-
5 underrated tactics for a super-productive day
“Ordinary people think merely of spending time, great people think of using it.” Arthur Schopenhauer We all want to be more productive. Whether you’re working on a big project, checking off tasks on your to-do list, doing life-admin, or just trying to fit a quick workout into your day, the systems and methods you use…
-
3 new things
“The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today.” — Seneca Over the past year, I’ve been testing out a few new practices and platforms that I’m either a) enjoying, b) getting value from, or c) all of the above, and so I thought I’d share them with you. Before…
-
How to reduce email traffic by 50%
How many emails do you receive on a daily basis? How many are actually important? How would you feel if you could cut the number of emails that land in your inbox by half? What would you do with all that spare time? I’m not going to try and sell you on why reducing email…
-
Meetings don’t suck — you do!
Meetings have an image problem. Ask around and I think you’ll find that almost no one likes them. The general perception is that meetings tend to start late, run long, and lack direction; meetings are usually unnecessary, often purposeless, and generally lack outcomes. Study after study has found that on average, meetings are run poorly,…
-
6 Steps For Better Staff Engagement Surveys
Without a doubt, getting company culture right is critical for achieving your business goals. In fact, along side strategy, research published in the Harvard Business Review suggests culture is the primary lever for organisational success. “A recent global study of engagement from the ADP Research Institute found that if employees consider themselves part of a…
-
12 reasons you might consider a new challenge
The bottom 3 levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is: physiological needs (food, water, warmth, rest); safety needs (security, safety); and belongingness and love needs (intimate relationships, friends). These are the needs that make job security so important for so many people. A secure job with a steady salary pays the bills. Being able to…
-
What kind of work should you do first thing in the morning?
“Your most important work, your highest-value work is the work that is most important to your team’s mission.” There’s a lot said among productivity pundits about the power of doing our most meaningful or most high-value work first thing in the morning. The theory being, and it’s backed by research, that we have the most…
-
How to make project planning simpler and more effective
Planning is guessing. But… Being reactive costs 3 times more than planning. As a leader, what do you do? The answer is in the middle. Set high-level goals and lay a path for how you’re going to get there. You can’t know exactly what it will take to achieve what you want. And, what…
-
Let’s get rid of COB deadlines
If you work in an office, it’s likely you’re familiar with the ‘COB’ deadline. ‘COB’ being the acronym for ‘Close Of Business’ or the old 5pm knock-off time. “…get that report to me by COB Tuesday” or “I need that submitted by COB Friday” you’ll hear people say. But here’s the thing. What is someone…
-
Why you need to keep your work space clean and organised
People tend to focus too much on what app they can use to boost their productivity when often it’s their physical environment that’s holding them back. Studies have shown that the average worker loses about an hour a day to disorganization. Consider for a moment what that means in productivity terms. Let’s say for argument’s…