Train Your Brain to Focus March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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While popular media and friends marvel at those who can multitask, a Bloomberg Businessweek Harvard Business Review article asserts that multitasking means more mistakes and an inability to retain information among other issues. Focus is better. The article presents a ways that anyone can train their brains to focus. Negative emotional distress can be tamed with good sleep, meditation, and exercise, for example –and this leads the brain to strategize more efficiently.
Head on over to Harvard Business Review to read the article.
Employee Perks that Don’t Work March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Attempting to motivate employees can sometimes go too far. There are employee perks that will not work, and sometimes have the opposite effect. For example, on average, only 28% of employees use a workplace gym. Work-at-home days often mean no work gets done at all.
To learn about more poorly designed perks and their remedies, head over to FastCompany.
Paul Akers Q&A On Incentives & Rewards for Kaizen March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: kaizen, personal productivity, workforce
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Mark Graban hosts a reader question with respect to Paul Akers company FastCap using incentives or rewards to employees in exchange for their ideas. Mark reports that Paul does not use incentives because he wondered whether or not the money or the genuine commitment to improving the company mattered more.
Check out Mark’s post with Paul’s thoughts here.
If Your Company’s Culture Needs A Shot In The Arm, Do The Huddle February 27, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, personal productivity, workforce.Tags: culture, personal productivity, workforce
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A FastCompany article by Eric Ryan reveals that huddles can be a great way to motivate a company. A huddle is a company meeting that keeps everyone connected to the culture and the business. Things like objectives, sales wins, financial challenges, and personal success stories, births, birthdays, and other individual accomplishments are discussed and heralded. This builds trust, communication, and camaraderie between coworkers. Eric also offers some huddle tips, such as allowing a different person to lead the huddle each time.
Check out the rest of Eric’s suggestions here.
The Wikipedia Way of Motivating Your Employees February 27, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Wikipedia’s success comes largely from its “workforce” of unpaid volunteers who write and edit. Wikipedia can manage this because its mission of freedom of information is clear. For a successful workplace, Julie Moreland, writing at FastCompany, suggests that a clear sense of purpose and a fulfilling workplace environment are essential. This includes listening to the ideas and concerns of workers, making work itself a journey of discovery.
Head on over to read Julie’s article here.
If You’re an Average Worker, You’re Going Straight to the Bottom January 30, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Marketing guru Seth Godin relates that we are experiencing the end of the Industrial Age, and with it goes the average worker. According to Godin, companies can always find average workers doing average work for cheaper rates. Mr. Godin insists that workers must make themselves stand out in order to be hired and to get paid more.
For the Business Insider article, and a link to Mr. Godin’s interview, head here.
Four Destructive Myths Most Companies Still Live By December 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, strategy.Tags: personal productivity, strategy
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Tony Schwartz at Harvard Business Review has written an article about the myths that companies still cling to. He lists them and explains why they are myths. Among them is the idea that multitasking is a good, critical thing. Multitasking often involves what is called switching time. For example, instead of paying attention at a meeting, you might be checking your e-mail instead, thereby missing important information.
For Tony’s analysis of this, and the other three myths, head over here.
Cash Incentives Not Always King When Motivating Employees December 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Incentives other than cash can expand an employee’s imagination, according to a report from the Incentive Research Foundation and the Incentive Federation. Travel, entertainment, and merchandise are becoming increasingly employed to incentivize workers. This helps companies slash costs and motivates employees.
See the EHS Today Magazine write up about the study here.
You Are a Monument Machine December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, personal productivity.Tags: lean, personal productivity
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The newsletter from Time Back Management (available to be viewed as a PDF) talks about how changing between tasks can create unproductive downtime. In order to avoid unproductive downtime, shut out interruptions like e-mail alerts. Close doors. Find somewhere quiet to work. In an analogous way, we can personally experience the same problems as machines, which experience costly “changeover time” to switch between tasks.
Head here for the site and a link to the newsletter.
The Personal Kanban: Not Just “Vocabulary Engineering” December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, personal productivity, Pull Systems.Tags: lean, personal productivity, Pull Systems
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Writing on Time Back Management, Jim respectfully disagrees with Michael Baudin, a lean expert, who posted his view that personal kanban is “vocabulary engineering”. Jim says that work in progress – especially modern work – needs visualization to avoid overload. While he agrees with some of the weaknesses using kanban at a personal level, Jim’s personal experience leads him to conclude that the benefits outweigh the problems and that kanban methods can get results when applied at a personal level.
Read Jim’s arguments here.
Building Manager Standard Work December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, personal productivity, Standard Work.Tags: 5S, lean, personal productivity, standard work
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Jamie Flinchbaugh, writing for IndustryWeek, explains how standardization creates more free time that can be used effectively. He provides a number of helpful suggestions for doing this, including using 5S to handle time, and not spending time standardizing what is obvious or routine.
Read Jamie’s article and his thoughts here.
3 Proven Strategies to Keep the Internet from Killing Your Productivity December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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Aaron Shapiro, blogging at FastCompany, reveals three ways to stop the internet from destroying your productivity. These include turning off instant messaging and only checking e-mail a few times a day. He also advises scheduling time for using social media, like Twitter and Facebook.
For Aaron’s expanded thoughts and ideas, check out his post here.
Helping Your Employees Find Their Flow December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, strategy, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, strategy, workforce
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Managers can help employees find their flow, or the ability to become fully immersed in any activity being undertaken. Among those ways are focusing on long-term and short-term goals, as well as challenging workers instead of giving them routine work that requires little oversight from management.
Head here for the article.
The Creative Brain on Exercise December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Exercise can free the creative mind, whether you are an artist, writer, or CEO. Haruki Murakami, famed Japanese novelist, is quoted in a FastCompany article where he talks about schedules of writing which involve exercise and running. Exercise helps handle anxiety, and relieving intense stress. Making time to exercise gives us more and better-usable time to work.
For the FastCompany analysis of exercise and work, head over here.
Three Big Reasons Why We Procrastinate –and What We Can Do About Them November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Creativity & Innovation, personal productivity.Tags: Creativity & Innovation, personal productivity
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Julian Fong, writing at Lateral Action, talks about procrastination and how it can be handled. Fong highlights several key reasons for procrastination, including not knowing what to do, not knowing how to do it, and various forms of psychological resistance.
Check out Mr. Fong’s Lateral Action post here.
Work Smart: Overcoming “Reactionary Workflow” To Make Your Vision A Reality November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, strategy.Tags: personal productivity, strategy
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Long-term goals can be undone by short-term obstacles or distractions. Scott Belsky, in a video from Fast Company, talks about how reactionary workflow can be overcome. Among the ideas he offers is making sure to take the reins on how you manage your work, and not become subservient to things like answering e-mails for others.
Take a look at the text and video here.
Six Strategies for Dealing With Workplace Distractions November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In a Fast Company blog post, David Lavenda writes about ways that workers can deal with workplace distractions. He divides these ideas into individual and organization strategies. On the individual level, for example, workers can put their technology distractions to rest by turning off things like e-mail alerts. Organizationally, meetings can be made shorter, during which time cell phones and other devices must be turned off.
Check out these and other ideas for handling distractions here.
How to Give the Perfect TED Talk November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, personal productivity, Uncategorized.Tags: leadership, personal productivity
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Statistician Sebastian Wernicke has analyzed over 600 TED talks to discover what works and what doesn’t. Technical terms, mentions of the New York Times, and slides make talks less popular, while more engaging talks use props, informal terms, and staying within an eighteen-minute period.
Check out the other interesting thoughts and facts here.
Learning Zone vs. Comfort Zone April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, personal productivity, workforce.Tags: culture, personal productivity, workforce
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In a guest post on lean thinker Jamie Flinchbaugh’s blog, Shawn Patterson (who manages continuous improvement at DTE Energy) writes about how workers he observed, facing change, consistently seek a return to “normal”, or the comfort zone. But to a company seeking excellence, employees will constantly be challenged in a learning zone that doesn’t always resonate with normality. Mr. Patterson explains that while a good part of the day should be spent within a comfort zone, there should also be a push into the learning zone.
Read his post here.
Average Workers Interrupted Every 11 Minutes February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, workforce
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According to the FastCompany website, the average office worker is interrupted every eleven minutes. Among other things, FastCompany recommends turning phones off and telling talkative coworkers to stop.
Check out the FastCompany Calendar bit here.
Also, check out the link in the first comment. How much do interruptions cost the U.S. economy? According to one study, almost a trillion dollars.
The Value of Monotonous Rituals February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In the effort to improve personal and work productivity, to-do lists at home and at the office are once again becoming all the rage. It is important to differentiate between the thousand things that go through your mind each day, separating the trivial from the monumental. Writing them down on a list –and the rewriting the list as things are accomplished –helps prioritize.
Check out the Time Back Management blog post here.
You Can’t Multitask, so Stop Trying February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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The arguments continue to mount against multitasking, and Paul Atchley delivers the next one. Mr. Atchley contends that multitasking actually makes us less effective in our lives. Efficiency can actually drop as much as 40% when trying to multitask, and it takes an average of fifteen minutes to reorient from one task to another. Among the ways to counteract the bad effects of multitasking, Mr. Atchley recommends focusing on one task until it is complete.
Check out Mr. Atchley’s Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
The Stop-Doing List February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, strategy.Tags: personal productivity, strategy
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Two authors at Bloomberg Businessweek urge readers to stop making “to-do” lists, and make “stop-doing” lists. In other words, jot down essential things rather than important things. Part of it is sacrifice. A smart company, for example, will know what kind of clients, engagements, and employees to avoid.
Check out the Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
My Most Important Productivity Tool January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Mark McGuinness over at Lateral Action has posted a brief article about productivity with links to recent entries. One of them follows the rule that if it doesn’t fit on a Post-It Note, it doesn’t fit into your day. This, explains Mr. McGuiness in the article, forces him to prioritize.
Check out the post and the links here.
6 Ways to Ensure Fear Doesn’t Win January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity.Tags: motivation, personal productivity
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Ron Pereira over at LSS Academy describes how fear has been mankind’s greatest inhibitor. To combat it, he presents a list of six things that can be done. Among them is finding one’s “true north”: what really drives one in life. For example, Mr. Pereira is driven by love of his wife and children. Another includes handling one task at a time to ensure completion of the task, rather than starting a number of projects and finishing none.
Check out the blog post here.
