When you have a lot of work to do, a short attention span can be disastrous to your productivity. So instead of fighting it, you can use it to your advantage by working in “sprints” rather than trying for a marathon session. Source: LIFEHACKER Like the Pomodoro technique, the sprints method has you work in a series of shorter bursts, so you can get your tasks done without your attention or productivity lagging. Here’s how to try it out.. What is the sprints method? When using the sprints method, you’ll be doing short bursts of work with breaks in between. That’s really all it is, but since taking breaks is fundamental to […]
Follow these four strategies to get more rest and increase your productivity. Every night, millions of people are faced with the battle of falling asleep-and staying asleep. And until about six months ago I was one of those millions. Before finally learning how to fall asleep faster, sleep was a nightly battle that made my day to day life something of a nightmare. It’s no secret that sleep plays a critical role in our overall health-and lives. It impacts our daily lives and the longevity of our lives. From our energy levels, attention span, critical thinking skills, productivity, creativity and even our ability to procreate-sleep affects our personal lives, our […]
You aren’t alone if you’ve ever felt like you needed a vacation from your vacation. I’ve found 6 strategies to help you push past that post-vacation dread and get you back on track. Source: Inc You finally took a break from work and went on a well-deserved vacation. Days or weeks of relaxation, foreign foods, and a comfy hotel bed have you wishing that it would never end. But, going back to work is inevitable. That thought alone makes your stomach churn. No one wants to think about emails, deadlines, and managing finances or meetings after an amazing holiday. I know I don’t. However, it can’t be avoided, especially if you want to […]
Employee burnout is a real problem affecting many modern workplaces. Learn why sending after-hours emails can contribute to employee burnout and what you can do about it. Source: Discover Many American workers have heard that familiar ding just as they sit down to dinner or plop in front of the television. A glance at their smartphone shows a preview of a work-related message. A co-worker has a “quick question” or is “just circling back” to an earlier discussion. Technically, the worker is off the clock and not required to respond. But people admit to engaging in email during their off time. Twenty-eight percent of American workers said they check their […]
There’s a crisis developing in workplaces everywhere. According to an annual survey by Gallup, employee engagement dropped to a seven-year low in 2022. Only a third of workers reported feeling engaged at work, while almost a fifth (18%) described themselves as “actively disengaged.” Source: Forbes Gallup’s measure of engagement is made up of several elements, which employees are asked to rate. Those that have declined the most include: clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, connection to the purpose of the company, opportunities to do what employees do best, and feeling cared about at work. Employee engagement began to fall in 2021, the same year the “great resignation” was coined as […]
Reading fiction doesn’t just boost emotional intelligence, concentration, and critical thinking. It also helps prevent memory loss. If you’re a busy entrepreneur, sitting down with a novel might seem like nothing more than a light and enjoyable way to unwind. But science suggests fiction offers our brains a lot more than just distraction and stress relief. Source: Inc Research suggests that deep, concentrated reading–the kind we do when we sink deeply into a great novel–builds key mental skills like focus and empathy as well as the ability to sift through complicated information and analyze conflicting arguments. Reading doesn’t just fill our brains with images and ideas. It actually rewires how we think about them. All of which adds up […]
True intelligence extends beyond the acquisition of knowledge. Conventional wisdom may point to smart people with advanced cognition, creativity, or high IQ. Still, if you ever wondered whether you belong with the brainy bunch, these four signs may confirm what you already know. For others, it may be a pleasant surprise that you are, indeed, smarter than the average bear. Source: Inc 1. You’re highly curious Harvard Business Review reports that people with a higher curiosity quotient (CQ) are more inquisitive and generate more original ideas, and that this thinking style leads to higher levels of knowledge acquisition over time. CQ, the author states, “is the ultimate tool to produce simple solutions for complex problems.” Now imagine a corporate […]
Workers seem to love remote work. Too bad it may be killing them. On the one hand, it rescued many from pointless commutes, helped them to crank up productivity, and gave them a new form of work-life balance. On the other hand, it led to some hunching over laptops on the couch for long stretches, damaging their physical health, mental health, and sometimes even relationships. Source Welcome to the “It’s complicated” love affair between employees and remote work. Like many complicated relationships, this one kicked off with a bang. Overnight, the proportion of the US population working from home increased from about 15% to upwards of 60%, according to research published by Queen’s University in Ontario, […]
Whether you’re working from home, or in a corporate office, the one thing that’s pretty much consistent in both these scenarios is a desk! A desk is probably one of the most important pieces of furniture in our modern lives, only because we spend the majority of our day on it. You may be typing away to glory, munching away on a snack, or simply fidgeting with a random object – you do end up spending hours on your desk. And hence, it’s really important that your desk be neat, tidy, and uncluttered. Not only will this improve your work routine and productivity, but it will also help you maintain […]
How to prioritize employee mental health from the top down. Now that we’ve passed the three-year mark of the pandemic, it’s clear that employee mental health and well-being have been significantly strained — and by extension, so have American workplaces. At the height of quarantine, businesses enthusiastically implemented initiatives that assisted their employees in these areas, but in some instances, those programs seem to have fallen by the wayside in a rush to return to “normal.” Source: Inc However, some businesses have continued with these pandemic-motivated programs and are continuing to see much success. In a recent episode of my top-ranked podcast, Keith Nealon, CEO of Bazaarvoice, the product review and user-generated content solutions provider, shared […]