activities associated with staying connected online:
• Keep up with it. Whether you are maintaining a social networking profile or your own blog, keep in mind that a neglected site gives a bad impression. Especially when networking professionally, information that is inaccurate or out of date is going to reflect badly on you. If people see, for example, that your LinkedIn page has been untouched for months, they just might assume that you are no longer a player at your company or in the industry.
• Censor yourself. For whatever reason, the internet has an odd way of releasing people’s inhibitions, and often not for the better. Especially if you are planning to tap social media for professional networking purposes, think about what you are putting out there! You really need to look at every post assuming that it will be read by your boss, coworkers, clients, your parents, your kids—anybody. If you already have a site that features some less-than-flattering content or images, now is the time to clean it up. Need more convincing? Social networks are increasingly becoming part of the hiring process at many companies. What would a potential employer find out about you if they put their mind to it? Would a prospect decide not to hire you based upon the attitude you exude on your page?
• Limit your social networking at work. The internet is one of the biggest enhancers of productivity in our lifetime, but it is also one of the biggest productivity drains. Social networks are no exception. Make sure you keep your social networking—whether that means reading blog postings, updating your profiles, or checking out other people—under control. Set proper boundaries for yourself. Some people simply can’t do this and waste inordinate amounts of time on social sites each day, leading some companies to block websites such as myspace.com. It really doesn’t take that much time to sit down once or twice a day to check in on things and make sure your communication is up-to-date, but it is extremely easy to find yourself wasting half the day doing it. There is limitless information out there and millions of people available to meet and interact with. Be sure to keep a handle on how much time you’re spending.
• Limit your social networking at home. Just by the nature of the beast, even if you use your social networks primarily for professional purposes, you’re going to end up having some fun, too. Just remember that even though there are countless interesting people out there in cyberspace, there are a handful of much MORE interesting people right under your nose, in your very own home. Don’t neglect the real people in your life because your busy interacting with the ones on your computer screen.
So get out there and start communicating. Once you’re up and running, see where it takes you! Just don’t let it take you out of the productivity zone.
Make it a productive day!tm
(C) Copyright 2008 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com
http://www.theproductivitypro.com/newsletters/num115Dec2008.htm visit for full newsletter
Importance of Productivity during Down Times
In the summer of 1900…
• The average life expectancy in the United States was 47.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11, which was an incredible sum because the average American made .22 cents an hour, or about $400 per year.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the US annually.
Amazing what a century will change. Amazing what a few months will change. Growth ends, recession sets in, the stock market stops booming, and companies go bust. The recession is impacting our clients in various ways: we’re hearing of layoffs, hiring freezes, reduced budgets, not rehiring for positions as people leave, go on maternity, etc.
Tough economic times are packing a one-two punch in the workplace.
First, everyone is forced to do more with less (POW!).
Second, you have to do it all while dealing with the nagging anxieties that come with an uncertain economy—threats of downsizing, bankruptcies, cost containment, you name it (POW, again!).
So how do we cope—as leaders and as productive employees?
To succeed and keep their doors open, companies must make more money but spend less money and create greater results with fewer resources. You could attempt to cut salaries, benefits, staff, costs, or the quality of your products—all poor options. A better choice? Increase employee productivity. If you have 10 people, and you can get them to improve their productivity by 10%, you just effectively added another staff person without increasing salary expense—a much more attractive response. To do this, your employees need your help.
First of all, get a grip on your personal negative feelings that result from your lack of control. You DO have control over your friends, your love relationships, and your career. You decide for yourself what’s right and what’s wrong, whether you should stay in this weekend or go out, whether to vote Democrat or Republican. You decide who to see, what to wear, what to eat.
However, you have VERY LITTLE control over the government, economic policy, the rise and fall of the stock market, Mother Nature, international events, and even your company direction. Changes can often disrupt your life and force you to change your plans. Often there is little you can do and yet you are overwhelmingly affected by it. Accepting what is means realizing you can’t control certain things and to stop trying. You can sit around and wonder, “Oh, my gosh, how is this going to affect me? What if I’m next to go? How will I pay the bills? I’m going to be a bag lady!” You stew and worry and literally make yourself sick.
These things will happen. They just will. You will get no warning, and nobody will prepare you. And that’s frustrating. Because people will tell you to “reach for the stars—you can achieve whatever you want!” But they don’t mention you might get hit by a comet in the process.
It’s time to accept the things that you cannot change and focus on the things you can. What can you do?
Give yourself a break. Try to stay positive, despite the doom and gloom. Overdosing on pessimistic, overly dramatic news coverage is just going to weigh you down with bad thoughts—not good for those looking to clear their heads and get things done! It’s important to be informed about what is happening in the world, but you definitely don’t want to overdo it.
For months now, we’ve been bombarded with bad economic news every time we turn on the television or pick up a newspaper. No wonder everybody seems to be in a rut. Follow the daily news as much as you need to so that you feel in the loop and understand the issues that affect your industry. Other than that, it might be time to shut off the TV and catch up on some fun reading or spend some more time with family.
Know your job. Seems like this one should be a no-brainer, but you’d be amazed at how often our responsibilities can change and evolve without our even knowing it. Small incremental changes in how employees or departments do business can add up over time, leaving groups of people that work hard, but aren’t contributing to business objectives as effectively as they once did.
For example, in an effort to provide an exceptional level of service, you might find yourself doing work that is below your pay grade. Maybe you end up doing a large portion of the administrative work associated with a project that needs your input. Consider the value of your time!
Make sure that the things that occupy your time are worthy of your talent and expertise and hold your staff to the same standard. With any project, you should be able to look at the time spent, multiply by the pay rate of the ones doing the work, and still feel that your resources were well spent.
If you’ve got a $40,000/year employee stuffing a bunch of envelopes (even just that one time) or a six-figure manager assembling an important presentation page-by-page, then that work becomes awfully expensive!
These examples might seem outrageous to you, but believe me, it happens all the time. Never make the mistake of treating your time like it’s free. Time and other resources are limited, and we need to treat them that way.
As your company and your department are undoubtedly being asked to do more with less, now is the time to step back and take stock of the type of work you’re doing. Many times roles and responsibilities change, but job descriptions do not. As a result, we end up drifting away from core priorities and towards dong work that, while challenging, doesn’t really meet the organization’s immediate needs.
Now might be a good time to step back and ask that all important question: “Why am I (or we) doing this?” If you can’t answer that, or the answer doesn’t make sense, it’s time to purposefully make a change.
Break habits, build systems. Every office that has been around for any length of time has certain unwritten policies and procedures that exist simply because “we’ve always done it that way.” Now is a great opportunity to analyze your existing business practices and find opportunities to break the bad habits that may be bogging your operation down. Take you entire department for example. Do you and your people have a clear idea of your area’s specific responsibilities? Do you have the confidence and determination to say “no” when someone is asking you to do work that is outside your scope of responsibility?
Perhaps over the years your group took on the responsibility of coordinating quarterly meetings with senior managers. It might have made sense for you to be doing the legwork then, but now that the work has become routine, is it really the best use of your talent and resources?
That’s just one specific example, but there are many more out there. Usually, these are the kinds of tasks and responsibilities that make employees want to ask the all-important “Why am I doing this?” question. Rather than spend another day mindlessly plowing though projects that may or may not be a good use of your time, force yourself to take a hard look at what you are doing and why you are doing it.
If you had to pick three tasks or responsibilities that should be the top priorities for your department, what would they be? Once you know, evaluate how much time and energy is dedicated to those things. You might be surprised at how much time we can spend doing things that aren’t even close to the top of that priorities list.
It isn’t always easy to say “no,” but fortunately, that’s where your systems can come in. As you work to create smooth, efficient systems to do work within your department, you can give yourself some ammunition to fend off others in the company that might be inclined to slide work onto your plate where it doesn’t belong. If you don’t have firm policies and procedures in place to identify who should be doing what, it is much more difficult to make the case for “no.”
Analyze your relationships with other departments. Have trouble turning down work coming from other areas of the company? Now is a perfect time to start fresh and rebuild your department’s boundaries. In a frank and honest way, simply explain to others that in light of the current economic situation, your group has taken a critical look at its daily operations and needs to decline certain types of requests in order to build efficiency.
Perhaps you need to apply a little systems thinking and rethink the flow of information. Is there a procedure in place for other business units to request your assistance or input? If there’s not, you’re probably being hit from all angles with requests that may or may not be the best use of your time. Diagram how work moves through your department. Where does it come in from and go out to other departments? Interview your internal customers and find out how you can provide value through reduced services. Can you provide a report monthly instead of quarterly? Can you cancel the weekly project meeting and get everyone to email updates instead? Question travel requests if you feel a conference call will do. One of the best ways to take stock of the situation is to survey your group, ask them what gets in the way of productivity, and to genuinely ask how they would redesign things if they could.
Find the bottom line. Right now, businesses everywhere are taking stock of their must-haves versus their nice-to-haves. From an organizational perspective, which are you?
Economic necessity can force budget cuts and cost containment that might otherwise be unnecessary. One way to prepare yourself for this reality is to make sure you have a good understanding of how you and your people contribute to the company’s bottom line.
Sometimes, it’s easy. If you work in sales, for example, the correlation between what you do every day and the company’s financial success might be very straightforward—my group sells our most profitable product, which makes the company money.
Sometimes that correlation is not so obvious. If you operate in a support role, like Human Resources, you may want to start looking at your various responsibilities and deciding which among them have the greatest influence on the company’s bottom line—either by somehow driving revenue or by controlling expenses. Perhaps you help contribute to developing talent within the company, which clearly has an impact on the overall success of the organization. Employee development always seems to be one of the first things to go during down economic times, but this is not the time to reduce training if you’d like to get more work from fewer people. Or maybe you’re managing clerical or administrative functions that would be expensive to secure elsewhere.
If you can’t draw a line from what you do each day to the financial well-being of the company, then it might be time to do some hard thinking. Your other contributions might be valuable, but in difficult economic times, corporate leadership often becomes must more focused on dollars and cents, for better or for worse.
Where am I going with this? If it isn’t obvious how your contributions benefit the company, be prepared to explain how they do. If you CAN’T explain why certain aspects of what you do are valuable, then it’s time to stop doing them.
At the end of the day, productivity is about more than getting things done. It’s about getting the RIGHT things done and getting them done efficiently.
Make it a productive day! (TM)
(C) Copyright 2008 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com
I recently interviewd Dave Kutayiah, SR. VP of HR at ING Clarion Partners about how to increase employee productivity during down times. I specifically asked him,”How do you get more work out of fewer people?” He gave me permission to share his reply, because I believe my readers will also benefit:
Laura,
I am currently going through the same scenario with my HR team and my business partners are experiencing the same due to a recent workforce reduction.
In a case like that, as a manager, you have to do the following:
- ensure everyone understands why the team is leaner and meaner,
- make sure everyone understands the strategy or gameplan and how they fit into the refined organization,
- reinforce the importance of each team member and the fact that the stakes are much higher than before,
- define your expectation for each member as well as the collective group,
- inform them of the accountability framework that you are putting in place (ie consequence at an individual level if they don’t get the job done according to the new rules of engagement),
- identify resources that they may access to help get the job done, and
- ensure they know that you are supportive, available and understanding of the limitations of the smaller team, but you see opportunities for them to step up and take on stretch assignments and learning opportunities that might have otherwise been more limited with a larger team.
Dave G. Kutayiah
Senior Vice President
Human Resources
ING Clarion Partners
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 request time off, reschedule a recurring meeting, or just let your employees know that you’ll be gone, do it as soon as possible. Depending on where you work, getting holiday time off can be competitive. Especially in this case, the early bird tends to get the worm.
Mark your calendar. Sit down with your Day-Timer® and plan backwards. If you want your holiday cards to go out on December 20, when would you need to buy the cards, get the stamps, write the newsletter insert (if you do one), and start addressing in order to make that happen? Think backwards through the entire process and write the individual steps down on the to-do list for each date. Same with your holiday meal, gift shopping, and tree decorating. When would you like to be done, what are all the steps, when would each need to start, and write them down.
Make a budget. Unless you’ve got more money that you know what to do with, it is easy for the holiday season to turn into a financial headache. Ninety-nine percent of that stress can be eliminated by thinking ahead and making a budget. Financial sanity doesn’t come from having a ton of money; it comes from spending it wisely. Decide how much you’re going to spend and stick to it. Letting yourself creep over your budget probably isn’t going to make you a hero in the gift department, but it might cost you a gray hair or two when it comes time to sort out the holiday bills. How many times have you charged expensive items and spent five months paying for them? See if you can break tradition this year by drawing names or just sending cards. Tell the people you’re not buying for that you’ve pared down your gift list out of necessity and ask them not to buy for you as well.
Avoid the shopping marathon. Unless you really do enjoy the “shop ‘till you drop” marathon mall sessions, skip the all-day shopping trips. If you start now (or better yet, six months ago), you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done by picking up an item here and there while you’re running your everyday errands. The secret is to sit down, make a list of the people you need to shop for, and keep it with you. Ideally, your list will include one or two gift options for each person, too. Keep your list with you and cross off a few people every week. Also keep your eye out for stocking stuffers and similar small items. And as for that whole Black Friday thing – if you don’t enjoy it, skip it! Unless shopping is in your blood, the money you’ll save probably isn’t worth the aggravation.
Wrap as you go. Don’t put all of your wrapping off until the last minute. As you pick things up, go ahead and wrap them as soon as you get a chance. Wrap a couple extras for a guest who shows up unexpectedly and gives you a gift. It helps to have a dedicated wrapping area cornered off that is well-stocked with all the essentials – wrapping paper, scissors, gift tags, tape, etc. The easier you make it for yourself, the more likely you are to get it done.
Simplify, simplify. No matter how cool your friends and family might play it, you are NOT the only one who gets stressed out around the holidays. If the stress of preparations is getting out of hand, don’t be afraid to propose a simplified pot-luck dinner instead of a more elaborate affair or a gift exchange instead of shopping for everyone individually. Even if you just try this approach with a small group of friends or extended family, it’ll be at least a small relief for everyone involved. When it comes to reducing you holiday workload, every little bit helps.
Make friends with the Internet. More and more shoppers are finally taking the plunge and skipping the traditional brick and mortar stores completely. Internet shopping has come a long way in the last few years and you might be surprised at how simple it has gotten. You can easily compare prices and can generally find good deals on shipping that will guarantee arrival in plenty of time for the big day.
Play your cards right. Many people take one look at that mound of Christmas cards and can suddenly think of three or four other things that require their immediate attention. We love getting cards but hate the prospect of doing ours. So we procrastinate until December 22 and pull another 2:00 a.m. shift to get them in the mail by Christmas. So, I look at my cards as a process. Breaking the project down into smaller pieces makes it seem more manageable. You can even begin now! The first thing I do is create the labels. Second, I stick them on the envelopes with a return address label and stamp. Next, I write the family newsletter and get it copied onto the special paper. Finally, I set up an assembly line: (a) add a salutation to the card such as “Dearest X Family,” (b) sign our names, (c) enclose the newsletter and a picture, and (d) seal the envelope with a sticker. No licking for me! If you prefer to hand-write your cards, the trick is to write five each day, starting the day after Thanksgiving. Take some with you wherever you go, in case you find some free time: at the doctor’s office, waiting for a meeting to begin, or picking your child up from a lesson.
Cheat. Unless you really enjoy preparing mass quantities of food from scratch, there’s no reason not to take advantage of a short-cut or two. Particularly when it comes to the dessert menu, there are plenty of quick and easy mixes that can help you shave some serious time off of your meal preparation schedule. Just go to the grocery store and find a few easy-to-make offerings or buy something from the deli. For a special touch you can dress your desserts with extra holiday sprinkles or a squiggle of chocolate sauce across the plate for a very restaurant-looking presentation.
Give yourself the gift of time. How about purchasing a few months of housekeeping instead of clothes? Purchase a gift certificate to a restaurant so you don’t have to cook. Have the veterinarian groom your dog instead of doing it yourself, being soaked, and making a mess. Buy a book on tape to listen to in the car on the way to work. Purchase a cell phone and eliminate phone tag by forwarding your calls when you leave the office. Have your groceries delivered once a week for a month (less than the cost of a blouse). Hire a teenager to do the major cleaning required before houseguests arrive.
Remember your priorities. Take shortcuts where it really doesn’t matter: buy cookies instead of baking them or barter a task you don’t like for one you do. I know two women who trade chores at holiday time. One hates to bake; the other hates to do crafts. So one woman decorates the other’s home and wraps her presents beautifully; the other does the meal preparation and holiday baking for the other! Cut out as many social engagements as possible if you want more family time—you can’t go to a school musical when it’s more convenient. Kids appreciate happy and relaxed parents more than perfect decorations.
Get moving! However you choose to get a head start on the holiday season, you won’t regret putting in the extra effort early on. Keep yourself motivated by thinking about how nice it will be to cruise through the end of December stress-free and full of holiday spirit. You might make a date with yourself to visit the mall on the last weekend before Christmas—just so you can observe the mayhem you successfully avoided by being so productive!
Make it a productive day! ™
(C) Copyright 2008 Laura Stack. Laura is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc. and the bestselling author of Find More Time and Leave the Office Earlier. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or www.TheProductivityPro.com.
John discusses an interview he had with Laura Stack The Productivity Pro®, Inc. on her 6-D email approach.
“Imagine this; you are deep in thought, tackling an important project, you are in the zone – then…’ding’…the echoing sound of your email inbox, that’s right, you’ve got mail. Your thought process screeches to a hault, your mind shifts, you think ‘nah, I’ll check it later’, but what if it’s important? What if it is crucial information? Or, what if it’s an amazing discount offer from your favorite online retailer…? Doesn’t matter, you’ve now lost focus on the task at hand and reach for the mouse. How many times does this occur throughout your day? I bet it happens often enough, that if you added up all of the diversion of time wasted you could calculate that into money lost…”
