Transitioning to remote work is a gift to some and a nightmare to others. Some people might hope to continue with at least part-time telecommuting after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and others can’t wait to get back to the office. Either way, remote work is where we...
corporate culture Archive
10 Strategies for Managing Stress in the Workplace
This post was updated on February 27, 2020. For reliable productivity, quarter after quarter, year after year, it’s important to have strategies for managing stress in the workplace. Stress is an unavoidable part of our lives. Sometimes it’s just everyday stressors...
How to Set a Company Email Policy That Improves Productivity
Do you have a company email policy? If not, a recent study out of Virginia Tech University suggests that you should create one. The study found that even the expectation that an employee will have to deal with after-hours emails creates anxiety for both the employee...
After-Hours Email Solutions
In last week's post, I shared some new research regarding the problems of after-hours email, and also offered some solutions. Today I wanted to share a short (5-minute) excerpt of a corporate training I recently delivered that offers additional solutions. To be clear,...
How to Prioritize
You probably know the big stuff you're supposed to be getting done. But what's often less clear is how to accomplish your work priorities when there are all sorts of other, urgent (or seemingly urgent) demands on your time. This comes down to a question of how to...
This Popular Step to Manage Email and Texts Isn’t Enough
Your job involves an overwhelming amount of communications from others. Managing email and texts is a vexing challenge. So you take a cue from what you've observed others doing. You add a line to your email signature saying "I check my email infrequently, so if your...
How to Really Get Employees to Take More Vacation
Does the idea of scheduling some days off during the holiday season seems like more trouble than it's worth? You're not alone. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that even at companies that offer unlimited time off, employees often hesitate to take more...
Tackling Distraction With ‘The Innovation Show’
Distraction is the No. 1 enemy of productivity. I talked about how to strengthen your battle plan against it during my recent interview on The Innovation Show. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, The Innovation Show is a podcast for forward-thinking leaders, entrepreneurs and...
Podcast Preview: Knowledge Workers’ Productivity
If you're a leader, do you manage with the wellbeing of your knowledge workers' brains in mind? I talked about why this is essential during my recent interview with Andrea Simon for the On the Brink podcast. Andi is a principal and founder of Simon Associates...
LEADx Podcast Interview: Productivity Tips for Leaders
Your leadership style has a big effect on your own productivity — and the productivity of your team. I dug into this and other productivity tips for leaders as a guest on a recent episode of The LEADx Leadership Show podcast with Kevin Kruse. Kevin is the founder +...