Make this week your most productive week this year. Josh Davis, Ph.D., author of the international bestseller, Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done and Director Research at the Institute for Personal Leadership offers his advice for drastically improving your productivity. He advises "Adapt to the fact … [Read more...]
The Power of 1 Minute
Do you think you don't have a minute to spare? You should think again. In one short minute, you can accomplish so much: Identify something you are grateful for Encourage someone Smile Do some stretching Listen to someone Observe what is going on around you Reflect on what you have learned today Say “thank you" Notice someone’s strength Take a … [Read more...]
Protecting Your Time When You Are a Busy Manager
Being a manager is time consuming. If you accept that fact, you won’t resent the extra hours you spend at the office. Chances are you’ve found yourself stuck at work in the evening completing a project that you could have finished easily within normal work hours in the days before you became a boss. Even though you have more on your plate as a manager, you can slice some of … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Increase Your Productivity This Week
Build better time-management habits and you will be amazed by the way your productivity soars, as your stress level sinks. Add these practices to your workday: Save less. Be honest: How many files do you have that you never refer to? The surest way to avoid clutter is to never allow it to collect. Make your first instinct to delete an email or recycle a paper instead of … [Read more...]
Take Action: Clear the Mental Clutter That is Holding You Back
That clutter on your desk is nothing more than procrastination on your part. You've decided to ignore it. Push it aside. Pretend that it's not really hurting your productivity, even though you know you could work more efficiently if your desk was clean and organized. The same goes for the mental clutter you keep caring around, and you have at least a little. After all, you … [Read more...]
5 Tips to Rein In Workplace Stress
Workplace stress is a productivity killer. When stress is overwhelming, employees miss more days of work (either due to actual sickness or because they need a mental break). Conflict is higher, while collaboration sinks. Overall job satisfaction suffers, and if the stress is consistent, turnover skyrockets. The opinion that "stress comes with the territory" won't serve you … [Read more...]
Work-Life Balance is More Than Just a Cliché
Hopefully, you found time this weekend to relax, have some fun, spend time doing something you love, and re-energize before this week started. I talk about the importance of relaxation often on this blog, because I think it is critical to leaders' success, especially new leaders who likely are feeling a totally different set of pressures than their more tenured … [Read more...]
Stop Working Hard and Work Smart Instead
If extra-long workdays have been the norm since you became a boss, it’s time to find out why, before you burn out. Because at some point you won't have anything left to work harder. You'll have used up all your mental power, energy and enthusiasm. However, you can always work smarter. Follow these steps to do so. Take a close look at what you’re doing during those long … [Read more...]
Stop Spending So Much Time on Email
It's Friday, and you may be starting to wrap up your week and may even be planning to make it a long weekend heading into the 4th of July. Whether you make it back into the office on Monday or Wednesday or some day thereafter, vow to spend less time on email. You already know why. Constant email interruptions steal precious time from other tasks because it takes you … [Read more...]
10 Ways Meetings Drain the Life from Your Team
We've all attended meetings that were a big waste of time. There are many ways meetings can go wrong, but as a manager, you can prevent many of those problems. Check your meeting behaviors against the following list, and make changes if you’re guilty of any of these sins: Meeting for the sake of meeting. Don’t fall into the rut of scheduling a marketing meeting for Tuesday … [Read more...]