Invest in yourself

By on May 4, 2010 in Old, Productivity & Organization

Invest in Yourself is one of the most important Golden Rules of Productivity.

Investing in yourself will yield the highest returns of any investment you have ever made. If you want to stay competitive or be at your most effective you need to keep learning and growing on a regular basis. In today’s world with the constantly changing technology, concepts and guidelines if you aren’t improving your knowledge and skills, you will be out-of-date in mere months. You have to stay current if you want to be the best – and I am assuming that you do or you would not be reading this blog.

What does investing in yourself look like? It does not mean that you need to be perpetually enrolled in higher education, though that is an option if it appeals you. Learning and growing can take many forms. It may be as simple as having subscriptions to trade publications – either in print or online – to stay up on new trends. The caveat there is that you must actually read them! You may attend conferences, workshops or other forms of training, take online webinars or read current books in your area of expertise. You may work towards an advanced degree or certification. Any knowledge or skills that you can acquire can help you grow.

This is not just limited to your business skills either. If you want to take a writing course at the local college or learn photography that’s fine. Maybe you want to hone your musical skills or become a gourmet cook. All of these skills help you to stretch and grow as a person and can be easily transferable no matter what you do in your “business” life. Your mind stays sharp, your comprehension of current trends and conversations increases, your confidence rises and your proficiency in areas such as analysis and problem-solving also improve. Knowledge and growth will help you become a more valuable commodity in any area.

To read more about the other Golden Rules of Productivity click here.

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Tame Your Voicemail

By on April 28, 2010 in Old, Productivity & Organization

Do you suffer from voicemail dread? I know, voicemail is an integral part of your communication system, but it can often be very frustrating. Phone tag, cut-off messages, long-winded messages and my personal favorite – the guy who talks like an auctioneer and even after listening to his message 5 times, you can’t decipher his phone number!

Here are some tips to make using voicemail easier:

  • Use integrated voicemail  – your voicemail is sent to your email account as an audio file, so you don’t have to dial in every  time.
  • Check your voicemail at scheduled times – just like you should be doing with your email. It can be anything from once per day to once an hour – whatever works for you.
  • Make sure you listen to all of the messages before responding because often there is a follow-up message.
  • Have your calendar and your action or task list available so that you can write down names, numbers and actions to be taken immediately – or at least a piece of paper to write them on if you are going to transfer them to your phone or computer.
  • Consider responding via email rather than a call back to avoid phone tag or getting stuck on the phone.
  • If the conversation is not going to be a quick one, try writing down the topics you want to cover or questions to be asked.
  • Delete all the old voicemails after you have listened to them so that your mailbox does not get full.

You can save so much time to use for more productive activities if you can trim some voicemail time from your busy schedule!

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Questions to Ask When Prioritizing

By on April 22, 2010 in Old, Productivity & Organization

Prioritizing is an essential function of being productive in business – your own or your employer’s – and in life. It is an ongoing process that should never be static, but evolving and adapting to your situation, current goals and resources at hand. The mind process and outcomes will vary from person to person, but there are some fundamental questions that need to be answered.

Questions to ask when prioritizing:

How important is this task/project to my business, my employer or my life?

Is this task urgent or important?

Will completing this save me time in the long run?

Does this task have a deadline? And what are the consequences if I fail to meet that deadline?

Does this task affect others? Is someone else waiting on my response or action?

Will completing this task move me closer to business or personal goals?

Do I have readily available the resources necessary for completion?

Will completing this task save me money? Or cost me money if I wait?

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How to be a Productive Communicator

By on April 21, 2010 in Old, Productivity & Organization

Communication is an integral part of any work or life situation. Learning to be an effective communicator is a valuable productivity tool. It is one that is unfortunately commonly overlooked. The consequences of poor communication can be disastrous; wasted time, hurt feelings, misunderstandings, unproductive meetings, ineffective teamwork and lack of progress towards goals. In order to be successful communicators we need to keep in mind some basic guidelines that are applicable in most instances of work, social or home environments.

Thank you up front:

  • Express appreciation for the persons time
  • Offer thanks for the work or contribution the person is making

Engage the other person

  • Find some common ground  – weather, sports, news or whatever is appropriate(avoid controversial topics)
  • Inquire about children or projects the person is involved in

Stay positive:

  • Find something positive to praise
  • Only offer constructive criticism or ideas

Monitor your tone:

  • Be assertive, not aggressive
  • Stay calm and cooperative

Be clear about your objectives:

  • What is your desired outcome?
  • Look for win-win solution

Be an active listener:

  • Seek to understand the other person’s perspective
  • Make eye contact
  • Don’t interrupt
  • Keep an open mind

Watch non-verbal cues:

  • Pay attention to body language
  • Notice yawns or sighs

Request feedback:

  • Make sure the other person understands what you are saying
  • Ask for the other person’s input or thoughts

Determine follow-up:

  • Summarize the agreements in oral or written form
  • Clarify any actions that will be taken
  • Confirm commitments and time-frame if any

Perhaps most importantly, always end with another thank you and a positive note!

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Lack of Sleep Has a Serious Effect on Productivity

By on April 16, 2010 in Old

There are only so many hours in the day and so much to do. The loser ends up being sleep. But sleep is a crucial factor in your ability to function. You can sacrifice sleep to gain extra time, but ultimately you are sacrificing your ability to use your time with purpose and efficiency.

Sleep statistics from the Better Sleep Council estimate that sleep deprivation currently costs U.S. businesses nearly $150 billion annually in absenteeism and lost productivity. And Better Sleep Month survey respondents reported sleep deprivation impaired their quality and accuracy of work (31 percent), clear thinking or judgment (31 percent) and memory of important details (30 percent)

Even worse, health implications can be disastrous according to WebMD.

In the short term:

  • Decreased Performance and Alertness: Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%.
  • Memory and Cognitive Impairment: Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability — your ability to think and process information.
  • Stress Relationships: Disruption of a bed partner’s sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).
  • Poor Quality of Life: You might, for example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.
  • Occupational Injury: Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
  • Automobile Injury: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.

In the long term, the clinical consequences include:

  • High blood pressure
  • Heart attack
  • Heart failure
  • Stroke
  • Obesity
  • Psychiatric problems, including depression and other mood disorders
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
  • Mental impairment
  • Fetal and childhood growth retardation
  • Injury from accidents
  • Disruption of bed partner’s sleep quality
  • Poor quality of life

This weekend try to give your body some extra rest. Fore-go a party or TV show and go to bed early or live on the wild side and take a nap! Your body will thank you and your productivity will improve!

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