Tag Archives: Productivity

Apr25

3 Nifty Productivity Hacks To Keep In Your Back Pocket

Posted on by
3 Nifty Productivity Hacks To Keep In Your Back Pocket

Has working from home increased or decreased your productivity. As a work from home veteran (14 years and counting), we at The Help have come across a sh*t ton of productivity hacks. Some of which are gold standard: stop multitasking, have a routine, take regular breaks, etc. Here are 5 Tips To Power Up Your WFH Productivity. And if you want to know what your productivity style is, find out here (What Is Your Productivity Style?).

I’m sure you already know some of these by heart and now you’re at max prod. However, we have some secret weapons that most of you may not know about. Here are 3 nifty productivity hacks to pull out of your back pocket for days when you have to drag yourself out of bed because you’re “just not feeling it.”

1. One Goal A Day (OGAD!)
On days that you feel not up to acing the work day head-on but need to get things done, this tip might just get you through. Set yourself a priority for the day. This means having one goal for one day. If you have a list of running apps (that’s what I call unfinished tasks that take time to plow through – e.g. e-book writing) set that aside and work on it when you’re in the right mind set. For slow days, identify the tasks that you can check off quite easily but still feel like you’ve accomplished something meaningful for the day. Let’s take e-book writing as an example. You might set yourself this goal for the day: research reference materials for chapter 3. This task is pretty easy to complete but has a great impact on your ultimate goal of writing the e-book. Don’t fall into the trap of doing “busy work.”

2. Short Bursts of Work
An activity can only hold an adult person’s attention for short bursts of time – approx 10- 20 mins. That means an hour is too long for anyone to stay attentive and focused. This is why short bursts of work make perfect sense. That logic has given birth to the Pomodoro Technique which advises working in 25 minute intervals with 5 min breaks in between. It’s one of the most popular productivity hacks out there. Others are the Get Things Done or GTD method and the quirkily named Eat That Frog method.

3. Decompress
One of the challenges of any digital worker is not being able to turn off work. We now have emails, SMS, instant messaging, project management systems, team trackers, etc. – million and one ways to keep track of work. It’s always there, always available to be checked on. The best way to increase your productivity is to rest and recover after a hard day’s work. And you can’t do that if you’re ON all the time. So unplug, relax, decompress, and get ready for another day.

What is your favorite productivity secret weapon? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr21

The 3 Organizational Complementaries And How To Engage Them for Maximum Productivity

Posted on by
The 3 Organizational Complementaries And How To Engage Them for Maximum Productivity

Organizations are always on the lookout for productivity drivers but have to be extremely careful so that teams do not burnout from overwork and overwhelm. A good leader must know how to identify these drivers and maximize each one efficiently in order to avoid attrition. Different organizations have different and unique needs. What is similar though is that all organizations have 3 complementaries of interconnectedness. What do we mean by “complementaries of interconnectedness?” These are relationships that revolve around employee relationships and their influence on how people get their work done. These 3 complementaries of interconnectedness are:

1. Vertical complementaries:
Vertical complementaries are the relationships that involve hierarchy. Productivity is often driven by the staff’s need to finish tasks and responsibilities. It also depends heavily on the involvement of leaders and their interaction with their staff. Examples of these relationships are: manager – crew/staff, supervisor-employee, team leader – team member, boss-employee, etc.

How to engage: Inspire greater productivity in direct reports by using good leadership, effective authority, and positive influence. Be transparent in expectations and offer continuous learning and upskilling. Recognition is also an important factor in maximizing productivity. Give credit where credit is due.

2. Horizontal complementaries:
Horizontal complementaries are the relationships between peers. Productivity is often driven by the team’s need to give valuable support and help each other through tasks and projects. It is also driven by the need to reduce role or task duplication and lessen bottlenecks. Examples of these relationships are: teammates, co-workers, crewmembers, staff members, colleagues from different departments, etc.

How to engage: Inspire maximum productivity in teams by refining and strengthening teamwork. First, identify specialties and strengths. Employees can always strengthen existing skills or learn new ones, so career development and continuous learning must always be on the table. Team members are not expected to excel in everything but a well-run team can play off each other’s strengths (for example, one employee can write well researched content and another can make eye-catching designs).

3. Radial complementaries:
Radial complementaries are the relationships that are not necessarily work related but are brought about by belonging to something larger than themselves. Their participation usually involves a sense of purpose and achievement, thus, a better sense of well-being. Examples of these relationships are: community involvement, volunteerism, club/organization/group membership, etc.

How to engage: Offer options for employees to participate in clubs or organizations such as cycling clubs, mom-centric groups, book clubs, etc. That will generate a sense of mastery and kinship which makes for happier and more productive people. If at all possible, employers could offer a paid leave for day/s taken off doing volunteer work – validation or proof of participation may or may not be required depending on policy.

Does your company offer all three complementaries? Which one is the most effective driver of productivity for you? Share your experience with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Jul19

5 Easy Ways To Be More Productive Today

Posted on by
5 Easy Ways To Be More Productive Today

If you’re like us over here at The Help HQ, you probably have quite a full workday ahead of you and are thinking of ways to be as productive as you can with the little time you have. Here’s something we all know but have a hard time putting in practice: productivity is not about spending more time working BUT rather, it is working on things that matter to your work.

Here are 5 tips to improve your focus and be more productive today:

Scan your surroundings

If your environment itself is distracting, then you surely are going to be distracted. Take control of your surroundings so that you can focus on work that matters. If you work in an office, clear your desk of visual noise. If you work from home, have a dedicated workspace and try not to work on the dinner table. Remove clutter. All you really need is your laptop – or monitor, mouse, and keyboard, the rest are aesthetics. 

Try time management strategies

If you don’t have a favorite time management strategy yet, we’ve outlined 6 of the best time management strategies here. pick one and try it on for size. See which one works best with your work style.

Eliminate “busy” work

Busy work is doing tasks for the sake of being busy. However, these tasks do not add any value to your work goals. Some examples are: making copies, typing texts that can be copy-pasted, doing design work that can be created from templates, etc. We’re all guilty of doing this. You know which ones you’re guilty of. Do an audit of your daily tasks and eliminate those that are unimportant so that you have more time to get real work done. There’s no point in doing busy work for the sake of being busy.

Know your peak productivity hours

If you have the ability to schedule your meeting, schedule them in blocks around your most productive times so that you can take advantage of your peak productivity hours. If you’re more productive in the morning, schedule meetings in the afternoon and vice versa. This way you have uninterrupted time to focus on important work.

Say NO

If you’re overwhelmed with work, say NO. get into the habit of saying no to things, people, projects, favors, suggestions, etc that do not add value to your work goals. If you want to increase productivity, you must be clear about your priorities. Don’t say yes to things that will overfill your plate or do not even have time for right now. This isn’t about you not being a team player, this is about you having boundaries and focusing on your purpose. If you can’t say no, at least learn to say “not right now” until you learn to decline new work.

What are your top productivity tips that guarantee success? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Jul12

Get Your Best Work Done And Jumpstart Your Motivation With These Quick Wins

Posted on by
Get Your Best Work Done And Jumpstart Your Motivation With These Quick Wins

Previously, we talked about how to get your best work done with 6 tried and tested time management strategies. In case you missed it, you can read the whole article here. If you don’t have a go-to time management system yet, you’re probably going to want to try the six strategies mentioned to see which one is a good fit for your work style. While you’re trying those approaches out, here are some quick wins to implement right away if you want to get started in improving your time management in the next 5 mins.

Get your workspace organized:

Remember your first day at the office? You were probably assigned to a clean desk with not much else but a desktop monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. Ok, maybe a notepad and some pens as well. Over time, that desk will start to accumulate clutter – papers, books, sticky pads, cables, filing folders, etc. Visual clutter affects your productivity. Studies show that people who feel overwhelmed with “stuff” are more likely to procrastinate. Disorganized workspaces reduce concentration and focus and increase anxiety. 

Quick win: Take 5 minutes to organize your desk. Throw away papers that have long served their purpose. Corral your pens into a mug or pen holder. Gather your books with bookends. Organize cables with cable ties or bulldog clips. Stack your notepads together. Keep your table-top free of anything except for your keyboard and mouse.

Turn OFF notifications

Studies show that the average employee switches between 10 – 25 apps in a day. Your phone apps all bid for your attention which makes it harder for you to achieve deep focus. When you can’t focus on your work – it takes longer to complete.

Quick win: While you could keep your phone on silent mode to avoid the constant distraction from a ringing or vibrating phone, it is best to just turn OFF your notifications or use the “Do Not Disturb” mode. 

Work in batches

Each time you switch between tasks, your brain has to adjust and reset. Like when you find yourself having to gather your thoughts in order to proceed with a new task. Constantly switching slows you down in terms of productivity and increases your exhaustion factor.

Quick win: Group together similar tasks. You’ll spend less time context switching and more time streamlining your workflow.

Stop multitasking

As previously mentioned, switching between tasks slows you down and drains your mental resources. You might feel like you’re accomplishing more, but the multitasking myth has already been debunked. You’re spreading yourself too thin and setting yourself up for “decision fatigue.”

Quick win: Focus on one task at a time. This will get you in a “flow state”. You know this as getting “in the zone.” Feels good, right? You work more efficiently and accomplish more if you concentrate on doing one thing.

How about you? What are your productivity quick win tips? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Mar30

Setting Better Screen Time Boundaries

Posted on by
Setting Better Screen Time Boundaries

We’re surrounded by screens: laptops, desktop monitors, mobile phones, tablets. We’re a culture of almost constantly being on some kind of screen. Now, with a lot of people in quarantine and working remotely, there’s been a huge surge in screen time. Reports show that the average adult spends about 3½ hours a day using the Internet on their phones, according to a 2019 study from the analytics company Zenith. This report only mentions how much time is spent on a mobile phone and doesn’t include the time we spend staring at other screens. During the pandemic, a  study published in Cambridge Open Engage found that screen time had increased by 20-30% on average during the crisis. 

The point is, we spend so much screen time that we have to reclaim the time we’ve lost (we’re losing) and take control of our digital well-being and our productive time. Here’s how you can set better screen time boundaries:

Save interesting articles on a watch later/read later list 

It’s easy to get succeed into a blackhole of Youtube recommendations or reading recommendations. Once you’re hooked, you have to watch the next explainer video or the next article about murder hornets. While it’s fine to gain knowledge, it shouldn’t be a huge time suck! You can watch it later or read it later at your own leisure, so save it into a list for the meantime.

Do a cleanse

Cleanse your smartphone. Delete all apps that you rarely use. If there are apps on your phone that you haven’t used in the past 6 months, then you might want to start with those.

Turn OFF your notifications

Apps are designed to try to get your attention and keep you engaged for as long as they can. So, turn off your notifications. Most things can wait, and if it’s urgent or an emergency – you’re probably going to get a phone call. Otherwise, respond or check at your own pace.

Allot a quiet time for yourself

During this quiet time, don’t check your phone or other devices. What you do during this time is all up to you, as long as it doesn’t involve staring at a screen. You can cook, read, take a well-deserved nap, go for a run, etc. Reclaim your time.

Better yet, allot a time for checking social media and email

The need to stay connected all the time has a tendency to take over our lives. The news will still be there after an hour. Your friend’s lunch will still be up on Instagram even if you don’t check your phone right now. That email will still be in your inbox. The world won’t explode if you miss one post or one email. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Screens are not the enemy, but they could be if you let them run your life. Use them to incorporate more efficiency and productivity in your life. Do you have any tips for reducing screen time? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp