Increase Your Productivity

Posted by: Darlene Duncan CWDP, JSS, CCC, JCTC, JCDC
Training Coordinator

Feel like you’re spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast?

Every once in a while I need to step back and reevaluate my time management methods to see if there’s something I can do to be more effective with how I use my time. Recently a friend of mine pointed out an article to me that has eight great tips in it for being more productive.

The article is written with a slant toward someone who has a job however, it wouldn’t take much adaptation to make the ideas work for a job seeker.

I think number five is particularly helpful if your job searching. It’s so easy to get on the internet and fall victim to ‘shiny ball syndrome’. Some article catches your eye and instead of moving on to your job search you stop to read it. The next thing you know you’ve read a bunch of articles that may or may not have anything to do with job searching and you’ve lost an hour or more of time that was supposed to be used for job searching.

Click here to read all 8 great tips for being more productive.

Nine Survival Tips From a New Champion

Scott Stallings, a professional golfer, recently won his first PGA tournament.
He writes a blog from “Chief Executive Golfer” with such titles as "The Obstacle Between You and Success? Excuses."
It’s funny the excuses that we come up with to not do the things necessary to get better at our jobs, Scott says.
That also applies to getting a job. What excuses do you tell yourself? I'm too old. I don't have the skills. There's too much competition.
Watching Stallings win in a three-man playoff recently, you know the adrenaline was pumping.
Scott says maybe it was his new workout regimen that contributed to his victory at the Greenbrier Classic.
Scott says, "What a wild day. It definitely didn’t start out right. For the first nine holes, I was having trouble just finding the fairways. At every hole my caddie kept telling me I could do it — I had a shot at winning the tournament."
"I had more control on the back nine — I was just grinding it out. But then on No. 17, I had a bad swing, hit a tree and drove it into the water. If I was going to make it into the play-off I needed a birdie on No. 18.
"And that was exactly what I did. I sunk a five-footer, signed my scorecard, and literally sprinted back to the tee to do the whole thing over again. (My trainer would have been proud.)"
He moved up from 88th to 26th in the rankings.
"I’m more excited about that than the money. (But obviously the money is a huge bonus — I earned $1.08 million for finishing first.), Stallings said.
Despite his many obstacles, he never gave up. And neither should you.

Read Scott's nine survial tips that can apply to both golf and the business world.

Like Sands Through an Hour Glass

Do you have enough time in the day? All right, you can stop laughing now. Of course, you don’t. Most of us find that we always need just a few more minutes so we can get done those things we have to finish. You’re in luck because someone recently sent me a link to a wonderful article with some easy to do, practical ideas for saving time.
It’s definitely worth the time it takes to read it. I know I plan on using a couple of the ideas presented.
To read article click here.

Staying on task not so easy

By Suzy Kridner
CBE Administrative Assistant
We all have problems with procrastination. Whether at home or work or on the job hunt, it’s easy to get distracted. Keep on task, as my granddaughter says.
According to one blogger, “He has half the deed done who has made a beginning.” -- Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus)
If the job seems too big, like working on a big report or cleaning the closet, set deadlines and break the task into smaller segments.
The next time you face a “job” that appears overwhelming or unpleasant, beat the temptation to postpone action by committing to work on the job for just 10 minutes, according to blogger Nagesh Belludi.
He suggests following four simple steps. To find the steps, and other tips, read his article.

'Real' Time vs. Clock Time: What Works?

Posted by Suzy Kridner
CBE Administrative Assistant
I love to read articles about time management.
I figure eventually I'll find the perfect solution for getting everything done, both at work and at home, and not feel crunched for time.
As one article said, if I'm going to learn the traits of a conscious leader, I'll have to agressively manage my time.
But I'm not ready to get rid of my TV, which was one suggestion. How will I find out if "The Good Wife" reconciles with her husband? And will "Castle" find true love with police detective Kate Beckett?
But an hour or two of TV entertainment each night does cut into my time, whether clock time or "real" time.
Most of us live in "real" time, that's when time flies when you are having fun or drags when you're doing a boring task.
As another article says, remember that it's impossible to get everything done, regardless of what time you use.

Read more about effectively managing your time.