The next and final step (step No. 4) towards increased productivity is to aim to ensure that our new productivity process is sustainable and doesn’t quickly fizzle out. So often, we get excited about a new process but lack the tools, commitment and/or mindset to see it to completion and long-term integration.

The goal of this post is to empower you to keep going in the face of expected setbacks and maintain the requisite level of well-being required for succeeding over the long haul.

The five components of this step are:

Decline/question as many non-critical meetings and tasks as possible; learn to say no
Focus on excellence, not perfection
Break often but briefly
Self-care (sharpen saw) -- sleep, exercise, nutrition
Use your commute wisely; read often

7 Action Steps to Pass Your Time Productively

Has your industry been deeply impacted by COVID19, such as education, travel, tourism, or event sales?

Are you stuck at home with little to do while you wait for the other coronavirus shoe to drop?

Many of us are experiencing unprecedented levels of disruption to our personal and professional lives.

We fear for our futures and wonder what we can do to make the best use of our time and position ourselves for immediate success as soon as the storm passes.

Here are some strategies for what to do with your newfound time:

Work on that neglected project – We all have things that we’ve wanted to do FOREVER, such as write that book, build that webpage, organize that event, whatever it is. Use the newfound time at your disposal to do that thing as if it was your actual job. Schedule it with meaningful time blocks and pursue it as if you have a deadline. Divide the job into chunks (such as X number of words typed per day) and stay focused on your goal until it is achieved. Click here for more about setting SMART goals that convert.

How to stay productive with the kids home

My wife and I got an email late Thursday night that our kids’ schools were closing for Friday and all of this week at the minimum.

So, how will we stay productive with the kids home?

And, of course, we are not alone.

As COVID19 becomes more and more disruptive, many working parents, particularly those with young kids and without regular domestic help, are dealing with the added challenge of managing their workloads while providing proper care for their children.

Here are some strategies that can help working parents get through this trying period while still getting things done.

A Season of Rapid Reversals (A Purim message)

The recent coronavirus-driven turmoil on Wall Street has left many investors holding their collective breath. Following years of steady gains, we witnessed a loss of 5000 points on the Dow Jones in just a few days, which put the market well into correction territory (with a bear market within our sights,) and sent investors scurrying for cover and bemoaning their fate.

As I was contemplating this current, drastic change from security and prosperity to (hopefully temporary) shock and disillusionment, it brought to mind the crazy, roller-coaster-type scenario which stared down at the Jews of Persia nearly 2400 years ago.

You’re Better Than You Think: Tips to Overcome Imposter Syndrome at Work

Debbie has been lucky. Or so she thinks. How else can she explain her many successes and promotions at work? It certainly doesn’t have anything to her hard work and skill development, or the relationships that she’s carefully built over the years, does it?

Of course, it does. But you’d be shocked to learn how many Debbies are out there, ascribing their successes to good fortune and their failures to their self-perception of inadequacy. Each raise, promotion or accolade is accompanied by the dread that, one day, their cover will be blown, and everyone will find out that they’ve just been getting lucky time and again.

What Debbie and many others suffer from is an unhealthy dose of impostor syndrome. Impostor syndrome occurs when you believe your inner critic when it tells you that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications.

Becoming the New Sales Boss

New sales leaders face a unique challenge. They rise from the ranks of top salespeople — the ones making the sales — to then be the one who must coach others to close more sales. They also pivot from being part of a group — often having five to 50 peers — to a more rarified air with fewer peers and no same-level colleagues to lean on.

Often, this shift occurs with little-to-no formal training, with the only insight on proper protocol being that which the previous leader did or failed to do. From metrics to staffing to accountability, the upwards move to sales leader is unlike anything these sales professionals have ever done.

You say it, but do they understand it?

Yesterday, as I was getting my skis 🎿 on, an instructor tells me "TGIF!"

But he didn't mean THAT #tgif.

He was telling me, "Toes Go In First." 💡

But that wasn't what I heard.

And for a Sunday, his #fridaytalk sounded strange.

Doing For Maximal Productivity

It is critical that you go all in on specific tasks and avoid multitasking like the plague. Multitasking has become popular with those who see it as a way to kill multiple birds simultaneously. For example, we try to return calls or listen to messages while reviewing and editing reports. Research has clearly shown that not only do you get less done than you might think, the divergence of mental focus will often lead to poorer job performance and a feeling from others that you’re not sufficiently focused.

To help my clients address this important issue, I have divided the path to increased productivity into 5 steps:

Sharing For Maximal Productivity

Workplace productivity is a huge challenge for nearly every company, business and organization. Leaders struggle to get their own work done (and do the RIGHT work,) while also guiding, empowering and motivating their people to achieve maximal productivity. While the projections vary, estimates suggest that businesses worldwide lose hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars annually due to underproduction.

To help my clients address this important issue, I have divided the path to increased productivity into 5 steps:

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