Hoping tomorrow will be MORE productive than today? Here are our top 5 tips of things you can do right now!
Tag: efficiency
Use your SUMMER Time Wisely!
My top tips:ROUTINE ROUTINE ROUTINE: Just because the kids aren’t in school, or you aren’t at work doesn’t mean we don’t crave routine, in fact, our brain CRAVES it! We love to know what to expect. Make the summer days just as routine based as you would your regular day, making more time for flexibility. When you have something to look forward to in the day, you are motivated to enjoy the rest of the day too!GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION FOR DOWN-TIME: Used to the everyday challenges and celebrations? You can incorporate that into your day too. Reading & Learning, Playing and Creativity, Physical Exercise, serving others – so many community events out there! Use your downtime well and you will have a fun packed and fulfilled summer!PLAN PLAN PLAN: Hands up, how many are thinking “summer is here and what’s the plan?”. Have a pow-wow with yourself, your friends, family and significant others on your bucket list for the summer. When you know what you would like to achieve, see and do over the summer, you can schedule it in! Or make a bucket list for next year!No regrets! Summer is ready for you, take advantage of the beauty of the outdoors, the learning opportunities, the reading opportunities, the opportunity to rest and recuperate!
Ella Bates – Master Trainer
Owner of Trainingx3 the patented formula for guaranteed Corporate Training Success, Ella has over 20 years in the Learning Industry. If you are looking for high impact training in your organization with long lasting results, we would love to talk with you. CLICK HERE
5 Ways to Sneak in Exercise
Some of your colleagues right now may be exercising, look around, take a peak on that virtual call, can you tell? Probably not.
There are a number of ‘movements’ that you can do during your work day to exercise within the office, whether at home or in the corporate office and still maintain your excellent productivity record!
SHOULDER BLADE SQUEEZES
Pretend you are holding a pencil in between your shoulder blades and squeeze in and release 10 times
STANDING CALF RAISES
Stand behind your chair holding on to it. Raise your foot onto your tiptoes and hold 2 seconds and release repeats 10 times
PHONE EXERCISE
Get yourself a wireless headset so when you have to answer the phone, you can get your steps in.
SOCIAL FITNESS
Need to speak to a colleague who you share the same office with? Don’t use email and the phone its too easy. You can be walking to their desk and asking them the question (builds strong relationships too!)
WALKING MEETINGS
Virtual – if you dont have to be on camera, walk during the meeting. In fact the oxygen will give you more clarity, critical thinking and concentration!
In person, why should all meetings be sedentary, especially when there are two of you? If its informal and no major notes are to be taken, the get outside, get the fresh air, the exercise and the Vitamin D. Plus the movement will set for a great creative meeting
Don’t let work become the reason you become sedentary by trying some of these steps, keep your day ‘moving’.
Ella Bates – Master Trainer
Owner of Trainingx3 the patented formula for guaranteed Corporate Training Success, Ella has over 20 years in the Learning Industry. If you are looking for high impact training in your organization with long lasting results, we would love to talk with you. CLICK HERE
Procrastination – Stop the Madness
Its the biggest killer of productivity, many things get put off in our work and lives, like difficult conversations, goal setting, not going to the doctors/dentist/banking app.
There are 4 reasons….
1.A fear of failure 2.Not knowing where to start 3.Allowing distractions that interfere with focus 4.Avoidance of unpleasant tasks
FEAR OF FAILURE The surest way to achieve success and not failure is to model someone who is already successful. If you don’t have good models, find someone who is the best in your chosen field and emulate them. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel – simply learn from the best. Someone has already discovered how to get it — and you want to figure out what they are doing right. Saving you the time and pain with their knowledge they have gained. Success leaves clues. Follow their strategy and you sow the same seeds, then you’ll reap the same rewards. Failure is about learning!
NOT KNOWING WHERE TO START Schedule milestones, chunk out the information. Simply begin with the deadline, then work backwards to block off time periods on your calendar to work on the project pieces. Set deadlines on every milestone. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time…dipped in chocolate. What does this mean? It means splitting big projects into small parts and making them more enjoyable. Perhaps playing lively music will help motivate you to tackle the project. Or, promise yourself some other treat after each small part of the task is complete.
ALLOWING DISTRACTIONS We are factually our biggest distractor…….Let me make a case for this with just this one question…..Do you randomly check email/social media, your banking etc?
Schedule specific times for checking or making a drink for you. Remember if you want to have that laser vision focus, you have to own it and protect that time. Our brains are finely attuned to distraction, so today’s digital environment makes it especially hard to focus. “Distractions signal that something has changed,” A great tool learnt at the Productivity Bootcamp™ is to have a list of areas of work that you can do in times of low energy, recharging, high energy etc.
AVOIDANCE Why are you spending your time doing tasks you hate? Is it something you can delegate?
I’ll give you an example, I LOVE cleaning, now I have a cleaner! I don’t feel the guilt of not having a clean house anymore and I certainly don’t feel guilty about the time that I have saved and can now provide more time to my clients.
Secondly, you need to ask yourself why it is so unpleasant! What is it you don’t like about it, why do you do it? Do you understand the value it brings? If you are doing a task that isn’t of high impact or value to you or your work or your business, then DITCH IT! In our intensive online program or our Snapshot webinar or LIVE intensive Productivity Bootcamp™, we talk about the 4 D’s, Do It, Delay It, Delegate or Ditch It! If you are doing a task that is NOT of high impact or value to you, your work or your organization then DITCH IT!
Ella Bates Master Trainer & founder of the patented formula for Guaranteed Corporate Training Success, Ella has over 20 years in the Learning Industry within Corporate and Higher Education. If you want to have a conversation with a training expert who has access to the latest learning knowledge, we would LOVE to chat more with you CLICK HERE to get in touch. Read more at www.ellabates.com