blog.
The Productivity Mindset
When I first visited Croatia in the 1970s, I was struck by the negative attitudes of retail workers and their reluctance to provide assistance to customers. I remember entering one shop where I felt I wasn’t allowed to touch the merchandise, let alone ask for assistance. I quickly exited.
The Cost of Ignoring Communication
A noted author recommends that people selectively ignore communications by scanning communication for two vital pieces of information:
Action required by you
Deadline for completing the action
Say What?
“Hi, John. I’m calling about the project plan for one of the projects we’re working on. It turns out that the problem we thought we had is real. So, how about changing that step in the work plan to read something like “update work plan and obtain project champion approval?” When you get that done, send it to me for review and then I’ll send it to the next person along the chain. By the way, I like that last email you sent about the re-organization. Sounds like you’re getting noticed. Probably in a good way, too. Congratulations. On another note, there’s stuff going on with my latest project – probably the only one where you’re not involved. If you need to talk, call me and I can update you on my latest project with the rest of the department. You’ve got my number.”
The above is a real voice message (names and references changed for confidentiality reasons) that lasted about 40 seconds. I don’t know about you, but I’d say this voice message is a complete waste of time, not only for the caller, but also for the listener. There are several problems with the message, not the least of which is the length of the message.
A-Z Filing is Not a Best Practice
I was surprised and amused recently to learn that a well-known productivity guru is a proponent of alphabetical filing systems for individuals – i.e., an “A-Z” arrangement for reference materials. In addition, he advocates having on hand “lots of fresh folders” and a rule of thumb to reorder folders when the number on hand drops below one hundred.
My advice is that if you really have so much filing, it’s time to stop and evaluate what you’re keeping and why. Having fresh file folders on hand to file anything that looks interesting is just ridiculous, not to mention a waste of time and resources. And if you are doing this, when was the last time you looked at that article you saved on gardening? And do you even remember where you filed it? G for gardening? P for pruning? F for fertilizer?
Improving Email Communications
The Radicati Group estimated that in 2010 the number of emails sent per day was around 294 billion. This means that more than 2.8 million emails were sent every second by about 1.9 billion email users (almost 30% of the world’s population).
Given this high number of users and email transmissions, one would think that writing, sending, and responding to emails would be a simple act. However, this is not so.
The Black Holes of Communication
What is your top timewaster? Meetings? Communication? Micromanagers? You may be surprised to know that activities relating to communication typically cost people about two hours of wasted time every day. If you work an average eight-hour day, that’s 25% of your day gone to waste because of poor or mismanaged communication.
Leaving is Sometimes the Only Way to Send a Message
It was one of those days. You have a lot of work to get through and you have everything slotted, prioritized, sorted, itemized, allocated, dissected, trisected, and falling into place quite nicely. Like a well-oiled machine. Then it happens: The one appointment in your day where you’re kept waiting, waiting, and waiting some more. It happened to me today.
Crises are Created When the Important is Ignored
I keep coming back to lists. Complete lists. This means writing down all the things that need to be done. Whether things need doing now, next week, next month, or next year, they need to be on your list. Why? Because if they’re not on a list, there is a good chance that you will forget about them. And when that happens, you have a crisis on your hands.
Worry, Worry, Go Away, Don't Come Back Another Day
Have you ever thought about how much more productive you become when you don’t think? You’re probably re-reading this question and asking, “Huh?” Let me clarify. When we avoid thinking about what it is that we should be thinking about, we tend to worry because we aren’t getting done the thing that we’re avoiding. So if you stop thinking about the things that you’re not doing, there is a greater likelihood that you are thinking only about the task at hand, making you more productive.
In previous posts, I’ve talked about the eight sins that impact our efficiency – defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transport, inventory, motion, and extra processing ("DOWNTIME"). Add to this list Sin #9 – worry. Worry is a waste that can affect your productivity dramatically.
Workflow as Easy as P-D-S-A
In 1939, Walter Shewhart introduced the concept of “plan-do-check-act” as a scientific process of acquiring knowledge. In the 1980s, Edwards Deming refined the cycle by changing “check” into a “study” process. The cycle is logical and is used to test information before moving to the next step. It can be applied to all types of learning and improvement. It can also be applied to improve your daily workflow. Here’s how…
Success is 20 Percent Intelligent Effort
For the longest time, I was doing it all wrong. I was killing myself with work. And to add insult to injury, I was doing the wrong kind of work. “Wrong” in the sense that I was focusing on everything rather than zeroing in on the most important. I think exhaustion made me stop. That was when I realized that perhaps Pareto was right.
Relax to Gain Power
Productivity is directly proportional to your ability to control stress. That is, the more you are able to control your stress, the greater your productivity. And with greater productivity comes greater power.
It’s not sex. It’s not drinking. It’s stress and it’s soaring.
A recent study shows that six in ten workers in major global economies are experiencing increased workplace stress. China (86%) has the highest rise in workplace stress (source: The Regus Group). The American Institute of Stress reports that 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. And 42% say their co-workers need such help.
What is causing all this stress?
It's Not My Responsibility
When I need to facilitate a meeting, I arrive early to set up the meeting room to create a positive environment for the participants. When I leave, I make sure the room is tidy for the next facilitator. However, even if I use the same meeting room several times a week, each time I arrive, the room is in disarray. Why does this reoccur? The simple reason is: Because no ONE person is in charge.
Just Thinking About It Won't Get You There
One of the things that I’ve discovered is that many people are great at planning–thinking about how to change processes or things to produce better outcomes. However, when it comes to reducing their plans to projects or actionable tasks, they get stuck. If you tend to fall in this group, spending your days thinking about what you need to get done, but never seem to launch out of thinking mode, then read on. I’ve got good news for you in the form of lists and schedules.
Involuntary Systems are the Key to Success
Have you ever thought about how many times your heart beats in a second, minute, day, or hour? Very few of us ever think about how our body functions, yet there it is–doing an amazing job of balancing all of our internal systems to keep us alive.
Working to Death
A recent reader survey shows that British Columbia’s business professionals are working long hours, trending to near 70-hour work weeks. If you’re in this group, you’re setting yourself up for serious health and safety problems, most of which stem from sleep deprivation. In addition to these concerns, working long hours is counterproductive and does more damage to your organization than you might think.
Brain Dumps - Key to Being Organized
Many of us have participated in a brainstorming exercise at some point in our business careers. In fact, brainstorming seems to be the preferred technique by which organizations generate creative ideas and solutions for problems. However, it may surprise you to learn that brainstorming is no more effective for developing creative ideas than having individuals work on their own.
Do you have work-life balance?
Are you struggling with work-life balance? Find out by taking this survey.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
What’s the secret to working smarter, not harder? The answer is standardized work methods. If you do not have documented standards for your work, then you are working much harder than necessary.