Archive for productivity
Seven Ways To Use Skype in Your Business
Posted by: | CommentsTable of contents for How to Use Skype
- Seven Ways To Use Skype in Your Business
Skype is a free service (with some paid upgrades) that lets you make voice and video calls over the internet. For many people, this
free service is attractive because if you are in North America and have family or friends overseas, this can save you a lot of money.
However, if you run a business, long distance is often just the cost of doing business. I don’t really see the point of cheaping out when you have a business. Phone (even long distance) is essential.
On the other hand, free long distance isn’t the only reason to use this service. Many people laugh when they hear this, but the people I Skype with most often are local. In fact, one of them is only a 15 minute walk from my home office.
So why do we Skype?
We use it as an Read More→
Tips For Effective Time Management
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the greatest challenges many people face in business and in their personal lives is that there never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything they need to do, let alone finding time for things they want to do! They look with envy at those who are able to successfully fit work, family, personal, and other activities into their lives. The reality is that we all have the same 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year – it’s how we choose to spend that time that makes all the difference.
In order to develop a time management system that will be effective for you, it’s helpful to start with some formal or informal assessments to help you compare the way you are currently living your life with the way you would like it to be. Identify the obstacles that are preventing you from managing your time effectively. Become aware of your biological rhythms to determine what type of activity you do best in the morning, afternoon, evening, and late at night. Explore your personality type preferences, and the way they affect the way you perceive and deal with time.
Depending on your specific challenges, some of the following strategies may help Read More→
Can An Entrepreneur Ever Really Take a Vacation?
Posted by: | CommentsI was chatting with my accountability partner on Monday. We were both coming off a week where we got little done. And neither of us felt particularly guilty or frustrated.
As Helene said, “We Canadians have such a short time with good weather we need to take advantage of it.”
It’s not just Canadians. All small business owners need to give themselves permission to have some down time. I know I tend to be a bit of a work-a-holic. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you’ve seen me write about going two or three days without even leaving the house!
Even when I leave my home office I don’t always stop working. I have a habit of taking my laptop with me when I want to watch the Jays game or a movie and checking email, reading other people’s blogs or catching up with social media.
Now I’m all for multitasking. I do it all the time. But there comes a time when Read More→
Productivity – do it now!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’ve been reading The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur for a while, you know I struggle with organization and productivity. I had a small brainwave yesterday that I thought I would share.
When my desk is cluttered or my inbox is full of messages I’ve read but haven’t dealt with, there is a simple reason for it. The paper or electronic clutter is a result of “I’ll do it later” thoughts. If it’s something I have to do, but not urgent and not time consuming I’ll leave it on my desk or in my inbox as a reminder to do it later. After all, it will only take a minute.
The problem is, when later comes, I have a pile of stuff to do and it’s hard to know where to start.
So my new motto is “do it now”. If something will only take a minute or two to complete, “do it now”. I only check my email three or four times a day. If it’s time to check my email, it’s time to respond. Then I’ll either delete it or file it – anything to keep my inbox empty.
If I’ve got a paper in my hand and whatever the task is will only take a few minutes, “do it now”. If it needs filing … you got it.
I don’t know how this new motto will serve me, but I suspect I’ll have less clutter and get more done.
Andrea J. Stenberg
Reduced Productivity – A Natural Part of Aging or Misplaced Priorities?
Posted by: | CommentsI was complaining to a colleague that I’m not getting as much done as I’d like. I set goals and create to do lists. I’m working hard but I’m just not getting everything done. And it’s making me frustrated.
I told her I don’t know if I’m just not being productive or if I’m expecting too much of myself. My colleague agreed, saying she wonders if maybe we’re just slowing down as we age. We don’t have the energy we had in our twenties and thirties and our memory isn’t as good. Maybe it’s just taking us longer to do things – longer to make decisions, come up with ideas and get things done. What a depressing thought.
I spent some time mulling over this question of productivity and efficiency. I don’t want to just accept the status quo. There’s got to be something I can do to solve the problem. The conclusion I’ve come to is that my slow production is probably all of the above, plus one more thing. Upon reflection, I realize in the last few weeks I’ve been doing too much “busy-work”.
I’m keeping busy, doing tasks but I’m not working on high priority items. If someone poked their head into my office I’d look like I’m working hard, but I’m not working on the important tasks, tasks that will move me closer to my goals. It’s time for a course adjustment.
This is the first week in June – two thirds of the way through the second quarter of 2008. When I look at my goals for this quarter I see that I’m doing well on some goals but am falling way short of many others. I’m behind on some of these goals mainly because I haven’t given them enough attention. I’ve been working on projects that weren’t on my original plans and allowed some other people’s priorities take precedence.
Clearly I need to reprioritize. As soon as I finish writing this post I’m going to review my plans for this quarter and pare them down to the most important for achieving my long term goals. Then I’m going to block a chunk of time each day for working solely on these goals.
Hopefully this course correction will help me get more accomplished. I can’t do anything about aging and any natural slowing down that accompanies it. But by focusing on the high priority items and creating blocks of time for these items, I should be able to get a lot more done. It’s a cliché but it’s time to work smarter, not harder.
Andrea J. Stenberg
If you’ve struggled with your productivity, please leave a comment and share your thoughts.
