Author Archives: kate

Apr2

Finding Work Efficiency Part 3: Evening Hacks

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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

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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

Mar19

Finding Work Efficiency Part 1: Morning Hacks

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Finding Work Efficiency Part 1: Morning Hacks

I’m always on the lookout for productivity hacks, little things that can improve the way I work. I’ve tried a few of them that you can read here, here, and here. I try to mix and match or switch them up depending on what works for me. I read about productivity tactics and looks for ways to improve and develop my work strategies.

Some of the challenges I face, aside from the threat of low productivity, is having low energy, and procrastination. I also have a hard time switching between tasks or staying focused sometimes. My biggest hurdle is procrastination. In the midst of a huge report that is due at the end of the week, I suddenly have the urge to revisit my adult colouring books or have the overwhelming desire to re-organize my scrum board. I also have a funny story about cooking a full-on beef stew and making a production out of it, just to avoid starting a project – that is a story for another time.

So, what have I learned during my readings? A lot and not much at the same time. I have read a lot of hack that I wouldn’t dream of applying at work. Hacks like wake up at 5 in the morning would NOT work well for me. But there are some pretty good gems out there. I’ll write about some of the things that worked well for me in this 3-part series.

Morning Hacks
They say that how you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it. So, if the first thing you do is go on Instagram to post a #wokeuplikethis selfie, then…

What makes sense is to start your day with a purpose. I don’t mean that you should send yourself off into a panic thinking of your looming (and formidable) to – do list. I mean that you should take some time for introspection or examining/observing your own thoughts and emotions. You can do this while making coffee or going for a run, if that’s your thing. I usually do this while making myself a cup of coffee. I think about my small wins from the previous day and pep myself up for the day’s tasks.

I also make it a point to make my bed. I saw a YouTube video about this. You can watch it here. It’s called “Change the World by Making your Bed” by Admiral William McRaven. The part which resonates most with me is this: “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride. And it will encourage you to do another task. By the end of the day, that one task will reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter…and if you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never do the big things right.”

How about you, how do you start your day? We’d love to hear about your morning productivity hacks. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Mar12

Level Up your Customer Engagement

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Level Up your Customer Engagement

Let’s face it, with all the viable options and a huge selection of companies probably offering the same type of service or product as your business, it is not enough to offer high-quality products and services. They can buy from you (even repeatedly at some point) but if you want your customers to be loyal and remain loyal, you should find ways to engage with your customers in between visits to your business.

Business must strive to have an emotional connection. Research shows that customers give more business to companies they feel emotionally connected to [1]. “When customers believe they are getting more out of a business, they give more to it.”

When a customer trusts you, they advocate for your brand. This is not only immensely important for your business (and also emotionally satisfying), but also cuts out some of the work for you and your team since the customer does some of the heavy liftings in terms of advertising and marketing. There is no better ad than word of mouth. Why do you think celebrity endorsements work so well?

So how can ramp up your customer engagement level? Here are 5 ways:

Ask for direct feedback
With the advent of social media and a gaggle of review sites available for customers to rant or rave about a business, you have zero control over how to handle customer feedback. Encourage your customers to give you direct feedback instead of going straight to social media or a review site. This would be truly instrumental to you and you could have a better handle on the conversation. It is also a chance to personalize your customer engagement.

Respond to online reviews
Most customers will bypass direct feedback, so give them a strong incentive to do so. However, if you can’t, then try to respond to their online comments. Thank those who praise your business or write positive reviews, try to resolve the complaints of those who have given you negative feedback. More than half the time, complaining customers will do business again of you were able to resolve their issues.

Put the spotlight on your customers
Write about event attendees, customer feedback, or feature testimonials. People love hearing/ reading about themselves. They will feel part of the business and will feel more engaged.

Make your business accessible
Make sure your customers can reach you on different channels: social media, email, chat, or good old-fashioned phone calls.

Have a loyalty program in place
Your VIP customers are your biggest asset. “Statistics show that the probability of selling to a current customer is 60-70 percent, while the probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20 percent [2].”This is how valuable your best customers are. Know them, understand them, reward them.

How does your business take customer engagement to the next level? Share your best practices with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

References:
1. http://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/172637/why-customer-engagement-matters.aspx
2. https://blog.fivestars.com/whats-the-value-of-your-loyal-customers/

Mar5

Productivity and the Ketogenic Diet

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Productivity and the Ketogenic Diet

First of all, what is a Ketogenic Diet? A Ketogenic Diet or Keto Diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate, protein filled diet. It works on the premise that carbs are your main source of energy and by lowering your carb intake, your body taps into fat to use as fuel. This is done in a process called Ketosis.

“Ketosis is a normal metabolic process. When the body does not have enough glucose for energy, it burns stored fats instead; this results in a build-up of acids called ketones within the body.

Some people encourage ketosis by following a diet called the ketogenic or low-carb diet. The aim of the diet is to try and burn unwanted fat by forcing the body to rely on fat for energy, rather than carbohydrates [1].”

Many office workers have tried tweaking their work routine or adapting productivity hacks in order to improve their performance at work. One area that they can look into is adapting a diet that can improve concentration and productivity.

The main claim to fame of the Ketogenic Diet, aside from being a weightloss tool, is its ability to improve productivity. This is apparently brought about by the production of Ketone bodies which help improve cognitive performance [2].

Notice how sluggish and sleepy you feel after a huge meal? Too much carbs sends us into a food coma and makes our brain go fuzzy. But in a high fat diet such as the Keto Diet, “Ketones provide the brain with another source of energy and allow it to more efficiently process the extra glutamate into GABA.

So, by helping increase the production of GABA, ketones can then help decrease the amount of extra neurons that are firing in the brain and improve mental focus. This might even help reduce the present of anxiety and stress, which is beneficial for anyone [3].”

How do I get started?
The Keto Diet is pretty straightforward, consume high fat, moderate protein, and low carb meals. Sounds simple enough but could be a challenge to adapt since most office workers grab meals on the go. And these meals tend to be high carb – rice boxes, pasta meals, deli sandwiches and subs, burgers and fries, and the occasional doughnut and brownie. These are the easiest, most convenient, and readily available options for office workers. But with a little background information on what you can eat and what to avoid, you can adapt the Keto Diet seamlessly.

So what exactly can you eat?
Here are some examples of what you can eat on the Keto Diet:
● Healthy fats (butter, olive oil, ghee, coconut oil)
● Meats (including organ meat, yes to steak!)
● Eggs (the go – to of all Keto enthusiasts)
● Fish and seafood (oilier fish is better and fresh is always preferred to canned)
● Non- starchy veggies (avoid potatoes, green leafy veg is the way to go)
● Tea, black coffee, and zero carb drinks (avoid fruit juices and no soda)

Hopefully, this guide can provide a starting point for making tweaks in our diet. Watching what we eat could potentially help us office workers in the quest towards a more productive workday. Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

References:
1. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180858.php
2. http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/5/1237.full
3. https://www.perfectketo.com/use-ketogenic-diet-productivity-mental-performance/