There is a bunch of research out there promoting the idea that laughter can improve productivity, and given what we discussed earlier this week about attitude, I decided today I would help lighten things up a bit by posting some funny productivity cartoons.
Hope these help improve your personal productivity for the day.
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Today’s post focuses on treats… (see previous blog post for tricks).
Tomorrow is Halloween and I think we’re all ready to receive a few treats! Here are 10 ways managing your time more efficiently will reward (treat) you:
So, what do you say? Is it worth employing a few tricks to receive the treats? Have a safe and fun Halloween, and don’t forget to make your tricks and treats last throughout the year!
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In the United States, October 31st is Halloween - where children dress in costumes and go door-to-door saying, “Trick or Treat!”. In order to prevent pranks (the tricks), adults hand over candy (the treat).
Today’s post focuses on ‘tricks’ that you can use to become more efficient (and stay tuned for our next post to address treats…)
Everyone’s looking for a shortcut to be more efficient. What are some of the industry ‘tricks’ in order to be more efficient?
1) Plan. Taking some time at the end of the weekend (Sunday evening), or at the beginning of the week (Monday morning), will go a long way towards ensuring that the little things aren’t overlooked.
2) Communicate Concisely. Identify the goal of a conversation before you initiate the discussion. Understand the other person’s time situation, if they are in a time crunch wait until a more appropriate time to ensure your issue gets the proper attention. Only discuss one issue at a time, and practice active listening, if you spend your time thinking of what you will say next, you will very likely miss details and forget what was said, at least on their part, later.
3) Manage Interruptions. Identify your typical interruptions and then plan on how to counter-act them. Control your phone use, let voicemail allow you to prioritize your calls and finish your task before returning the call. Respond appropriately to interruptions, don’t let yourself be led into their panic, if it is not an emergency, let them know when you can respond.
4) Organize/File Effectively. Keep your computer files tidy. Don’t save unnecessary docs and emails. Use a consistent naming convention throughout your folders, keep completed work separate from your in-progress work.
5) Stay Positive – If you tell yourself there’s no possible way you can get it all done, then you will undoubtedly find a way to not get to all you tasks, getting mired down with the thoughts of “so much to do” will distract you from actually focusing your time and getting it done.
Later this week we’ll post our efficiency “treats”! In the meantime, please share the “tricks” you use to increase your efficiency.
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As October, and the fall, continue to march forward, we start to notice the loss of daylight more. This may require us to shift our schedules - exercising after work rather than before, for example; or starting to prepare dinner earlier than in summer since the kids have to go to bed earlier in preparation for those EARLY morning reveilles….
As your daily pattern changes, remember to examine those changes to see if there are positive plans that you can implement.
Some ideas:
- during those dark hours in the morning, when the day still seems ‘quiet’, can you meditate, pray, or practice some self-renewal ritual?
- Is there a way to incorporate movement into your daily routine - parking farther away, taking stairs, or walking briskly during breaks and lunch? Can you do an indoor workout? Movement will have a positive effect on your mental as well as your physical well-being.
- Incorporate family time and movement/exercise. Our family is somewhat typical - we have game systems in the house… so we have Dance Dance Revolution, a game involving rhythmic stepping/dancing for the PlayStation, and are looking at the Wii Fit. This is something that the whole family can do together, and involves lots of laughter (mostly at mom) as well as lots of movement (for all of us).
- Make an extra effort to get outside during daylight hours - studies have shown that exposure to natural light has a positive effect on the production of endorphins which has been shown to be a natural mood-lifter, and necessary for vitamin D absorption, among other benefits. See this article on Shine for more and resources. Lack of sunlight is also responsible for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in some people. You can learn more about SAD at the Mayo Clinic website. (see above suggestion for walking during lunch)…
Embrace the change in season and see how you can improve your business!
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Before I attended my conference, I went on safari. Going on safari, by yourself, is an interesting experience. First, you are pretty isolated; no internet, no phone (although others told me that there was cell phone reception out there); and no television other “Bush TV” (campfires). This provides a wonderful opportunity for introspection… which I took advantage of.
I also took advantage of the twice-daily 3 hour safari rides into the 20,000 acre reserve, where I was able to see all sorts of animals in their native habitat (in fact, we were the interlopers…)
Some interesting phenomena - zebras and wildebeests were often together. They do that both for protection (it’s harder for predators to pick them off in a larger group) and because they are complementary grazers - zebras are bulk feeders, eating even the most straw-like grass, while wildebeests are soft-grass grazers only. So both animals can graze the same area without competition.
Who can you graze with? Who can you work with in order to minimize your solitary weaknesses? Is it time to look around for a partner, a JV, or just a friend to buddy up with?
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