Stop Procrastination by Understanding the Underlying Emotions (Work Management Roundup)
It's Friday, which means it's time for the Friday Roundup. But even better, it's September 25th, which also happens to be National Comic Book Day! In honor of that, we present to you the latest batch of links to articles that will make you a superhero in the workplace, at home, and yes, they'll even power your project management. Up, up, and away! To Stop Procrastinating, Start By Understanding the Emotions (Wall Street Journal): Procrastination is an emotional reaction brought on by stress. If stress is your kryptonite, then time management strategies can only get you so far. You will need to conquer it by first understanding the emotional reasons for why you delay work. If you can, you'll soon become invincible. 4 Tricks to Sharpen Your Mind at Work (Wired): While these tips won't turn you into the genius Professor X from X-Men, they will allow you to tackle work with fresh energy, and give you a sharp perspective that might seem a little superhuman to your colleagues. 5 Project Management Lessons to Learn from Superheroes (Wrike): Spider Man, Green Lantern, Thor, and others superheroes all have something to teach you about project management. Learn something to boost your leadership from these famous leaders. Creative Exercises for Creative Teams (Medium): If your super creative team faces the evil menace called artist's block (it threatens to destroy all work!), then choose an idea from this list of 29 creative exercises that are sure to get the ideas flowing once again. 131 Actionable Ideas from Ten Books I Wish I Had Read Ages Ago (Medium): Here's a collection of the important action items from 10 books on productivity, habit-building, and business. It's Cliff Notes for workers who are too busy to read full books, but still want to power up their skills. Long Hours Backfire for Companies and Workers (Harvard Business Review): Research proves that working long hours harms workers and inevitably, companies. It's a story of burnout and diminishing returns. And if you keep at it too long, even superheroes can begin to wilt. More Work Management Must-Reads: Powerful Lists 26 of The Best Collaboration Apps for Your Team (Medium) 54 Seriously Cool Apps to Make Everyone’s Lives Easier (Wrike) 131 Actionable Ideas from Ten Books I Wish I Had Read Ages Ago (Medium) 100 incredible things I learned watching 70 hours of TED talks last week (A Life of Productivity) Insightful Essays Multi-tasking: how to survive in the 21st century (FT.com) What's Worse for Your Career: Boredom or Stress? (USNews) This Graphic Explains 20 Cognitive Biases That Affect Your Decision-Making (Lifehacker) How to Test and Validate Startup Ideas (Medium) Browse The Work Management Roundup on Flipboard If you use Flipboard on your mobile device, then you can choose to read these links via The Work Management Roundup magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine. Image credit: life, cubed 08.12.09 [224] by timlewisnm on Flickr. Some rights reserved. Changes made.
54 Seriously Cool Apps to Make Everyone's Life Easier
When we need the answer to a quick question like, "What time is it in Beijing?" we immediately jump on Google or ask Siri. We’ve grown accustomed to having answers and resources instantly available. But as efficient and effective as these tools are, Siri can’t tell you when that new gadget you’ve had your eye on is likely to go on sale, and Googling can only get you so far when it comes to finding the word that’s been stuck on the tip of your tongue. That’s where these handy online shortcuts come in. Save money, time, and effort with this list of convenient web tools. Money-Saving Tools Camelizer Chrome Extension - Displays the pricing history of an item and lets you set up notification alerts for when the price drops. Honey Chrome Extension - Automatically searches for and applies coupon codes for you during checkout. 10-minute mail - Set up a temporary email address to receive discount code emails, and the address will self-destruct after 10 minutes. FaxZero - If you need to send the occasional fax, use this site to upload documents straight from your computer and send them within the US and Canada for free. Productivity Boosters StayFocusd Chrome Extension - Set limits for the amount of time you can spend on distracting websites you specify. AutoPatchWork - Load websites with multiple pages as a single continuous page, so there's no need to click “Next." OneTab Chrome Extension - Suddenly find yourself with a zillion tabs open? Click this browser extension to consolidate them all into a single list. Restore them individually or all at once. SleepyTi.me - Calculate exactly when you should go to bed based on natural sleep cycles so you wake up refreshed. OhDon’tForget - Send yourself text message reminders for important or time-sensitive tasks. Unrollme - Unsubscribe from unwanted emails en masse, then combine what you want to keep into a single daily digest email. WhichDateWorks.com - Planning a meeting or event? Quickly find a date/time that works for everyone. Dictation.io - Online voice recognition and dictation software in your web browser. TabCloud Chrome Extension - Save your current browser tabs and open them at a later date, on any computer. AvoidHumans.com - Find a quiet public space to get out of the office, without getting stuck in a noisy crowd. Flux - Combat eye strain and get your brain ready to sleep by customizing the brightness and hue of your computer screen. MailboxMap.com - Quickly locate the closest USPS mailbox. Klip.me - Send any article you find on the web directly to your Kindle to read later. Ctrql.rss - Search engine for RSS feeds. ManualsLib.com - Lost the manual to a malfunctioning device? Look it up in this database of pdf manuals for all sorts of products. iReader - Removes ads and displays articles in one continuous page, with clean formatting. LastPass - Save your usernames and passwords to LastPass, and access them wherever you need to. Creative Timesavers WhatTheFont - Find the name of the font used in a particular image. Mondrian.io - Create vector drawings right in your browser window. MyScriptFont.com - Create a vector font from your own handwriting. Popcorn Maker - Add interactive elements to videos like maps, links, pop-ups, Tweets, and images. Adobe Kuler - Find complementary color palettes. TipofMyTongue - Pinpoint that elusive word stuck on the tip of your brain. Rhymer.com - Find the perfect word with this online rhyming dictionary. Expresso-App.org - Analyze your writing to find areas for improvement. XMind - Organize your thoughts, brainstorm new ideas, and visualize complex relationships with this mind mapping tool. Script Timer - Find out exactly how long it will take to read your written script. Quick Tools for Everyday Tasks Scr.im - Converts your email address into a short, custom URL you can share on public sites without getting picked up by spam bots and email harvesters. ShareLinkGenerator.com - Create Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Pinterest share links that work anywhere — even in emails. qClock - Find the local time of any city by hovering over it on Google Maps. Chrome Currency Converter - Automatically convert prices displayed on the web to your selected currency, using current exchange rates. Random.org - Choose a random number, flip a coin, etc. Date to Date Calculator - Find out exactly how many days, hours, minutes, or seconds have passed between two events. iRuler - Automatically reads the dimensions of your display to show an accurate ruler. How Secure Is My Password? - Find out exactly how long it would take to hack your password with this secure website. Strong Password Generator - Spits out a random, strong password to protect your online accounts, along with a mnemonic device to help you remember. FreeWifiFinder - Find the closest free WiFi hotspot based on your current location. CopyPasteCharacter.com - Copy special characters & symbols that don’t appear on your keyboard. DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com - Is that website down for everyone or just you? Jotti.org - Scan suspicious files or attachments for viruses or malware. PrintWhatYouLike.com - Print web pages without ads or other clutter. Lazarus Form Recovery - Autosaves everything you type so you can easily recover from timeouts, crashes, and network errors. Google Voice Extension - Send and receive texts, calls, and voicemails on your computer. DisposableWebpage.com - Create a temporary web page that will automatically self-destruct. Just for Fun NowIKnow - Emails you an interesting story or tidbit every day to keep life (and your daily conversations) interesting. DailyLit - Want to read more books, but can’t find the time? Select a book on DailyLit and it’ll send you bite-sized snippets via email or RSS every day until you finish. UnplugtheTV - Presents short YouTube videos that entertain and educate so you can learn something new while you scarf down dinner. The Nicest Place on the Internet - Bad day? Check out the nicest place on the internet for a quick mood booster. Memrise - Learn new skills in small, bite-sized pieces during quick breaks or while waiting in line. Skyscanner - Want to get away for the weekend, but unsure where to go? Check out the "Cheap Flights" widget to browse available flights by price. What are your favorite apps? Share your favorite free online apps in the comments below! Let us know what we're missing.
Moore’s Law and the Productivity Problem
As the year draws to a close, developing strategies for how to be more productive and finish the year off strong is on every team’s mind — regardless of department or industry. According to a study by California-based management platform Redbooth, the month of the year that we are at our most productive is October, followed by November, then September. The fall provides a feeling of a new start for many businesses, with the desire for shiny new productivity tools and aids bringing us back to our school days. But, while a new pencil case or a multi-colored pen can work wonders, today’s organizations are looking to much more sophisticated tools to boost their productivity. Note-taking apps, instant messaging platforms, virtual to-do lists, calendar tools — our desktops are overflowing with software designed to make us our most productive selves. But, with so many conflicting apps clouding our vision, it can often be difficult to get anything done at all. So, why are we so inclined to constantly invest in new technology, believing it will exponentially increase our productivity levels? This concept is commonly referred to as Moore’s Law, and it’s important to understand it if you’re concerned about your team’s or your own productivity levels. What is Moore’s Law? Let’s start off with a simple enough question: what is Moore’s Law? The origins of Moore’s Law lie in IT and computer hardware. It is the principle that the speed and efficiency of a computer can be expected to double every two years, while the cost decreases by half. Moore’s Law is named after Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel, who made this observation of exponential growth in 1965. You will have no doubt experienced Moore’s Law for yourself over the last decade, as the need to purchase a new phone or laptop normally begins to creep up every two years or so. While the technical capabilities of your gadget will have grown hugely, the price largely remains standard. We then begin to fall into a cycle of purchasing new technology as a habit, stretching our view to include phones, computers, exercise aids, entertainment systems, and, yes, productivity tools. Moore’s Law and endless productivity tools Of course, Moore’s Law has huge benefits for the technologically-driven society that we live in. The standards of the technology that we rely on can even be linked to Moore’s Law. The overarching idea of Moore’s Law — that speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of technology is constantly evolving at a rapid pace — could apply to productivity tools and solutions. The need to update and reinvest in the ever-growing ecosystem of productivity tools and software every few years sees many teams losing themselves to too many apps. In 2015, the average number of cloud applications per company was 73. In 2020, that number had increased to 163. So much so, that 56% of IT executives are now reporting having to use manual spreadsheets to keep track of all their SaaS apps — defeating their productivity goals before they’ve even started. This concept is commonly known as ‘SaaS sprawl,’ a term that refers to the dilemma of an organization’s tech stack being so expansive that it becomes unmanageable and causes visibility problems across departments. $40 billion is estimated to be spent on unused software each year, and the number of apps we are downloading continues to rise. Many teams believe themselves to be more productive than ever, when really, spending so much time flicking between apps, tools, and software stifles creativity and raises burnout to an all-time high. How your team can effectively invest in productivity If your organization has fallen foul to overindulgence in productivity tools and gadgets, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to empower your teams and teach them how to be more productive without overwhelming themselves with dozens of productivity platforms. Consider toxic productivity The concept of toxic productivity relates to an unattainable desire for increased productivity, at the expense of other priorities, such as family or health. Toxic productivity is a real issue for many teams, especially if both our personal and work devices are overrun with technology that is constantly drawing us back to working mode. Consider whether your team could benefit from a digital detox of work-related technology, and set boundaries for after-hours work communication. Turn your attention to other methods of increasing productivity There are plenty of ways to increase productivity and wellbeing at work that have nothing to do with technology. For example, has your organization invested in a flexible work structure, allowing employees to choose where they work best? Could your business go the extra mile and trial a four-day workweek? Could your employee recognition programs use some extra love? These are all areas to consider when brainstorming how to be more productive across the board. Making the most of all-in-one technology like Wrike Of course, technology will always be a cornerstone of a successful business, and continuing to use productivity tools in some way at work is non-negotiable. But which tools should you invest in? What are the most important features of work management software that can actually increase productivity by up to 40%? Workflow automation: With Wrike’s custom request forms and automated task assignment, your team will never miss important tasks and details because of a cluttered workspace. App integration: Using so many apps can be tiresome and inefficient, with details and updates often being missed by team members. Wrike’s work management includes over 400 app integrations, so the constant context switching can stop. Single source of truth: Trawling through emails and messaging apps to find important documents and updates is time-consuming and frustrating for teams. Keeping everything organized in one centralized hub, where users can comment, edit, and give feedback, is a life-saver for teams who wish to be more productive. Collaborative features: Whether your team works in-office, remotely, or under a hybrid model, breakdowns in communication are one of the most common challenges to successful projects. Wrike’s collaborative features, including @mentions, real-time editing, and email and chat app integrations means that your team all have the same view, no matter where they are. Want to know more about how Wrike can boost your team’s productivity? Try out a free two-week trial today.
How to Boost Productivity Using Parkinson's Law
In 1955, Cyril Parkinson created Parkinson's law. The concept centers around the idea that work is like gas; it expands to fill whatever container it is placed in. For project management, this means that if you give a task five hours, it will take five hours to complete. But if you give that same task five days, it will take five days to complete. Understanding this basic principle is key to improving productivity for both yourself and your team. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what Parkinson's law is and how it can be used to boost productivity (or hinder it). Keep reading to explore examples of Parkinson's law, plus some tips on how and when to use it in Agile project management. What is Parkinson's law? Parkinson's law is the theory that work will expand to fill the allotted time. So whether you think a task will take one week or one month, if you schedule it accordingly, that's how long it will take. Much of this has to do with the way our brains are wired. In general, even the most put-together of us wait until the last minute to fulfill a commitment. In fact, it actually feels good for some people and gives them an adrenaline rush. That's because the farther out a deadline is, the lower it is on our priority list. And with good reason. If we prioritize all of our project-related tasks at the same level, we can almost guarantee a decrease in productivity. This is especially true if employees attempt to multitask. But if you follow Parkinson’s law, you’ll be able to boost the productivity of your onsite and work from home teams simply by limiting their allotted time. What does allotted time mean? Allotted time means the time assigned to a task in project management. Often, this is determined by the project manager when they are creating the timeline and schedule. Some project managers prefer to use historical data to calculate mini-deadlines for individual tasks. Others gather input from subject matter experts and talent to estimate how much effort each task requires. These guidelines may also be determined by the needs of the project itself. So whether or not you believe a task requires more effort if there is a short deadline, Parkinson's law dictates that the task can be achieved within that given time frame. Of course, this isn't true in every case. Some tasks really do require additional time for creation, revision, and approval. That's why this law works for the opposite issue, too — providing too much time for a task can lead to the task being done with more effort than what is required, making it more complex than it was to begin with. When we talk about Parkinson's law and productivity, we have to strike a balance between allotting the time necessary to complete a task and not overdoing it so that the extra time makes the task harder to complete. Trimming the fat is a good analogy for this. When you trim the fat off of your project schedule, you make it easier for team members to get to the meat of the assignment. Examples of Parkinson's law A great example of Parkinson's law in action that most people can relate to is student syndrome. Student syndrome is when a person waits to complete a task until the night before it's due. In some cases, that could mean the hour before a meeting for even a day or two later if they can sense the deadline won't be enforced. If we can assume that most professionals still succumb to student syndrome from time to time, then we can apply Parkinson's law to help them deliver work as needed. Here are some examples: Asking someone to return a signatory form within 24 hours of receipt rather than leaving it open-ended. Assigning a task that normally takes a week and giving it a three-day window instead. Condensing a client project timeline from six months to three months. Is it possible to overcome Parkinson's law? Yes, it is possible to overcome Parkinson's law. Aside from knowing that the work itself can become more complex the more time you give it, understanding the psychology behind procrastination is also a key factor in using this idea to your advantage. Procrastination is not a modern concept. In fact, even the ancient Greeks and Romans warned against it. So we know this has more to do with the way our brains function than modern vices such as social media and cell phones. Procrastination plagues all of us at some point. However, there are some telltale signs of whether or not someone is likely to put things off until the last minute. The biggest of which has to do with mental health. People who are prone to procrastination tend to have higher levels of stress and anxiety. This translates to their personal lives (missing appointments, putting off large yet necessary purchases, etc.) and their professional lives (delaying follow-ups, sending work in late, etc.). If a project manager is able to identify some of these symptoms among their team, they can strategically apply Parkinson's law in a way that helps these individuals prioritize. Project managers can take this a step further and ensure that the work environment they’re curating allows employees to feel relaxed. That is because procrastination isn't simply a mental obstacle — it's also an emotional one. If project deadlines are unrealistic and tasks are mounting, a strategic product manager would be wise to consider the emotional state of their team before using Parkinson's law to boost productivity. How can you boost productivity using Parkinson's law? The concept of Parkinson’s Law is that by setting deadlines that are significantly shorter than they were previously, you can become extremely productive and avoid getting bogged down by deadlines that are too long. It helps you find shortcuts, avoid procrastination, and focus on actions that matter. But how do you actually use it to boost productivity? Cut your estimated project timelines and task allotments in half. This will allow you to complete your tasks or projects in half the time it normally would take. If you or your teammates still can’t make a new deadline, it means that everyone is too busy and you need to loosen up the deadline for the next time. When you give someone half the amount of time they are used to completing a task, they will likely still turn it in as requested, thanks to creative solutions they wouldn’t have thought of before. Aside from focusing on your daily tasks, applying Parkinson's Law can also help you reach bigger goals and projects. If you decide to cut the deadline for a project or goal in half, it may seem impossible at first, but it can be done. For example, instead of giving yourself a deadline of one year, try to reach your goal in six months instead. This strategy will help you save time and make you more productive. Remember, the more time you give yourself, the more time you waste doing non-essentials. Another great way to apply Parkinson's law is using your project management solution. With visual timelines, your team will be able to see how much work is left. They will also be able to see the difference between how much effort one task takes compared to another. You can even set micro deadlines within individual tasks. In Wrike, users can add due dates to individual tasks within a project. Productivity coach Alyssa Coleman has suggested in her goal-getting workshops that you can go a step further and add reminders at the halfway point of your goal. If that task or phase hasn’t started by that date, it will kickstart your team into remembering that they now only have half as much time as they did before. This can help overcome the psychological barriers of procrastination. Wrike users also have the ability to automate reminders within their project planning to save you time on following up at the beginning, middle, and end of every major task. Using Parkinson's law in project management Remember, it’s never too late to improve productivity, so give your team a helping hand by using Parkinson’s law the right way. Here are some practical ways to use Parkinson’s law in project management. Apply these tips to active and ongoing projects now or in the future: Cut deadlines by 50% for every project and related task. Use historical data, team input, and task timers to find out how long each step normally takes, then cut it in half. Add buffer room for each task without putting it on the schedule. For example, if you absolutely need a deliverable by Friday, ask your team to deliver it by Wednesday or Thursday. That way, even if they are behind, you’ll still be on track. Encourage employees to work smart, not harder. If the point is to get the test done, make that clear. If the task needs to be done with an extra amount of detail or complexity, make that clear too. Remember to read the room. Imposing tight deadlines on an already overwhelmed team and further procrastination rather than support productivity. Encourage employees to keep a productivity journal. This offers holistic benefits for their life as a whole and keeps them in the right headspace for work. Start a free two-week trial of Wrike and use the Parkinson’s law productivity tips we provided to overcome procrastination and reliably deliver products by working smarter, not harder.
Ditch the Tomato Timer: 4 New Productivity Techniques to Try
You know all about Pomodoro, GTD, and 80/20 — and you're either a huge fan, or they've left you cold. Here are a few new productivity and task management techniques to help you be super productive without burning out. 1. Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't Break the Chain" Yep, that Jerry Seinfeld. Turns out, he's been sitting on a secret to daily productivity for years, and recently it's attracted a lot of attention. Here's how it works: You'll need a red marker and a calendar to display in a prominent spot. Pick a routine task, a significant goal, or a skill you'd like to improve. It could be anything, from "Exercise" or "Learn Mandarin" to "Improve Customer Retention by 10%." Every day you work towards that goal or complete that task, put a big, fat X on your calendar. Pretty soon you'll have a chain of Xs. Now... don't break the chain. It's that simple! You can use this technique to track more than one goal or habit, but be judicious when choosing them. If you try and juggle too many, your chains will inevitably get broken and the whole thing will fall apart. Try to choose one or two big goals to build your chains on. Consistent, daily progress can have a big impact! Use this approach to: Develop a new habit, make steady progress on a big project, and give yourself an extra push of motivation to get things done — even when you don't feel like it. Is it time to improve your productivity? Don't procrastinate any longer — start your free Wrike trial today! 2. Jay Shirley's "Must, Should, Want" method Jay Shirley, creator of a habit-building application called The Daily Practice, developed this approach to make his days both productive and enjoyable. Here's how it works: First thing in the morning when you create your to-do list, start with these three entries: 1. I must ______________ (a high-priority task that will have an immediate impact) 2. I should ____________ (a task that will contribute to your long-term goals) 3. I want ______________ (something you genuinely want to do) With this approach, every day you're working on something that will benefit you in the short-term, as well as lay the groundwork for long-term goals. And the "I want" task helps maintain your sanity by building in a little time for something you're passionate about. The next day, perhaps over your first cup of coffee, review your tasks and evaluate the results. Did you accomplish what you wanted to? Are you happy with the outcome? Building in a night of rest between working on tasks and reviewing them refreshes your brain and gives you a little bit of distance. After you've reviewed yesterday's progress, start creating your "Must, Should, Want" list for today. Use this approach to: Avoid burnout and stop dreading your to-do list. Plus, doing something you enjoy each and every day is good for your health, and helps make your productivity sustainable. 3. Marc Andreessen's Anti-ToDo List Do you ever look at your to-do list at the end of a busy day and think, "I didn't get anything done today"? It's pretty disheartening. But more than that, it's just not true. Odds are you actually did a lot of work — it's just not reflected in your to-do list. Still, that feeling of disappointment can take a heavy toll on your motivation. Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape, started incorporating an "Anti-ToDo List" into his daily habits to measure his productivity. Here's how it works: Every time you do something useful during the day, write it down. That's it. Your to-do list is a standard you'll never live up to consistently, and your Anti-ToDo list is daily deserved rewards. You shouldn't wait until a project is finished to celebrate what you've accomplished or savor your progress. It's amazing how feeling productive can help keep your productivity high! So next time you reflect on a hectic day and wonder, "What did I actually accomplish today?" just pull out your Anti-ToDo list and give yourself a pat on the back. Use this approach to: Gain incentive and motivation from your daily accomplishments, measure incremental progress, and get a clearer picture of how your working hours are actually spent. 4. Sam Carpenter's "Biological Prime Time" How many cups of coffee do you need to make it through your day? Is there a certain time in the afternoon when you feel completely wiped out? In his book Game the System, Sam Carpenter zeroes in on what he calls his "biological prime time," or the key windows of time where he's at his most productive. Here's how it works: You'll need to start paying attention to three things: your productivity, focus, and motivation. Every hour or two, rate each on a scale from 1-10. After a week or so you can create a simple graph and start noticing some trends. Whenever your productivity, focus and motivation align at a high point, you've found a "biological prime time." Image credit: Chris Bailey By pinpointing these sweet spots, you can schedule your most important tasks or meetings for those times. That way, you're at your best during crucial moments and can channel those windows of focused productivity into high-priority projects. Use this approach to: Discover links between your diet, sleeping habits, and work environment to tweak your daily habits and increase productivity. Share your personal productivity strategies: do you "eat the frog"? Follow the 2-minute rule? Track your to-dos using pen and paper, or prefer a task management software? We'd love to hear! And if you're interested in productivity habits for your entire team, download our eBook for concrete advice on transforming your team into a high performance unit: 5 Strategies for Forming Team Productivity Habits. Sources: Lifehacker, JayShirley.com, iDoneThis.com, AYearofProductivity.com
How to Increase Productivity at Work:<br>6 Mindset Hacks
So take a deep breath, go on a break, and: …change your environment Switch the scenery to reboot your mind. Once fatigue seems to be overtaking, take a walk around the building, go to the terrace or even stand outside under the sun for 5 minutes. And if you absolutely can’t get up from your chair, spend some time listening to music that would help your mind meditate and travel to a different place, for example, Roberta Shapiro’s relaxing “Calming Collection” or the diverse “Playing for Change” project’s compilation. …occupy your hands source: lsned.com This is another pleasant way to get a quick mind-reboot and mobilize your brain’s hidden resources. Here’s why: Besides being efficient stress-reducers, manual activities with thingies like hand grippers, yo-yos, ball of whacks and even baby beads implement fine motor skills and therefore motivate your brain to work. Being compact, they can easily fit on your work desk and come to the rescue when you need it. …write the problem down A modern creative worker can hardly imagine a single hour without digital interaction. But sometimes it makes sense to visualize your problem in an alternative way. As a matter of fact, researchers say that the process handwriting inspires spontaneous ideas. After all, it’s our natural habit. So grab a pen or a pencil and phrase your questions on paper. For example, you have trouble organizing a TV commercial shooting. Write down all the grey areas you have at the moment, like “How to make Angelina Jolie make a guest appearance for free?” “Where to get a blue talking parrot in 5 days?” and “How on Earth to make this parrot read the script?” and then give it another brainstorm. Once you get an idea, don’t forget to enter it into Wrike to make sure it doesn’t slip out of sight! …use a whiteboard source: cbs.com Think wider. If you can write it, why not do this on a whiteboard? Adepts of the agile methods in software development and project management saw the benefits of this tool long ago. Similar to the pen-and-paper trick, this can give you a different perspective of the problem. Your brainstorming process can be more visual and, therefore, this might be the source of an extra dose of efficiency. But there’s also the benefit of the collective brain that you can leverage. With a fresh and unbiased look, your colleagues who see the same whiteboard might help you find the thing you missed for solving your problem. …do some exercise When the load of a task presses too heavily on your head and shoulders, another way to have a fresh start is to get moving. Surely it shouldn’t be a strenuous workout in the middle of the workday (this would drain your glucose, which is essential for brain effort). Walking the stairs to another floor, stretching your back, doing a couple of squats — that’s the kind of exercise that will cheer you up and help you to keep fit. During physical exercises, your brain will be way more captivated with producing endorphins (a.k.a. “the happiness hormones”), rather than staying painfully fixed on your work. …go be social Chatting with your colleagues, playing office games, and getting a good laugh is, apparently, practical. Some companies have already taken laughing seriously. For example, Rich Enos, CEO and co-founder of innovative learning center Study Point Inc., says that his company uses laughter and humor to build a corporate culture: "We have impromptu theme days, as well as caption contests, like the ones in the New Yorker." You don’t need any research to know that laughter not only reduces workers’ tension and stress, but also improves general team spirit in the office. So might the office games like darts or foosball: Get away from the desk for a short while, challenge your peer in a quick game, have some fun and watch your productivity blast! As Stephen King once said, “Change is as good as rest.” Some of the world-famous companies shared the well-known writer’s opinion on this matter and made the project-switch a part of their official policy. We have to admit, they report impressive results: Google’s “20 percent” time policy resulted in projects like Google News and Google Reader; 3M’s “15 percent” rule led the way to the creation of an innovative polymer and, according to legend, the well-known “Post-It”; Gore’s “dabble time” model added up to the launching of the ELIXIR guitar strings, which now outsell competitors’ products two-to-one. All together, we believe that productivity depends not only on a concentrated and devoted work, but also, to a certain extent, on a proper rest. We hope these entertaining, yet useful, rest hacks will help you reboot your mind, freshen up and crack even the most resistant problem easily!
Improving Productivity on Your Marketing Team (Checklist)
To say life as a marketing manager can be hectic would be putting it mildly. With so much going on and distractions popping up every five minutes, you may feel like you need to go into complete isolation in order to actually get anything done. In fact, that’s exactly what that crazy scuba-like contraption is for in the photo below: Hugo Gernsback’s 1925 invention "The Isolator" makes the wearer deaf to all outside noise, limits vision to a tiny window, and even has an oxygen hose. Before you go out and buy an Isolator for every member of your marketing team, try these simple strategies for promoting productivity, improving meetings, and encouraging creativity. Instant Productivity Boosters Block out creative time on your calendar where you unplug completely. Turn off email notifications, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, etc. Just make sure your team knows when you’re free to be interrupted so they're not stuck waiting for your input. Delegate. Assign tasks based on strengths, or skills you know your team members want to sharpen. It'll keep your top performers from being overloaded and help your whole team improve and stay engaged. Review lessons learned so you can continually improve your process and become more efficient. Save articles and inspiration in a Wrike folder via the Chrome extension instead of emailing them to your team as you find them. It'll cut down on interruptions and distractions while your team’s focused on the task at hand. Review your inspiration folder at the beginning of a new creative project to kickstart a productive brainstorming session. Give your team time to engage in “unnecessary creation” — Todd Henry’s name for exploring possibilities, picking up new skills, and working on side projects or experiments. You never know what cool ideas, skills, or side projects will benefit your daily work. Clarify goals and how each person contributes in your MRM (marketing resource management is the MRM meaning) plan. When every team member knows their importance, they are more likely to get the job done and done well. Streamline communications and simplify processes. Take a good hard look at the way your team functions and reevaluate whether every step and approval is really necessary. Prioritize based on your strategic marketing goals, and set fake deadlines for yourself for extra motivation. Better Creativity Add more color to your office. Yellow is particularly good for stimulating creativity and optimism. Encourage people to listen to music through headphones. It'll help them focus and get in the creative zone. Provide pens and paper so people can doodle, mind map, brainstorm, write by hand, or easily pick up and head outdoors. Embrace work naps. If your location permits, a quick, 15-minute snooze improves creativity, memory, learning ability, and helps prevent burnout. Meetings & Brainstorming Sessions Keep meetings short and only invite the necessary people to attend. Take it outside. Short meetings, brainstorming sessions — head to the park or go for a short walk while discussing new possibilities. Fresh air and light activity will make your brainstorming sessions more productive, and you’ll get better-quality creative ideas. Start meetings and brainstorming sessions with something fun, like a funny YouTube clip. People are more productive and creative when they’re in a good mood. End meetings by stating who will do what by when. Set at least one day a week as a "no meeting" day where nothing is scheduled. Quick Miscellaneous Tips Stock your office kitchen with healthy snacks and drinks instead of junk that will lead to a food coma or sugar crash. Automate tedious tasks, use marketing automation software, or create templates for routine tasks, documents, and email messages. Stop multitasking. Instead batch similar tasks together to quickly knock them out. Schedule a set time to deal with emails and other requests, instead of dealing with interruptions as they appear. Use an RSS reader to quickly catch up on marketing news and blogs you follow. Download our free marketing eBook Need a new tool to boost collaboration and productivity on your marketing team? Download our free eBook for a real-world guide to buying a collaboration tool that suits your exact needs. Get it now: Collaboration Software for Marketing Teams: A Buyer’s Guide What are your best marketing shortcuts and productivity tips? Share what works for your team in the comments below — we're always looking for new tips! "The Isolator" photo credit: A Great Disorder
How Do Social Media Marketing Gurus Become Super-Productive?
Well then, how do social media gurus manage to be productive and get things done right on time? They have their own productivity tools and technique, as well as marketing terms and concepts, that help them stay efficient in this vibrant environment. The good news is that social media professionals don’t mind sharing their tips. For example, one of them, a popular social media marketing expert and coach, Laura Roeder, told us what helps her stay on top of multiple projects and effectively collaborate with her team members. “Getting things done fast is perhaps the most important skill you can have to make your business move forward,” says Laura. “The flexibility of Wrike project management software allows us to be super-productive, and it helps our own business grow rapidly.” Read the full story and find out how Laura’s social media marketing team benefits from Wrike’s unique features.
How Goal-Setting Software Can Keep You on Track
Thinking about goals is easy, but setting and completing them is tougher. Only a mere 8% of people consistently achieve their New Year’s Eve goals, which, according to the Harvard Business Review, has a lot to do with a cognitive bias toward seeking unattainable benchmarks. In this article, we’ll teach you how to make your team members of that 8% by using goal-setting software to manage projects and keep collaborators on track. Keep reading for practical tips on how to overcome the most common challenges with free and effective goal-setting software tools. What is goal-setting software? Goal-setting software is a tool you can use to plan, track, and execute your goals. It often includes visual elements such as Gantt charts and project timelines that make it easy to see your team’s progress right in front of you. You can add details such as due dates and outside collaborators for when your goal requires a little extra help. You can also plan multiple goals at once and see how they all work together or against each other. The advantages of goal-setting A goal-based approach helps people reach their objectives and keep them on track over a period of time. It sets realistic expectations and encourages everyone involved to hold each other accountable. Plus, it turns ideas from inside your head to vivid plans that come to life in the real world. As leadership expert Mark Murphy notes, “Vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success, and people who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals than people who don’t.” Challenges of goal-setting Creating goals is hard because we have so many traps that keep us from reaching them. From cognitive biases to conflicting priorities to unclear roadmaps, the chances of falling for one of the many common pitfalls of goal-setting are considerable. From a management perspective, goal-setting software can help overcome the following challenges of goal-setting when working with a team: Miscommunication regarding project files and due dates, plus roles and responsibilities that eat up valuable project time. Unclear benchmarks and workflows that confuse instead of empower teams. Vague KPIs that lead to unfocused work or results. A waste of valuable resources like time due to poor management or communication. Free online goal-setting tools Free online goal-setting tools help you reach goals and motivate others. Unlike analog goal-setting, online tools help reinforce good habits teamwide and offer time-saving features such as built-in reminders. Tools like Wrike are compatible with the S.M.A.R.T. goal structure since they offer much more detail without overcomplicating plans to the point of futility. You can also modify your plans along the way with tools that forecast how changes will help or hurt your main objectives. How to use Wrike as your goal-setting software Wrike is a goal-setting software teams rely on to deliver high-quality work consistently and on time. Whether you’re managing one or one thousand individuals, having a goal-setting software makes it easier to organize, communicate, and fully achieve your vision. Not only do the visual elements hold users accountable, but they also offer in-depth analysis of workflows that simple pen and paper goal-setting systems simply cannot. Here’s a quick summary of what you’ll need to do: Create a shared folder to organize and manage your team's tasks. Create a subfolder within that for your company's objectives. Collect all the team's OKRs. Connect each key result to a subtask. And here’s the more detailed version: Plan long term Annual planning is an integral part of any business. It helps identify goals and objectives, and it coordinates the various activities of the organization. When competing priorities or inevitable roadblocks come up, your team will be able to make decisions based on what best serves these big-picture goals. In Wrike, create a folder dedicated to your year goal plans then share it with the whole company. Or, if the information is meant only for a certain group, you can restrict which user groups will see what data in the field. Inside that folder, create project groups or tasks for all of the major initiatives and goals of the year. You can also assign people to the task and set deadlines. After, use Custom Fields to create notes on budgeting, client feedback, and anything else stakeholders should know about. Break big goals into smaller goals Once you successfully brainstorm and narrow down your annual or long-term goals, you can break them up into smaller benchmarks. If you choose to create annual goals, we suggest breaking them down further into quarterly goals. Ideally, you will have only one or two big-picture goals that you can divide into four smaller quarterly phases. For example, if your annual goal is to reach an additional $100,000 in revenue, you can divide that goal into quarterly targets of $25,000 each. To organize all of this in Wrike, all you have to do is add subfolders within your annual folder for each quarter. Add ideas for action steps inside each dedicated quarterly folder. Once you've narrowed those down to only the most essential, you can then create tasks that each have their own due dates. Assign these tasks to team members before moving on to the next step. This will make them easier to track and help you organize your team’s workload. Create your OKRs If you're someone who likes to set goals and hit numbers (or if you work for someone who likes it when you do), then implementing an OKR system might be the way to go. OKR stands for objectives and key results. Creating an OKR is a lot like creating a broad Objective only the Key Results are more specific and can be used to support specific goals. They are typically written out in this format: Objective: A brief summary of the goal or subgoal in a sentence or a few words. Key Result #1: A one or two-sentence summary of the measurable, specific, and attainable outcome that will be achieved once the goal is complete. Key Result #2: As above Key Result #3: As above You’ll want to include one to three (three is most common) key results that are distinct from one another but still realistic. From there, your team members can choose to create their own individual OKRs. Individual OKRs should be built by each team member based on their unique subgoals and mini objectives within the larger scope of the project. Creating these as part of your project kickoff will help everyone get on the same page from the beginning. Pro tip: Key results should be a direct result of achieving the objective and not a by-product. For example, if your objective is to bake a cake, an effective key result would be to eat a delicious slice of the cake after dinner this evening. An ineffective key result of cake baking would be to celebrate your friend’s birthday together. Although you may bring the cake to their party, the celebration would have happened either way and was not dependent on the completion of the cake. Here are some additional tips for creating smart OKRs with your goal-setting software: Make sure your Os and KRs are all actionable Your OKRs should include ambitious stretch goals without going overboard Use the Wrike Chrome Extension to create goals or key results related to any web page or any other application that uses HTML Create team objectives that are aligned with the company's big-picture goals. You can do this by making sure to discuss these with all team members Use specific metrics for your OKRs. These goals are specific and detailed, so they should be rooted in data so they can be tracked and measured Wrike offers an OKR template you can use right within our goal-setting software If you’re managing a multi-departmental or companywide project, ask teams to create their own Team OKRs folders. This will allow them to see their team's goals and contribute whenever possible. Track progress with dashboards In Wrike, create a My Objectives dashboard to keep track of all of your goals and tasks in one neatly summarized view. Use the table view to see all the tasks related to a specific folder plus start and due dates and the expected duration of each task. It also shows key stats such as the number of tasks needed for the project as well as who the tasks are assigned to for approval and completion. If changes need to be made to a task list, drag and drop them to make it easier to organize and re-prioritize action items as needed. They will then automatically be reflected in your team's workspace. You can also make changes on the go with the Wrike mobile app, which updates the information across all devices and accounts in real-time. As you hit goals and mark your tasks as complete in Wrike, the green progress bar will appear on the objective parent task until the goal is reached. Reflect on and evaluate your progress Your team's work shouldn't end when you check the Complete box. Instead, the work you’ve done on one goal should be used to inform the rest. Create a folder in Wrike where you can collect all the lessons you've learned so far, and share them with your team. In addition to noting your observations manually, Wrike offers reports that make it easy to see your project outcome from every angle. Use Wrike Custom Fields to see which team or project supports each objective. These fields can then be used to generate insightful data that show how those goals impact the overall project or task's success. This is also a great time to grade your teamwide and individual project OKRs. At the end of the quarter or year, ask everyone to come together and share their grades while explaining their key takeaways. Over time, teams will learn more about how they work individually and together, which will go a long way towards future collaborations. Why is Wrike the best goal-setting software for managers? With features such as visual goal timelines, OKR templates, and customizable workflows, Wrike is the best goal-setting software for managers and team leaders who want to successfully achieve what they’ve set out to do. Ready to transform your team into a goal-getting machine? Get started and improve your success rates today by signing up for a free trial of Wrike.
A Cure for Procrastination—Don't Wait! (Work Management Roundup)
It's Friday! Time for the weekly Work Management Roundup, where we pull together recently published articles on productivity, work, and killer strategies to level up your awesomeness. Without further ado, here are this week's suggestions: Tutorials You Need to Read How to Cure Procrastination by Harnessing Temptations (Fast Company): By bundling an indulgent behavior with a productive behavior you can have your cake, and submit that report on time, too. It's backed by research from the Wharton School at UPenn. How to Write a Damn Good Email (Medium): An awesome tutorial on setting up a professional-looking email address and writing emails that get you a response, whether it's about a job, or you're pitching your guest blog post. Also, a reminder that a cool resume alone won't get you a job — a relationship does. How to Use Brain Dumps to Free Your Brain's Hidden Productivity Powers (Fast Company): Your brain was meant to solve problems, not hold endless lists of data, reminders, and to-do items. Here's how doing a brain dump can jumpstart creativity and make you more productive. How to Do a 30-Second Exercise That Will Improve Your Posture (James Clear): It's called the Thoracic Bridge. It's designed for people who stare at a screen all day, and it will immediately make your back, shoulders, and hips feel better without needing any equipment. Facts You May Not Know Americans Use Electronic Media 11+ Hours a Day (Statista): Did you know? According to Nielsen's Total Audience Report, Americans aged 18 and older spend more than 11 hours a day watching TV, listening to the radio, or using smartphones and other electronic devices. Maybe it's time to scale back? The No. 1 Predictor of Career Success According to Network Science (Medium): According to multiple research studies, simply being in an open network instead of a closed one is the best predictor of career success. More Work Management Must-Reads: Use These 4 Tools for Entrepreneurs to Improve Your Business (Susan Gilbert) Rookie Designer Podcast #145 – On Procrastination (Rookie Designer) 15 Free (and Almost Free) Tools Freelancers Need to be Using (Responsive Design Blog) What's Something I Can Do Right Now to Increase My Productivity? (Quora) 33 Websites That Will Make You a Genius (Medium) How to Make Stress Work in Your Favor (Fast Company) The Tools We Use for Transparency (SumAll) Think You're a Workaholic? Take This Quiz (TheMuse) Follow "Productivity Works!" on Flipboard Are you a Flipboard user? Then you need to follow our Productivity Works! magazine. We update daily with links to productivity-enhancing articles.
5 Biggest Time Wasters Leading to Startup Failure (Infographic)
Startup success isn't just about the perfect product. Now the emphasis is on speed: faster ideation, faster iterations, faster time to market. Startups are even told to "fail fast." But where do successful startups invest their precious time? And what are the costliest time management mistakes? Here are the top 5 time wasters to avoid. Failed startups... Wait too long to pivot. Companies that change their roadmap to meet customer demand are 52% less likely to scale prematurely. (In other words, they don't scale up without making sure there's sufficient demand for their product.) Spend too much time on product development. Failed startups focus too much time on their baby (the product) and don't dedicate enough time to customer development or evaluating market demand. Don't dedicate time to valuable business connections. 16% of failed startups cite a lack of networking and significant business relationships as a direct contributor to their downfall. Waste time getting their product to market. Delays in launching a product, or waiting to launch in order to incorporate non-essential features, was the root cause of failure in 20% of startups. Spend too much time at the office. 12.5% of startups say grueling work hours and burnout ultimately led to business failure. Want to know the other fatal poisons for startups? Check out the complete infographic for details on costly money mistakes and prioritization disasters. Source: Focus Your turn: What do you think is the #1 factor in startup failure? Share your thoughts in the comments!
6 Simple Workplace Productivity Tips (Video)
If you're feeling burned out, low on energy and ideas, and your to-do list is taunting you, then it's time to take action to get your productivity back. Watch this video for 6 very simple, no-sweat life hacks that will recharge your mind and morale. Why These Productivity Tips Work Here's the science behind these tips: 1. Sitting by a window keeps you focused 15% longer It's all about getting some sun! A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory reveals that people exposed to natural light experience an increase in energy, creativity, and productivity. People working in natural light keep at it 15% longer than the average worker under artificial light. Everyone needs a window seat! 2. Indoor plants improve creativity and health According to a 2013 study, indoor plants improve creativity by 45%, also sharpening focus and concentration. Even better: they reduce fatigue, coughs, and sore throats by more than 30%, according to the University of Agriculture in Norway. 3. Looking at photos of nature sharpens focus by 20% A study at the University of Michigan showed that looking at photos of nature, improves memory and attention scores by about 20% — that's not the case when viewing urban photos. 4. Eliminating browser tabs cuts down on distraction Can't stay on task with (2) new notifications staring at you from your email tab? Use a browser add-on or extension that forces you to focus on one tab at a time, such as TabZolo. You'll eliminate the temptation to check those distracting notifications. 5. Going for walks can lessen fatigue According to research from the University of Edinburgh, going for walks when you're tired — especially in places where there are lots of plants — can decrease brain fatigue, frustration, and give you a boost of much-needed energy. 6. Listening to ambient music or white noise increases focus by 35% You already know that putting on headphones blocks out extra office noise. But when you make your music choices, remember that listening to ambient music or white/pink noise at low levels has been shown to improve your focus by 35%. Need More Productivity Tips? For a mega-list of ways to increase focus and engage your creative brain, look at our list of 44 productivity hacks.
Daily Writing Habits to Boost Productivity—Even If You're Not a Writer
Even if you don't consider yourself much of a writer, you'd be surprised at how much the act of jotting your thoughts down on paper can help you get more done every day. Getting into a daily writing habit has multiple benefits: putting your goals down in writing makes you more likely to achieve them, it improves the clarity and focus of your ideas, and it declutters your mind so you can think and solve problems more effectively. Plus, a daily writing habit can help you get into a productive mental flow. Here are a few useful tips and tools to help you get started. Write fiction in the morning to shake up new ideas Even if you've never tried writing fiction before, try writing a short story in the morning, before you do anything else — even if it's silly. Making yourself think creatively helps open your mind up to more imaginative ideas and increases your creativity. Record your thoughts in a diary Keeping a diary isn't just for teenagers; it's a great way to reflect on and analyze your day. What went well, and what could you have done differently? What do you hope to accomplish tomorrow? You'll soon uncover patterns, reinforce good habits, and find ways to improve how you go about your everyday work. Send postcards to people you're close to Don't save postcards for holidays. Sending them regularly to loved ones helps you express yourself and nurture your personal relationships, resulting in a healthier mindset, improving your overall health, and boosting happiness (which in turn leads to greater productivity). Write academic papers You may cringe at the thought of returning to the days of thesis statements and transitional sentences. But writing academic essays helps develop your critical thinking skills, forces you to consider and balance arguments for and against a topic, and encourages you to think more deeply about complex topics. Plus, it'll hone your research skills. Create jokes and funny stories Making yourself think creatively in this manner is great for your productivity, as you're practicing using your brain in ways you're not used to, and you're developing new skills as you do so. As an added bonus, you'll soon be the life of the party, as you'll have a whole host of funny stories with which to regale your friends. How to get started? All you really need is a pen and paper, or even the Notes app on your phone. But if you're looking to further hone your writing skills and start making it an everyday habit, give these recommended resources a try: Zen Pen: Sitting down to write is one thing, but avoiding distractions is another. Zen Pen is an app that offers a clean, distraction-free way to focus on getting your thoughts on paper. ProWritingAid: This online app/service shows the grammatical and spelling errors in your writing, and provides suggested edits— so you can focus on getting your ideas down without worrying about typos. BoomEssays: If you're publishing your thoughts as blog posts online, you'll want your writing to be error-free. This service provides assistance and advice. And check out their writing blog for new skills and ideas. Hemingway App: This online editing app highlights run-on and complex sentences, keeping your writing bold and concise (just as Hemingway would want it). Wrike: Store and organize all your writing and ideas as tasks, and then share selected them with friends or colleagues to collaborate. They'll be able to leave comments on the entire work, or highlight specific sentences/paragraphs for editing. Start Your Daily Writing Habit for Greater Productivity Ready to give a daily writing habit a shot? Try these tips and tools, and you'll see your productivity start to soar. Who knows, you may even discover that you're a natural with the written word! Author Bio: Gloria Kopp is a web content writer and elearning consultant from Manville City. After graduating from the University of Wyoming, she started a career in creative writing and is currently working as a part-time editor and writer at Essayroo writing service. She has also recently launched her Studydemic educational blog.
Crank up Your Work Volume with Music in the Workplace
As conventional workplace barriers continue to break down in favor of open, exposed spaces, music is proving to be an effective tool to boost focus and improve productivity in the workplace. We asked academics at the forefront of psychology to weigh in on the positive effects of music on productivity in the workplace.
20 Ways to Build a Happy & More Productive Workforce (Infographic)
Studies report that happy workers are 31% more productive, with up to 37% higher sales and three times the creativity as the rest of your workforce (Harvard Business Review). Isn't that enough incentive to keep your people happy as they spend upwards of eight hours a day contributing to your bottom line? The infographic below shows 13 ways to make your workforce smile. Then keep reading for a list of 7 more ways to help your people grow and prosper in their work. Use this code to embed the infographic on your blog: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Bonus: 7 Ways to Focus on Your People's Needs 1. Listen to Feedback and Show Action When you ask for feedback, listen. Show that you are acting on suggestions. Knowing that management is listening and taking feedback seriously increases the general positive vibe in your organization. 2. Give Them a Chance to Grow You will lose people if they fear their jobs are dead ends. It's important to give everyone clear career paths and opportunities for ongoing education, online classes, webinar attendance, industry events, etc. 3. Support Remote Work & Flexible Schedules If you really want to attract top performers, you must allow for flexible schedules and remote work. This means you need an online system to track work (like Wrike!), and a protocol for communicating with remote workers so that projects run smoothly. 4. Give People Their Choice of Supplies & Tools Don't skimp on supplies, and give your people their choice of tools, whether it's Mac vs. Windows, a standing desk, floor mat, or dual monitors. Allowing them to pick their tools helps them be more productive right away, and they'll love working on a machine they picked themselves. 5. Give Them Unlimited PTO You're hiring intelligent, capable adults, right? Then allow them to take time off without having to jump through a bunch of hoops. Unlimited PTO is prevalent in startup companies, particularly in the tech industry. But even non-startups have switched to unlimited PTO precisely because it creates a massive amount of good will. 6. Give Them Top-Tier Benefits You won't attract and retain star performers with meager benefits packages unless you're a struggling startup with a killer product and vision that everyone's sure will make it big. The quality of your benefits shows how much you value your people. Make them as substantial as possible! 7. Give Them Unlimited Coffee (and Snacks) Coffee and snacks are probably the simplest way to please your team. But please try giving them good coffee and healthy snacks, okay? What Would Make You Happy? If you have better suggestions on perks that would please you or your team, hit the comments and tell us more!
The Top 7 Productivity Roadblocks That Crush Designers' Creativity
We asked our own team of designers as well as design experts on social media what they consider to be the top productivity roadblocks, and present them here alongside some solutions and advice for getting past these challenges.
What's the Best Music To Work To? (Work Management Roundup)
It's Friday the 7th! Time for this week's edition of the Work Management Roundup where you can grab the latest links to articles on getting work done efficiently and improving yourself. As always, you can browse these links in the accompanying Flipboard magazine: The Work Management Roundup What to Listen to While Working (Medium): Does listening to instrumental music really help you get work done? How about coffee house ambience? Here are some guidelines on what to listen to if you want to be productive, backed by science. Get Your Computer to Announce the Time (The Next Web): This hack is really simple: get your Mac computer to speak the time every 30 minutes. It will force you to readjust priorities if you're taking too long to finish a task and keep you from wasting time. Windows users can join the fun too. The 10x Rule Tool I Use to Organize My Life (MACangel): Entrepreneur Marni Melrose explains how she organizes her high level goals and projects using GTD (Getting Things Done) and Wrike. 6 Organizational Culture Examples Worth Following (EnPlug): These six companies may differ in size, location, and mission, but they all have corporate cultures that are worth emulating. 5 Simple Phrases That Will Make You a Better Manager (GetLighthouse): While it's true that leadership is more about what you do than what you say, your words can go a long way in motivating your team. Here are 5 simple phrases that will help you lead any group. How to Read More (Unlimited Mastery): Why reading is important, and some solid tips on how to read more even when our schedules are constantly filled to the brim. More Work Management Must-Reads: 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a New Job (Fast Company) 5 Ways to Manage an Outsourced Team on a Startup Budget (Entrepreneur) TV Legend Explains How He Beat Writer's Block (FastCo.Create) Working Remotely Isn't Always a Dream (Medium) How to Turn Any Website into a Desktop App (Cloud-Coach.net) Top Tools for Project Managers (Raconteur) Follow "Productivity Works!" on Flipboard If you're a Flipboard user, follow our Productivity Works! magazine for daily links to more articles on productivity and efficiency. IMAGE CREDITS: Jeff Sheldon of Unsplash.
10 Ways to Make Your Team More Productive (Infographic)
Some days are just harder than others. It's the end of a week, or the day after a holiday, or there was yet another office birthday. (Cake-coma, anyone?) When your team is having a hard time focusing on their work, don't just sigh and hope things will change soon. You can actively help them jump back on the productivity boat with top-down productivity management. Check out the tips in this infographic and get your team moving today. And if you're always looking for more tips to help boost team performance, check out 11 additional ways you can increase team productivity. Share this infographic with your team, or embed it on your blog with this code: Infographic brought to you by Wrike
Problem-Solving Tools to Help Your Business Increase Productivity
Keeping your team and projects on track can be difficult without the proper tools to make sure your workflow is streamlined and moving along. Check out our list of quality problem-solving tools and techniques that'll address some common team roadblocks and increase productivity in your business.
8 Tips to Fight the Summer Productivity Slump (Infographic)
Vacations, weddings, long weekends camping.... with so many wonderful distractions, the last thing you want is to be stuck under your office's fluorescent lights instead of gorgeous oceanside sunlight. Unfortunately, unless your managers are just as distracted as you are, you still need to get stuff done between June and August. So if you find yourself staring longingly out the window while you're at work, try a few of these tips to be productive during the week so you can kick back and fully enjoy the rest of these wonderful summer weekends. Want to share this infographic? Pin it for later, or embed it on your blog with this code: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Read More Productivity Tips Right Here! Check out Wrike's collection of strategies and tricks for self-motivation, prioritizing your to-do list, banishing procrastination, and getting more done in less time.