Is being tied to technology controlling your time? Do you have to answer every cell phone call right away? Laura Stack talks about the interruptions that technology use brings and how to not be controlled by them. (C) 2010 Laura Stack www.theproductivitypro.com
With email being such a huge productivity drain right now, I created a brand-new online video learning library to conduct Microsoft Outlook training virtually. (I am a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist in Outlook.) The series includes ten 1-hour modules of online self-paced training. You can watch these streaming videos from the privacy of your own office, from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Each flash video includes a detailed workbook with screen shots, so you can repeat on your Outlook.
Microsoft online video learning library with Laura Stack:
Module 1: Customizing Your Outlook
Module 2: Inbox/Outbox/Sent Items/Drafts
Module 3: Tasks
Module 4: Calendar
Module 5: Notes and Journal
Module 6: Contacts
Module 7: Time Savers
Module 8: Advanced E-mail Tricks
Module 9: Email Communication
Module 10: Workflow
Click here for detailed course outlines and to purchase: http://www.theproductivitypro.com/s_outlook-virtual-training-products.html
Each module is regularly $39, but we are offering the entire library of ten videos at a discount for $349 per person. You will be an expert in Outlook when you’re done with the training series!
The Productivity Pro(R), Inc. is delighted to announce that Laura Stack has received the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) in Outlook 2007 credential. A Microsoft Business Certification shows employers that you have the technical skills to solve real-world problems by using advanced features of Microsoft Office programs. Not only did she pass, but the test administrator remarked that Laura’s test results were the closest to a perfect score she had ever seen on the exam. The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) credential is a globally recognized standard that validates skills with using the 2007 Microsoft Office system and meets the demand for the most up-to-date skills on the latest technologies from Microsoft. Candidates who successfully complete the program by passing a certification exam prove that they meet globally recognized performance standards and are able to work productively and efficiently.
NOW you can attend Outlook training with Laura Stack from the privacy of your own office! The Productivity Pro(R), Inc. has an online video library available with ten 1-hour modules taught by Laura Stack, each covering a different aspect of Outlook in-depth. Each class is accompanied by a detailed workbook with screenshots and step-by-step instructions. To learn from this NEW MCAS in Outlook, visit http://www.theproductivitypro.com/s_outlook-virtual-training-products.html to receive the passwords.
Our first virtual Microsoft Outlook webinar series was such a huge success that we’re doing it again! The new series begins May 22, 2009 with Microsoft Certified Specialist Laura Stack.
I’m going to present 10 modules covering various aspects of Outlook, step-by-step. This isn’t just computer training. It’s real-world, reality-based workflow processing that helps you actually be MORE productive with Outlook, instead of wasting hours every day playing with it. I will share my desktop and show my computer screen LIVE using my actual Microsoft Outlook software. This is not PowerPoint! It is a real-time demonstration. Even you Outlook experts will be shocked by what you don’t know you don’t know!
Each webinar is very affordable at $39 per person. If you attend all ten, the price is discounted to $349 per person. If for some reason you miss the class—don’t worry—the recording will be sent to you after each session, so you don’t have to attend “live.” You will also receive a workbook to accompany each webinar, with detailed screen shots, so you can duplicate what I do in the seminar.
We are using www.gotowebinar.com that uses either your phone or VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), so you listen right from your own computer speakers via your Internet connection.
| 2009 Microsoft Outlook Virtual Training with Laura Stack
Series 2 dates and topics: 1. May 22: Customizing Your Outlook |
If you want to project the seminar in your conference room, just call us at 303-471-7401 and tell us how many people are attending your meeting, and we’ll manually charge your credit card $39 per person.There are different sessions for 2003 and 2007 users, so please check the times carefully when you register. The 2003 series will be held at 11:00 Pacific/12:00 Mountain/1:00 Central/2:00 eastern. The 2007 series will be held at 1:00 pacific/2:00 mountain/3:00 central/4:00 eastern.
You are welcome to email your specific questions prior to each webinar to Laura@TheProductivityPro.com. We look forward to seeing you online!
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
Announcing The Productivity Pro® Microsoft Outlook virtual training series! Attend “live” training with Laura Stack, a Microsoft Certified Specialist in Outlook, from the privacy of your home or office.
I’m going to present ten modules covering various aspects of Outlook step-by-step. This isn’t just computer training. It’s real-world, reality-based workflow processing that helps you actually be MORE productive with Outlook, instead of wasting hours every day playing with it. I estimate most people know 10-20% of the capacities of Outlook. Even if you think you’re an “expert,” you’ll be shocked by what you don’t know you don’t know.
I’m making each one-hour webinar very affordable at $39 per person. If you attend all ten, the price is discounted to $349 per person. If for some reason you miss the class, don’t worry. The recording will be available for two weeks after the session, and each person will receive a detailed PDF workbook to accompany each webinar, with detailed screen shots, so you can duplicate what I do in the seminar.
NOTE: This is a one-person license, so you can’t have someone watch over your shoulder or forward the URL to others. If you want to project the seminar in your conference room, just call us at 303-471-7401 and tell us how many people are attending, and we’ll manually charge your credit card $39 per person. We use the honor system—only you will know if you cheat.
There is nothing to download. As long as you have access to the Internet and sound from your speakers, you can attend. You don’t dial in via phone, as this platform features VOIP (voice over internet protocol), and you listen right from your own computer. I DO recommend you purchase an inexpensive USB headset (such as the Logitech ClearChat Comfort for around $40) that plugs right into your USB and offers great sound quality and privacy from your office neighbors.
TIMES
I will offer different sessions for 2003 and 2007 users, so make sure to sign up for the right seminar. The 2003 series will be held at 11:00 Pacific/12:00 Mountain/1:00 Central/2:00 eastern. The 2007 series will be held at 1:00 pacific/2:00 mountain/3:00 central/4:00 eastern.
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?
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
Here’s a great site to calculate how much time you waste on Twitter!
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…”
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