May14

More Productivity Hacks

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More Productivity Hacks

A few weeks ago, I ran a series of posts on finding efficient work strategies and discovering productivity hacks. You can read about them here, here, and here.

Here are a few more tips, but this time, the tips are all about mindfulness so that you can find the best hacks that work for you. Let’s proceed.

Find your objective:
Is your goal to reduce your stress while working? Is it to work efficiently within your work hours to avoid overtime? Is it to manage a 4 day work week? Find your goal and focus on that. Clear your mind so that you can find the answers to your questions and write them down. Once you have drilled down to what your main priority is, you can create a plan and tailor your productivity hacks around that.

Manage your energy:
You have to complete step no. 1 to get to this as you would have to be clear on what needs to get done before you can allocate your resources and energy to your tasks.

Focus:
In this day and age, there are hundreds of things that bid for our attention: phones, noise, social media, the smell (and promise of) food, etc. When you learn to control your attention and focus, you are ready for high performance and productivity. Avoid distractions and time wasters like the plague. Don’t multitask. Create an environment that you love and is conducive to focused work.

Have a system:
Figure out and craft a system that works for you. Start by clearing out your space and getting rid of clutter. I don’t mean just physical clutter like papers and trinkets. I also mean digital clutter. That would entail clearing out your desktop as well. Create organizing and filing systems based on how you work – for example, labelled digital folders, a desk organizer for paper files, cloud storage or portable hard drives for backup files, etc.

Use a calendar or planner to efficiently manage your time. List down no more than 1-3 priorities per week (list more and you’re just going back to square one). Then list down action steps you should take to get those priorities done. Here’s where your to-do list comes in. It’s best to map this out in a planner or calendar at the start of the week.

Stay on task:
There are productivity techniques listed on this blog that can help you stay on task:
● The Pomodoro technique
● The Get Things Done technique
● The Eat the Frog technique
● The Action Method
These are just a few of them. Find one that works for you and is the best fit for your productivity goals.

Avoid distractions:
There are a few apps that can help you avoid distractions on your PC, apps that can help you avoid getting lost in cat videos or stalking your ex. This can help you hit those deadlines or finish writing that report.

What productivity hacks work for you? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Apr30

Are you addicted to your phone?

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Are you addicted to your phone?

Do you know that there is such a thing as Smartphone Addiction? It is a very real thing and it even has a name. It’s called Nomophobia – or No Mobile phone phobia. Ladies and gentlemen, I kid you not.

According to Caglar Yildirim of Iowa State University, one of the authors of a study that measures smartphone addiction, “Nomophobia is considered a modern age phobia introduced to our lives as a byproduct of the interaction between people and mobile information and communication technologies, especially smartphones. It refers to fear of not being able to use a smartphone … [and] it refers to the fear of not being able to communicate, losing the connectedness that smartphones allow, not being able to access information through smartphones, and giving up the convenience that smartphones provide.”

Yikes! So how about you? Are you addicted to your smartphone? Below is a link to the questionnaire used to assess respondents about their relationships with their smartphones, identifying four basic dimensions of nomophobia: not being able to communicate, losing connectedness, not being able to access information and giving up convenience.

Take the quiz to find out if you have Nomophobia. Let’s take the quiz, shall we?

Are you a smartphone junkie? Rate each item on a scale of 1 (“completely disagree”) to 7 (“strongly agree”) and tally up your total score to find out. Be honest!

1. I would feel uncomfortable without constant access to information through my smartphone.

2. I would be annoyed if I could not look information up on my smartphone when I wanted to do so.

3. Being unable to get the news (e.g., happenings, weather, etc.) on my smartphone would make me nervous.

4. I would be annoyed if I could not use my smartphone and/or its capabilities when I wanted to do so.

5. Running out of battery in my smartphone would scare me.

6. If I were to run out of credits or hit my monthly data limit, I would panic.

7. If I did not have a data signal or could not connect to Wi-Fi, then I would constantly check to see if I had a signal or could find a Wi-Fi network.

8. If I could not use my smartphone, I would be afraid of getting stranded somewhere.

9. If I could not check my smartphone for a while, I would feel a desire to check it.

If I did not have my smartphone with me …

10. I would feel anxious because I could not instantly communicate with my family and/or friends.

11. I would be worried because my family and/or friends could not reach me.

12. I would feel nervous because I would not be able to receive text messages and calls.

13. I would be anxious because I could not keep in touch with my family and/or friends.

14. I would be nervous because I could not know if someone had tried to get a hold of me.

15. I would feel anxious because my constant connection to my family and friends would be broken.

16. I would be nervous because I would be disconnected from my online identity.

17. I would be uncomfortable because I could not stay up-to-date with social media and online networks.

18. I would feel awkward because I could not check my notifications for updates from my connections and online networks.

19. I would feel anxious because I could not check my email messages.

20. I would feel weird because I would not know what to do.

How You Score:

20: Not at all Nomophobic. You have a very healthy relationship with your device and have no problem being separated from it.
21-60: Mild nomophobia. You get a little antsy when you forget your phone at home for a day or get stuck somewhere without WiFi, but the anxiety isn’t too overwhelming.
61-100: Moderate nomophobia. You’re pretty attached to your device. You often check for updates while you’re walking down the street or talking to a friend, and you often feel anxious when you’re disconnected. Time for a digital detox?
101-120: Severe nomophobia. You can barely go for 60 seconds without checking your phone. It’s the first thing you check in the morning and the last at night and dominates most of your activities in-between. It might be time for a serious intervention.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

References:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/18/nomophobia-smartphone-sep_n_7266468.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563215001806
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150111195734.htm

Apr23

Stay Focused, Avoid Distractions

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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

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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

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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