Author Archives: kate

Apr23

Stay Focused, Avoid Distractions

Posted on by
Stay Focused, Avoid Distractions

You’re almost always on time. You take strictly one-hour lunch breaks. You come prepared. You sometimes stay overtime. Why do you feel like you’re always out of time and not getting things done?

Even if you log in the work hours, the complete 9 to 5, sometimes you feel it’s just not enough. The problem? Most of that time isn’t time spent working. More accurately, that time isn’t time spent productively.

A lot of things can happen that eat away at our productive time at the office. Too many meetings are one of them – but that’s a story for another time. You may not have control over some factors at play, but you can control the one thing that keeps any of us from accomplishing anything – distractions.

I don’t recommend NOT taking breaks, or NOT making small talk at the water cooler. Too much work will drive you crazy and you need a breather from time to time. Besides, The Pomodoro productivity technique advocates taking breaks after 25-minute intervals. And it’s also healthy to stretch your legs and get up from your desk to reduce backaches and eye strain.

Taking a break is a healthy method to boost your productivity. But you still have to stay focused and eliminate distractions. Here’s how:

Stop checking your phone!
You heard me. Put your phone down now. Keep it on vibrate mode. Make a conscious decision to just check your phone at certain times of the day. Like after every 2 hours – that wonderfully coincides with your breaks, if you’re taking 2-hour break intervals (2 coffee breaks and lunch in between). If it’s an important call, then your phone will keep vibrating. If it’s a Facebook notification, then it shouldn’t bother you and you can leave it for later.

Work in intervals.
Budget your time and work in intervals. Plan to work uninterrupted for a specific amount of time (I recommend 25 minutes) and concentrate, I mean really focus, on getting your work done. Then take a break afterwards. This technique is called The Pomodoro Technique and I’ve written about it here. It breaks up your time into chunks of highly focused work and every break feels like a reward. You can learn how to do it by reading the article.

Use a To-Do list.
I never write more than 3 priority tasks on my to-do list. If you write everything down as a priority (even those that feel like a priority even if they really aren’t), then you risk burning out. So, list your top 3 (at most – better if just one priority task) and get to work on checking them off the list.

Close the door.
The door is there for a reason. It signals to others you are not to be disturbed AND more importantly, it keeps out distractions like noise and visual distractions (people moving around, stacks of paper near the copier, brightly colored balloons for the months themed decor, etc.) So, close the door…. if you have one.

How do you avoid work distractions? Share your tips in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Apr16

Project Management Tools

Posted on by
Project Management Tools

Technology makes it easier to get things done. It could also be argued that technology gave us the biggest time wasters (games, social media, cat videos) known to man. But most days, technology is our friend. It keeps us updated, helps us stay connected, and also help us get our work done (hopefully, you’re using it correctly).

I thought about organizing my home office over the long weekend and took one last satisfied look at my scrum board before wiping it clean. If you want to know what a scrum board is and how to use it, read this previous article.

To recap, a scrum board is used to track the progress of a sprint. A sprint is just a single work cycle inside of a larger project. It’s important for breaking down any project into more manageable parts, but those parts also need to be tracked and managed. We call these parts “stories.” Each story may be broken down further into different tasks. With scrum project management, it is vital that each of these tasks get addressed. This is where a scrum board comes in [1].

I do have a personal scrum board. But I’m finding (more often) that I have to “share” this board with teammates and project stakeholders. They too want to know the progress of the projects. AND…(kind of frustratingly for me) they too want me to add tasks that they’d like to track on MY board.

So how should I do this? How do I share updates and tasks with other people? I can’t take a picture of my board every time and send it to them, can I?

My solution is to find an online project management app that would do the same thing but for everyone involved in the projects. So, I’ve been tinkering around with online apps that can help me organize and manage projects, much like my scrum board. I found a couple of them. Here’s what I found:

Trello:
It is like a virtual board which you can customize with cards and add lists, labels, due dates, pictures, and attachments inside those cards. You can share your boards or projects with other people and send them quick notes and updates. It is available on desktop and mobile. Upgrading your account would give you “productivity power-ups” such as 3rd party integrations and a higher attachment limit.
Here’s mine: (other members removed for privacy)

Asana:
Works the same way as Trello but has a readily available list or calendar view. You can create tasks & conversations from email addresses associated with Asana. Like Trello, you can create workspaces (very much like boards) to organize your projects if you have different ones. It is available on desktop and mobile. Upgrading your account would give you advance options such as unlimited dashboards, advance search and reporting, and admin controls to name a few.
Here’s mine:

Plutio:
Another app to organize projects and task is Plutio. It has an integrated invoice and time tracking system that can prove helpful for freelancers and contractors. The interface is simple and easy to use. The design is basic – no fuss. It is available on desktop and mobile.

Others you can check out:
Redbooth
Podio
Zenkit

I’m still testing these apps out and have yet to stick to one that I (and others) can use. It’s an ongoing experiment. But I’ll let you know when I finally commit to one app. What project management apps are you using? Share those that work for you in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

References:
http://www.techno-pm.com/2017/05/scrum-board-example.html?m=1

Apr9

Our Most Important Secrets

Posted on by
Our Most Important Secrets

Facebook has been in the news yet again for yet another privacy and security issue. If you haven’t read about the Cambridge Analytica Scandal involving the social media giant yet, you can read it here.

Information Privacy or data privacy is an important issue. Information privacy, or data privacy (or data protection), is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, and the legal and political issues surrounding them [1]. It’s not only a cause of concern for big companies but for individuals as well. Companies can mine information about a person through sites they visit and apps they use. This mean they can get your email address (if you give it freely – by signing up for anything!). They can also track your public social media posts, how often you shop, which items you shop for, which sites you frequent, all without having to hack into any of your personal accounts. From the information they gather, they can build a profile. You wouldn’t want firms selling your online information to others would you?

We’re in a bind. This is the day and age of social media and staying connected. It is also the age of oversharing. We are a gold mine of information. Information that (is safe to assume) is available forever in some giant server somewhere.

Deleting Facebook and all your other social media account may not be a feasible idea. The main reason most people are on social media is to stay connected anyway, so unless you’re up for going back to good old snail mail and Polaroid’s, your social media accounts are here to stay. With that said, let us all be reminded to be prudent about what we posts online.

Here are some tips to keep your data private while still enjoying social media:

● Review your public profile – Check to see that the information you have posted on your public profile does not include anything that can be used to steal your identity.

● Don’t post your birthdate on your profile! Sure it’ll remind your acquaintances to greet you on your birthday but it would also give identity thieves more information to work with. Besides, your real friends will know when to celebrate you.

● Check your settings to see who can:
○ See your posts and activities
○ See your pictures and location
○ See which sites are connected with your profile
○ See what information your friends/followers can share about you
○ Think long and hard about who you grant access to the above information

● Be careful about 3rd party apps – Check which information are they gathering from you and what is shared with external sites and businesses. I would be wary about agreeing to apps that can “post updates” on your behalf.

● Unlink social media sites from each other – I know it’s easier, but don’t be tempted to use your Facebook login to access external applications, say, your Twitter account, or your Instagram account. Have separate logins for your different social media accounts.

What are your tips to keep your privacy in this day and age of oversharing? Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_privacy

Apr2

Finding Work Efficiency Part 3: Evening Hacks

Posted on by
Finding Work Efficiency Part 3: Evening Hacks

For the past 2 weeks, I talked about my quest for discovering productivity hacks and improving and developing my work strategies. I’ve shared some of the things I learned in parts 1 and 2 of this 3-part series. I talked about all day hacks last week. This week I would like to share the strategies I learned to make your evenings more productive.

Evenings are supposed to be your ME time, so use that time wisely. I’m still trying to work out the best time to set for myself for a “hard stop” or the absolute time when I absolutely stop working. It changes with the season and depending on the amount of work I have (freelancers do have peak and lean seasons, you know). Right now, it is set to 6pm. I’ve set an alarm for myself on my phone. It is mostly working.

Evening Hacks
Evenings are used to create a clear delineation between work and personal time. It’s when you find the time to do things for yourself and your family. But evenings can also be used to make sure that you are optimized for productivity for the next day. Besides, if you can map out your day, you’re sure to have less stress and less things to worry about.

● Clear your desk – I have a “closing shop” routine. It’s something I do to signal to my brain that the work day is over and personal time has begun. At the end of each work day, I declutter my work station and wipe down my keyboard and monitors. You may have your own version of closing shop that involves more than powering down your PC or laptop. Whatever it is, develop a routine that helps get you into a mindset of leaving your work-related worries at work and starting an off-work mindset. That way, you can power down and get some much-needed rest instead of having work related worries that sit on your mind long after the work day is through.

● Lay out your clothes – Ever heard of the term “Decision Fatigue”? Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making [1]. Laying out your clothes (or setting them aside in your closet) can eliminate one decision making task for the next day. It might not seem like much now, but if you’re constantly making decisions as part of your work, then not having to choose an attire would be a welcome break. If you don’t believe me, look at Obama, Jobs, and Zuckerberg. Obama is famously quoted in a 2012 Vanity Fair article to say: “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits, I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.[2]”

● More apps – When you’re laying in bed and trying to get some sleep, this is when most ideas hit you. This is also the perfect time to remember the milk…and some eggs…and an air freshener, you have to get those. I think this is universally true for all of us. Random things and small reminders hit us in the middle of the night. Instead of worrying about forgetting them, write them down. I already mentioned that I use a note-taking app. I keep it simple and use Google Keep on my phone. You can use the apps that come with your phone, or you can use Evernote, OmniNotes, or OneNote.

What are your evening hacks? We’d love to hear about your productivity hacks. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_fatigue
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama

Mar26

Finding Work Efficiency Part 2: All Day Hacks

Posted on by
Finding Work Efficiency Part 2: All Day Hacks

Last week I talked about my quest for discovering productivity hacks and improving and developing my work strategies. I’ve shared some of the things I learned in part 1 of this 3-part series. I talked about morning hacks last week. This week I would like to share the strategies I learned to make you more efficient at work for the rest of the day.

So, some of the things I talked about last week were morning rituals and techniques to start the day right. This time, let’s talk about the hacks I use throughout the rest of the day to help keep myself on point.

 

All Day Hacks
I have this phone app called “Fabulous” (I’m not paid to advertise this, but I use it because I find that it works for me). It is an app that helps you build healthy rituals into your life using science-based methods. It’s kind of like a gamified habit builder. I’ve set it up so that it reminds me to do things that can impact my productivity. Some examples are: drinking water, eating a healthful lunch, and creating the next day’s action plan.
● Drinking water – everyone knows it is best to stay hydrated. We can easily forget to drink water when we’re knee deep and too focused on work, but did you know that drinking water can make the brain work 14% faster? That’s something to think about.
● Eating a healthful lunch – notice I said healthful. If we’re mindful of what we eat, we can avoid the brain fog that comes after eating too much processed food.
● Creating the next day’s action plan – this is my “wind down” activity for the day. It signals that my work day is done and that the next step is rest and relaxation. I usually jot down 3 (maximum) priority tasks on my office whiteboard. Prepping for the next day also gives me a head start for tomorrow’s activities. It gives me peace of mind to know that I have a battle plan for the next day and won’t be running around like a headless chicken.

Speaking of apps. I use a note-taking app that helps me immensely with little things that I remember during the day. I don’t rely fully on mental notes. I take actual notes – I write down little things that I remember, like “check the status of print proof delivery” in a note taking app on my phone. These little reminders could easily slip through the cracks. I remember most things as soon as I finish my first cup of coffee, but I don’t like leaving anything to chance. So, I commit small reminders to paper, or in this case a phone app and do this for the rest of the day.

But I find that the best strategy for not forgetting the “things – to – do” that pop up randomly in your mind is to just take immediate action the moment you remember them. If it’s a task that you can do in less than 5 minutes, then go do it. Some examples are sending a follow-up or a thank you email or correcting a spelling error on a document.

What apps help you become more productive throughout the day? We’d love to hear about your productivity hacks. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by Jaie O. The Help