Get More Done In Less Time
Tech Tips To Improve Productivity And Focus
Technology has become essential to our society. We use it for nearly every aspect of our lives, from entertainment to personal security.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good, and over time, many of us have developed some negative tech habits. When we’re supposed to work or stay productive, we might turn to our phones or tablets and scroll through social media or the news. There’s no better time than the present to shake these harmful habits so we can become more productive. The good news is that technology can actually help improve our overall productivity.
The pandemic forced many of us to start working remotely or in a hybrid environment, which makes it even more important for us to use technology to stay focused and productive.
Technology does not have to be a distraction: it can help us stay on task and achieve our goals. Below, you’ll find a few ways to use technology to improve productivity.
Cleaning Up Your Digital Space
For many of us, our workdays revolve around our electronic devices. We spend nearly eight hours each day bouncing from our computers to our cell phones, trying to stay in touch with everyone while keeping up with our workload. Over time, our digital areas can become cluttered with unnecessary documents, e-mails and other information.
Take time to review and reorganize your computer’s desktop, smartphone’s home screen, e-mail inbox and cloud storage accounts. Delete any unnecessary files, e-mails and apps you no longer need. By doing this, you’ll have an easier time navigating through your digital space and locating necessary documents when they’re needed.
Using Time-Tracking And Focus Apps
Time can easily slip away from us if we’re not paying close attention. We’ve all gotten lost in a project or task and spent way too much time on it.
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One of the best ways to stay focused and productive is to track your time. Many apps are available that help you do this, including Toggl, Rescue Time and Harvest. These apps allow you to track how much time you spend on specific tasks and can help you identify where you might be wasting time. By tracking your time, you can make adjustments to your schedule and ensure you’re making the most of your hours.
Focus apps like Freedom, Cold Turkey and Self Control can also help you stay productive, as they’ll ensure you aren’t wasting your time on social media or other websites that take you away from your work. These apps allow you to block access to certain websites or apps for a specified amount of time. In fact, using a focus app is one of the best ways to remove distractions from your workday.
Automating When Possible
Automation has truly revolutionized the way many businesses operate. You can use automation for e-mail communication, marketing efforts, data collection and so much more. Introducing automation to your business can help streamline repetitive, time-consuming tasks that previously had to be done manually.
By automating various processes and functions, you’ll free up more time for your employees to focus on higher-level tasks and improve their productivity.
One of the best ways to stay focused and productive is to track your time. Many apps are available that help you do this, including Toggl, Rescue Time and Harvest. These apps allow you to track how much time you spend on specific tasks and can help you identify where you might be wasting time. By tracking your time, you can make adjustments to your schedule and ensure you’re making the most of your hours.
Focus apps like Freedom, Cold Turkey and Self Control can also help you stay productive, as they’ll ensure you aren’t wasting your time on social media or other websites that take you away from your work. These apps allow you to block access to certain websites or apps for a specified amount of time. In fact, using a focus app is one of the best ways to remove distractions from your workday.
Automating When Possible
Automation has truly revolutionized the way many businesses operate. You can use automation for e-mail communication, marketing efforts, data collection and so much more. Introducing automation to your business can help streamline repetitive, time-consuming tasks that previously had to be done manually.
By automating various processes and functions, you’ll free up more time for your employees to focus on higher-level tasks and improve their productivity.
Automated systems are also less prone to errors than human beings, so you won’t have to spend as much time going back through your work to fix simple mistakes. Automation improves productivity by reducing the time, effort and resources needed to complete a task, while providing valuable data insights.
Strengthening Your Cyber Security Practices
A successful cyber-attack can completely dismantle your business. It can take days, weeks or even months to recover from a cyber-attack, which can put an end to your hopes of improving productivity. Cyber breaches, such as malware infections or ransomware attacks, can cause significant downtime for any business. Employees may be unable to access necessary files or systems, leading to delays in work and missed deadlines.
Just the risk of a cyber-attack can take you away from your work, as you may constantly worry about the security of your systems or the safety of personal data. When it comes to improving cyber security practices, you must be proactive. Don’t wait until a cyber-attack has already occurred; start boosting your cyber security practices as soon as possible.
Improving focus and productivity is not something that happens on its own. It takes time, effort and dedication to make a change that has an impact on your work style. Stop using technology as a distraction and find ways to use it to improve productivity and focus.
"Technology does not have to be a distraction:
it can help us stay on task and achieve our goals."
it can help us stay on task and achieve our goals."
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A hosted Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system offers benefits and features that traditional phone systems simply can’t!
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Why Smart People Make Dumb Career Moves
I love helping people land their dream jobs, but even smart people can make dumb career moves. They do this for two reasons: not having a career strategy and not putting enough time into the job search. For those unfamiliar with the idea of a career strategy, it’s a written document that states what your career wishes are, the three paths you are considering and the actions you’ll take to make this a reality.
And for those wondering how much time is needed to find their dream job, I believe a half day per week for six months will give you a 90% chance of landing whatever position you wish.
Does this sound far-fetched? Perhaps at first it could, but let me give you some examples. I recently spoke with a few business leaders about their job search and how it was coming along. I think you may benefit from hearing their stories.
I first talked with the CEO of a fashion designer brand who felt ready for his next gig but seemed unsure about which direction to take. He did not have a career strategy and spent virtually no time hunting for his dream job.
We discussed the positives and negatives of various paths until he settled on his No. 1 path of "finding a mid-size private company to own, run and grow" in a specific industry niche. The more specific his career strategy became – and the clearer the criteria for what he was looking for – the easier it became for us to think of key people he should meet.
We identified 20 people to contact, and he committed to contacting them within a couple of months. The more specific you can be in searching for your dream job, the easier it is to generate more opportunities.
And for those wondering how much time is needed to find their dream job, I believe a half day per week for six months will give you a 90% chance of landing whatever position you wish.
Does this sound far-fetched? Perhaps at first it could, but let me give you some examples. I recently spoke with a few business leaders about their job search and how it was coming along. I think you may benefit from hearing their stories.
I first talked with the CEO of a fashion designer brand who felt ready for his next gig but seemed unsure about which direction to take. He did not have a career strategy and spent virtually no time hunting for his dream job.
We discussed the positives and negatives of various paths until he settled on his No. 1 path of "finding a mid-size private company to own, run and grow" in a specific industry niche. The more specific his career strategy became – and the clearer the criteria for what he was looking for – the easier it became for us to think of key people he should meet.
We identified 20 people to contact, and he committed to contacting them within a couple of months. The more specific you can be in searching for your dream job, the easier it is to generate more opportunities.
Another leader I had a chance to talk with was a senior executive who ran a government agency.
She knew her job would end after an election and she needed to find something new, but she had no career strategy because she put absolutely no time into her job search. She said she felt guilty doing a job search while in her current position. She eventually had a job opportunity fall into her lap, but she didn’t feel too excited about it.
After I talked with her, she decided against it and instead chose to devote more time to searching for the perfect role and creating a career strategy.
The challenge of finding your dream job is to do the hard work to make a career strategy, then invest a half day per week for six months.
Once you do, you will put yourself in a leadership role in which you can amplify your positive impact on the world, be successful and have fun in this next stage of your career.
Dr. Geoff Smart is the chairman and founder of ghSMART, a leadership consulting firm that exists to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world.
Dr. Smart and his firm have published multiple New York Times bestsellers. He stays active in his community and has advised many government officials.
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Conquering Your To-Do List. 2 Reasons You’re Not Making Progress
Have you ever gone to work and felt like you couldn’t get anything accomplished? It’s a problem that regularly plagues business leaders. You have a list of projects you need to complete, but the end of the day arrives before you can even make a dent. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s preventing you from accomplishing your tasks, but some common culprits exist. Here, you’ll find a few reasons why you can’t get anything done at work and how to overcome them.
Out Of Sync Work-Life Balance
Working too much is bound to come back and haunt you. It might give you a substantial head start, but over time, you’ll find difficulty focusing, and you may even experience the symptoms of burnout. Stop before it’s too late and ensure you’re giving yourself enough time to enjoy other aspects of your life.
Too Much On Your Plate
Many business leaders have a hard time passing off tasks to other employees, but it’s imperative that you delegate less important projects to other employees. It’s hard to maintain focus when you have too many things to do. Allow your team to take control of certain tasks so you can focus on what’s most important.
Have you ever gone to work and felt like you couldn’t get anything accomplished? It’s a problem that regularly plagues business leaders. You have a list of projects you need to complete, but the end of the day arrives before you can even make a dent. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s preventing you from accomplishing your tasks, but some common culprits exist. Here, you’ll find a few reasons why you can’t get anything done at work and how to overcome them.
Out Of Sync Work-Life Balance
Working too much is bound to come back and haunt you. It might give you a substantial head start, but over time, you’ll find difficulty focusing, and you may even experience the symptoms of burnout. Stop before it’s too late and ensure you’re giving yourself enough time to enjoy other aspects of your life.
Too Much On Your Plate
Many business leaders have a hard time passing off tasks to other employees, but it’s imperative that you delegate less important projects to other employees. It’s hard to maintain focus when you have too many things to do. Allow your team to take control of certain tasks so you can focus on what’s most important.
How To Exceed Customer Expectations And Create Loyal Fans
Strong customer service is at the core of every successful business. There may be times when it feels like you can’t please every customer or meet every expectation, but there are things you can do to create a better chance to wow your customers. Perform these strategies well enough, and you may create lifelong, loyal customers.
Personalizing The Experience
Don’t treat every customer the same. Build and develop a relationship through your interactions.
Having Fun With Your Work
Customers do not want to be helped by someone who acts as if they hate their job. Try to have fun while you work, as it will create a more enjoyable experience for your customers and co-workers.
Underpromising And Overdelivering
Many businesses promise their customers the world but fail to live up to expectations. Promise what you know you can do. Anything extra will appear as a pleasant surprise to your customers.
Strong customer service is at the core of every successful business. There may be times when it feels like you can’t please every customer or meet every expectation, but there are things you can do to create a better chance to wow your customers. Perform these strategies well enough, and you may create lifelong, loyal customers.
Personalizing The Experience
Don’t treat every customer the same. Build and develop a relationship through your interactions.
Having Fun With Your Work
Customers do not want to be helped by someone who acts as if they hate their job. Try to have fun while you work, as it will create a more enjoyable experience for your customers and co-workers.
Underpromising And Overdelivering
Many businesses promise their customers the world but fail to live up to expectations. Promise what you know you can do. Anything extra will appear as a pleasant surprise to your customers.
