Time Management: The Productivity Minute #24 – Procrastination
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) talks about the productivity killer – procrastination!
(C) 2010 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. http://www.theproductivitypro.com
Posts Tagged ‘Productivity’
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
Personal Productivity: Why Greensizing is Productive
We all want to do our part to help the environment. But if you can give the Earth a break and increase your productivity at the same time, that’s a real no-brainer! Luckily, a lot of the things you can do to help sustain the planet can help sustain your productivity as well. Read on for tips on how to green-size your life and get more done at the same time.
Use less paper. About 80 percent of papers that are filed are never referenced again. What a waste! A good solution? File less. An even better solution? Produce less paper to begin with. That doesn’t mean you have to constantly inconvenience yourself or feel guilty about ever sheet that comes off the printer. It just means you should think twice before you hit “print.” Do you really need a paper copy of that e-mail message or status report?
Why you’ll get more done: The less paper you allow into your day, the less time you’ll spend managing it. I’m talking about filing things, shuffling them around, and tearing through the heaps to find what you need. Keeping less paper means you’ll have an easier time finding the things that really matter and also eliminate some of the stress that inevitably comes from stacks of paper clutter.
Give your PC (and yourself) a rest. When was the last time you gave your PC a break? Letting it sit with the screensaver on doesn’t count. I mean actually shutting it down, all the way. The next time you finish working for the day, turn your computer off (black screen, no blinking lights). You’ll save energy and let the machine cool down for the night.
Why you’ll get more done: Shutting down your PC at the end of the day not only saves electricity, but it can also work wonders for your personal energy level. It’s easy enough to leave a computer untouched at the office, but I’ll bet your home computer is buzzing away whenever someone is nearby. This leads to technological burnout. You’re constantly checking e-mail. Mindlessly surfing the web. Compulsively scanning social networking sites. The next thing you know it’s deep into the night and you never really took time to unwind. Shutting the computer down means you’ll be less likely to plop down in front of it for “just a minute” and more likely to accomplish things around the house, spend time relaxing with family, or go get some exercise.
Drive smart. Does it ever feel like you’re losing time every day running errands or zipping around from appointment to appointment? If you think ahead, you might be able to consolidate all those quick trips into one or two longer outings, especially if you can batch them together based on where in town you need to go. Also consider making your regular commute outside of rush hour. You’ll travel the same distance in a shorter time and pollute less along the way.
Why you’ll get more done: Driving smarter isn’t just going to save gas, money, and harmful emissions, but it’s also going to save you time. Planning ahead and spending less time running around or stuck in traffic will do nothing but add precious productive minutes (or hours!) to your day.
Recycle and declutter. Don’t you always feel better after getting rid of stuff? It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or the office, getting rid of clutter is always a liberating experience. Tackle problem areas one at a time by identifying clutter and dividing it into “storage,” “trash,” and “recycling” piles. Recycling can mean sending junk to a traditional recycling facility or simply passing items along to those who can make better use of them than you can. Sites like www.freecycle.org can help you find a good home for your unused stuff and local schools and libraries often have a need for any extra office supplies you may have lying around.
Why you’ll get more done: Getting rid of clutter is just plain good for your state of mind, which is good for overall productivity. On top of that, getting rid of clutter will have the same effect as getting rid of paper – less junk to sort through, fewer storage hassles, and more space to live and work.
Travel less. Lots of companies learned this lesson from the recession, but there’s an environmental impact as well. Is all of your business travel necessary? Think about the trips you take, whether they’re across town or across the county. Would it be possible to get the work done remotely? Technology allows us to accomplish an awful lot from afar, from conference calls to complete virtual presentations. If you can manage to stay in town in a few instances where you’d usually pack up the car or hop on an airplane, you’ll be doing Mother Nature and yourself a favor.
Why you’ll get more done: Business trips can eat a lot of time. Sometimes you’ll literally need to spend days on the road for the sake of engaging in a few hours of productive activity once you’re there. Sure you can get work done on the go, but it isn’t the same as being close to home base. Skipping an out-of-town trip or two can free you up to make a serious dent in your workload.
When you get down to it, greensizing is just a matter of paying a little more attention to the habits that you wouldn’t usually give a second thought. Often, productivity is the same way. I hope you’ll join me in thinking twice and finding simple ways to conserve not only precious resources but valuable time as well. The planet will thank you and you’ll get more done. That’s what I call a win-win.
Make it a productive day! ™
(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
The Productivity Minute #11: How to be Unproductive
If you were actually trying to be unproductive, what would you do? If someone were watching with a video camera from your ceiling, what behaviors would you change. Laura Stack dishes about participants in her time management seminars telling their secrets of how they waste time. And how their images of an unproductive day often resemble their actual days!
(C) 2009 Laura Stack.
http://www.TheProductivityPro.com
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Connecting with People: Relationships are Productive!
One of the trickiest parts of leadership is finding a way to strike a balance between your employees as subordinates and your employees as real, live people.
Managing relationships with the people you work with (and for) is as important to your everyday productivity as it is to your career.
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Listen Now:
Friday, March 27th, 2009
The Productivity Minute #10: The Bane of Sticky Notes and Scraps of Paper
Watch this episode and learn why you have sticky notes all over your office. Figure out what sticky notes are good for and not good for. What do you do when you think of something you need to do?
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Monday, March 16th, 2009
The Productivity Minute #9: Stress and Performance
Everyone has stress! But is yours the good kind or bad kind? Positive stress can create improved productivity levels, but negative stress can cause performance to decline. Learn to diagnose your stress levels and determine the proper balance in your life.
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Recessionary Productivity Strategies: How to Get Lean and Mean in 2009
Times are tough.
That means businesses everywhere are forced to do more with less. Budgets are being cut. Headcounts are being reduced. In many offices across the country, the only thing that isn’t being reduced is the workload.
It all comes down to finding ways to do more with less – more work with fewer people, bigger projects on smaller budgets.
Just remember that, historically, great opportunities have been found in times of great challenge and hardship. Now, as organizations and as individuals, we all have a (hopefully!) once in a lifetime opportunity to look a global financial crisis in the face and excel in spite of it.
So how do we survive and thrive in an economy that bites back? It’s time to take the gloves off and get lean and mean in 2009.
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com
Listen Now:
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
The Productivity Minute #8: Channels of Communication and Unproductive Email
Email, voicemail, and conference calls have revolutionized how we communicate in corporate America and around the globe. In today’s fast-paced business environment, companies depend on technology to link virtual teams across cities, states, and countries. Yet most companies don’t provide training on how to productively communicate with these resources.
Whenever I find myself on the receiving end of an email volley, in which an email has repeatedly gone back and forth, I will simply pick up the phone and end it right there. Some people don’t put enough thought into which technology they will select to effectively communicate their message. For any given purpose, one channel (or medium) will be more effective than another.
(C) 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.
www.TheProductivityPro.com
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Social Media: What, why, and how to be productive – Podcast
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?
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
NEW Productivity Pro audio podcast! The Importance of Productivity During Down Times
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?
