A few tips from expert Laura Stack to help you enjoy more time with your loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

Hectic work schedules have probably ruined more Valentine Day celebrations than we care to think about. It is easy to schedule business dinners for February 14th without a second thought…until the day before…when it finally hits us. More so than expensive jewelry or chocolates, many people are satisfied with having the undivided attention of a loved one for the evening.

Laura Stack, Productivity Expert and author of Leave the Office Earlier, has these tips to help you create an unforgettable Valentine’s Day:

Plan before you leave work. Double-check your planner and organize activities for the next day before you leave the office on Valentine’s Day. Getting tomorrow’s tasks out of your head and on to paper will help you leave work at work, so that you can be fully present with your significant other on this important night.

Make any last-minute essential calls on the way home. Make it your goal to complete your work by the time you arrive to meet your Valentine. While you’re on your way home, finish any leftover “business” conversations. When you see your loved one in person, you will be ready to focus on the romance. If you make a call list before leaving the office, it will help ensure you don’t forget anyone.

Get a babysitter. If you have children, and your goal is to give extra attention to your loved one, this is not the evening to let the children tag along. Make it all about adult time.  Even if you are not the one who usually makes these arrangements, surprise your loved one by taking the initiative and booking a sitter yourself. This is a busy night for babysitters, so plan ahead by booking at least a week in advance.

Find something that relaxes both of you. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, by the time you are finally together, you will each have dealt with the pressures of work. So find a way to relax before your special ‘date’ to decompress. Draw a nice bath for two or get a couples’ massage. That can set the stage for a perfect Valentine’s night.

Be present. Focus on your partner. If you spend the evening in, avoid the tendency to multi-task at home. Some people don’t feel productive when they’re not doing four things at once, but all of your attention should be directed to your Valentine.

Turn off the phone. One thing that is sure to ruin the mood on Valentine’s night is a ringing cell phone, especially if the caller ID shows it is a colleague, leaving you curious and distracted. Make it easy on everyone and turn the phone off for the whole night. Your Valentine will love you for it.

Related posts:

1. Increasing Productivity: Telecommuting and Your Family and Friends
2. Distractions and Interruptions

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) shares suggestions on managing time by limiting activities. (C) 2011 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved http://www.theproductivitypro.com

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Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) discusses the importance of adequate rest and how it relates to productivity. (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved.

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I recently ran across this article full of tips on staying productive when you are unemployed. The article shares general ideas, as well as ideas in the areas of education, your job search, finances, networking and more. Maybe its not a bad idea to consider schools online when unemployed. Visit 100 Inspiring Productivity Ideas for the Unemployed to read the article.

Make it a productive day!

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Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) talks about the productivity killer – procrastination!
(C) 2010 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. http://www.theproductivitypro.com

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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

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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

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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

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