6 Ways to Increase Productivity Factor
Some days it could be overwhelming to stare at the stack of papers needed to be processed or project folders sitting at your desk “screaming” at you. It doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to tackle these tasks. Soon, you start jumping from one reactive behavior to the next one, from one interruption to an email. This takes your concentration away throughout the day making it difficult for you to complete projects and therefore decreasing your productivity factor.
What can you do to complete everything on your plate?
Taking a vacation or the day off is tempting but it will lead to more procrastination.
One solution is to identify and adopt new habit to increase productivity factor. Consider the following six new effective habits.
Know what to do first
Don’t spend time staring at your things to do or how many emails you have received. Spend 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of your day organizing your work in batches. This is a simple and effective way to increase productivity. Once you have grouped your tasks, prioritize and identify the most important projects.
Divide and Conquer
It could be overwhelming to take over a complicated assignment. Break you work to smaller manageable tasks first. Look at what tasks are the essential ones and try to eliminate tasks that perhaps are unnecessary. Then integrate other tasks into main tasks and set a dateline. This forces you to avoid procrastination and create a sense of accomplishment each time you reach a milestone while working towards your goal.
Working at the right time
There are morning and night people out there. A recent survey indicates that 57 percent of executives are more productive on Tuesdays. Schedule the most important tasks and/or projects for days and times when you can have the highest productivity factor. For example; if you are a morning person don’t allow any interruptions during the first part of your morning. Focus and use this productive time to your advantage. Focus and concentrate until these small tasks have been completed during the early morning.
Use Email efficiently
Constantly going through an ever expanding inbox full of unorganized email can become a time consuming task. Instead of checking email constantly, turn off the reactive behavior by checking emails twice or three times per day. Use your inbox as a process tray. Create an archive folder that you will use to move emails you have dealt with. In your inbox, keep emails that need to be processed or need a response from a coworker before you can reply back.
Always think in bulk and anticipate your recipient’s answers. For example, if you receive three different emails from different coworkers that are involved in the same project, wait until most related emails have arrive (usually during the afternoon) and write one email directing each person into what to do. Have sections separated be the parties and sub parties involved that include actions to take for any possible questions and provide with anticipated answers.
Remember that sometimes is faster and better to pick up the phone for certain activities such as coordinating complex activities. The less email you send, the less you are apt to receive.
Close your door
Set boundaries whenever it comes to give access to coworkers. Establish office hours at your cubicle or office to avoid interruptions. This is especially important when you are under a tight deadline or working on an assignment. If necessary, you could hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign in you cubicle.
Get Fresh Air
Recharge and clear your head by taking short breaks throughout the day. Changing the scene of your cubicle and moving around can be invigorating from your routine and helps you get the energy necessary to tackle the next task.
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Benefits of Mounting your Flat Panel Monitor
Un-cluttering your cubicle working surface area for maximum productivity should begin with the removal of those elements that are not necessary. If you want to go the extra mile, mounting your flat panel monitor will be the next step, leaving you with more desk space.
Some cubicles have limited working surface. On top of this, your keyboard and monitor might take some of that working surface area you rather use for hand writing, reading and filling out paperwork. This makes you feel even more claustrophobic about working in this already uncomfortable environment.
Save desktop space and improve computing comfort! Mount your “Zero Footprint” Flat Panel Monitor weighing up to 20 lbs on your wall.
Features and Benefits
- Saves space by hanging zero-footprint flat panel monitor from the wall
- Use with Flat Panel Cubicle Hanger to hang two 17″ or three 15″ displays (depending on the manufacturer and model)
- Rotates monitor from landscape to portrait for more viewing flexibility
- Four-way, 90-degree tilt positions display for improved comfort and reduced glare
- Tilts 90º in all directions and rotates from landscape to portrait position.
This wall mount is great for the price. It extends about half a foot from the wall and tilts in every direction.
I use this LCD wall mounted to help me keep my back and neck straight throughout the day. To accomplish this, once installed raise the flat screen so your eyes are horizontally aligned with the center of the flat screen.
Why Cubicle Life feels like a Prison and How to Fix it
You are sitting in your cubicle and begin to get a little claustrophobic. The background noise and interruptions are making that seventh hour, a really slow one.
Why do we feel uneasy and might even hate our cubicles, managers, jobs, chairs, and co-workers?
Well, it all started several thousand years ago.
In his book [1] Brain Rules
Brain rules might also explain why cubicle life feels like one in prison. Starting with spending 40 hours per week in a 10’ x 10’ cell with half an hour break and no windows, here is an inside of what does our brain “think” of this environment and why. No wonder its inventor, Robert Propst, lamented his unwitting contribution, before he died in 2000, to what he called “monolithic insanity.”
Run Brain, Run!
Medina says we think better in motion. Brain rule No. 1 suggests that people might be more productive if they spent some of the working day (separate from the gym) on treadmills.
Our brain adapted and evolved as a result of constantly being on unstable outdoor environment, and to do so in nearly constant motion trying to survive prehistoric, and dangerous, environment for thousand of years. We learned as we go. Just recently, we were thrown into cubicles.
People that work out outperform couch potatoes in long-term memory, reasoning, attention, problem-solving tasks, and more. - Says Medina
Hammocks Room
In most Latin American countries, and cities in Spain, people go home for two or three hour lunch and nap breaks. This makes sense and agrees with rule No. 7. Sleep well, think well.
You need adequate sleep, because that’s when the brain processes the day’s learning. People should be encouraged to nap at work during the midday hours. I could use a nap in a hammock every now and then.
Meetings, the real reason why less is more
Dr. Medina explains in Rule 4 that we don’t pay attention to boring things. Anyone with me here; meetings are boring. Nowadays, with the invention of concurrent calendars like Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar and email and think we can pretty get rid of this “ceremonial” gathering so our boss can self validate his existence and use this time more productively.
Stressed brains don’t learn the same way. Rule 8
In prison you must deal with sadistic wardens. At work they are called managers. Cross that; I would call them micromanagers, control freaks, people with poor hiring skills and/or nothing to do.
People are routinely put under stress at work, yet studies have proved it to be counterproductive and costly. Medina writes: “Stress attacks the immune system, increasing employees’ chances of getting sick. Stress elevates blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and autoimmune diseases.” That increases absenteeism and health care and pension costs.
How to Fix this Square Mess
Dr. Median proposes a redesign of the cubicle that includes laptops on top of treadmills in front of full size windows to the outdoors. I would try to eliminate the whole thing all together - eliminate before managing. Here is why;
The most productive people have developed ways to work outside offices, not in them. People are escaping their cubicles and becoming more productive (There is a new concept called ROWE. Join cubicle hacks by sending an email to cubiclehacks@aweber if you want to learn more about ROWE.
Where do this happier and more productive people work at? There are two new working spaces rising up from the creation of the internet and laptops; homes and coffee shops.
Other (Sad and Funny) Reasons
I found more reasons why cubicle life feels like prison and why cube people scream; “I hate my cubicle”;
- In prison the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you. At work you must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself.
- In prison you can watch TV and play games. At work you could get fired for watching TV and playing games.
- In prison you get your own toilet. At work you have to share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat.
References
[1] Brain Rules . 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
A Cubicle Cartoon Character
Pointless emails, lack of interest in learning coworker’s names, frustrations with interruptions and the perpetual wish of escaping the cubicle are topics portrayed in mylifeinacube.com site by Shane Johnson.
I can easily identify with the main character of this beautifully, yet minimalist, website. Most of Shane’s daily reflections have somehow happened, in one way or another, to us; the cubicle people.
Design
This blog has a very simple look. It has a minimalist and clear look; is free of cluttered advertising, not flashing graphics, it doesn’t have interactive ads, or pop ups. It is obvious that the center and main reason for this blog is the main character, Shane.
Focus
I like the idea of connecting right away with the character and not been distracted by other blog’s design features. Shane seems to know that cubicle people want to get in, laugh, and get out. We already enough cluttered in our cubicles and computer desktops.
Content
Shane uses different office media as canvas of this cubicle art. Media such as;
- Felt tip markers and fast food napkins
- Yellow notepad
- No. 2 and No. 1 pencils
- Pink, black and blue pens
- Water colors on corrugated cardboard
- Coffee mug stains on notebook
- Post it on envelope
- Fluorescent markers on Napkins
Readers
Shane already has several followers that read his great cartoons everyday. Because they identify so easily with its main character, their comments and reactions are very funny as well. That is the genius of this blog, one drawing and a sentence and you are hooked and motivated to make a comment, to interact and fall in love with Shane, a cubicle drone … like you.
Where can you buy this cubicle art from?
In the website’s QA section, Shane answers to a fan; “prints are now available for $25 in the US and Canada. Original art may also be purchased.”
Contact him for availability at mylifeinacube@gmail.com
If you hate your cubicle and just want to laugh and cry about your life in it, sign up for LifeInaCube RSS feed so depressing is almost funny (shane’s tagline).
- Did I mention the cartoon drawn on an M&M plastic bag? Check it out www.mylifeinacube.com
- What do you think of this type of cubicle art?
- Do you have pictures of your own cubicle art?
If you want your cubicle art to be features in CubicleHacks Gallery;
- sign up for www.flickr.com
- upload your pictures
- tag them with the word cubiclehacks
- and join our cubicle art group; www.flickr.com/groups/cubiclehacks/
Cubicle Etiquette
Do you have annoying coworkers that don’t let you go through your day being as productive as you can?
If you constantly find yourself putting off little fires around the office, jumping from one task to another, loosing concentration and always behind schedule, it might be time to cut off cubicle interruptions.
From the coffee-mug-holder coworker that suddenly pops up through the partition to talk about what his children did during the weekend to the annoying mid forties woman that laughs loudly while gossiping on the speaker phone, all are interruptions. Here are a few cubicle etiquette guidelines to minimize interruptions and be more considered to your coworkers.Keep it down
I remember having a project manager talking trash to a contractor in a loud tone. Why? She wanted to sound busy and on top of the project. Reality was, she was disorganized and never plan ahead. Many people put a lot of effort looking busy and even worst, sounding busy. Managers know better. A loud voice makes working conditions difficult for your cubicle neighbors. It makes listening to a concurrent telephone conversation difficult – I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I’m having some background noise. –
Speakers
Get rid of everything that has speakers – not everybody likes your music. Some people even find it difficult to concentrate if music that they even like is playing. Use earphones instead. The same applies to speaker phones. I still haven’t been able to figure out what is the purpose of the speakerphone. One might think this is convenient because it allows you to type and talk at the same time. Ask the person to send you an email instead, take notes, get to the point and hang up. There is really no reason for speakerphones.Good Vibrations
When at work, I always set my cellular in silent mode. I put it next to my laptop or inside my pocket. I have taught my relatives to send me text messages if they want me to call them after I’m done with work. If it is an emergency they will text me and leave a message. Most of my friends know I won’t answer the phone and very often they leave a message that I hear a few minutes later to evaluate how quickly should I call back.
Turn Down the Volume
If you receive several phone calls per day, it is annoying for your neighbors to ne listening to a loud ring the hold day. Lower the volume of your telephone ring as much as possible as a consideration to your coworkers.
Let’s get together. Conference Rooms
I have always been opposed to meetings. Eighty percent of meetings are; unnecessary ways to make someone look important and, time waster. Meetings should NEVER be held in your cubicle. Reserve conference rooms in advance for meetings with potential clients, contractors or designers.
Try to keeping meetings to a minimum items and as short as possible. Send an email with meeting agendas, Q&A, and reports in advance to attendees. Keep meetings under thirty minutes and never, ever have a cubicle meeting.
Interruptions
Quit sugar. I believe sugar plays a big role regarding interruptions. Most people can seat still and will find any excuse to walk around and interrupt someone else. Do not just pop up into someone’s cubicle just because there is no door and you just need some attention. Always consider other’s time and space. Send an email if your request can wait.
Batch requests of information – Throughout the day you will need different people’s feedback. Start creating emails at the beginning for each person. Don’t send the email until a few hours before the day is over. Keep adding, rewriting and or eliminating items you might not need to know. If it is urgent call the person and explains why it is urgent to have him/her sign a document, then stop by for the signature.
Hey You! Interruption
Weaving at someone and/or using sign language it is just pure laziness. Wait for the person to be done with the task at hand. Stop being reactive and start been proactive.
Confidential matters
Another reason to schedule meeting rooms is to keep important information confidential. The thin walls of your cubicle don’t prevent people from listening to your conversations.
Smells
Perhaps, one rule of cubicle etiquette many don’t consider is odors and smells interruptions. It is very annoying to work around people that wear to much cologne, aftershave or perfume. This strong smells can get allergic coworkers to sniff creating noise.
Don’t eat at your cubicle. Strong smelling food can off putting other coworkers.
Organization
Self promotion is a skill many cubicle people don’t consider in a working environment. Keep your cubicle clean, tidy and uncluttered. This says a lot about how much in charge you are of your work. Start by eliminating unnecessary objects and pictures. Show to other how professional you are by been organized and focused. Your desk organization is a reflection how your mind effectiveness.
How to Stop Junk Mail
Is it annoying for you to sort through all the junk mail every day? Here is what I used to do with junk mail until I discovered how to get rid of it.
1. Open overstuffed mail box and cut finger while pulling all the junk mail mixed with important mail
2. Walk into the house while sorting through the “mixed mail”
3. Find the shredder; feed the junk mail one by one into the shredder
4. Fight the shredder - aargg! - Pull the jammed paper and try again
5. Dump shredded junk mail into the recycle bin in the kitchen
6. Once recycle bin is full, tale it to the bigger recycle bin outside
7. Pay every month for the trash company to recycle shredded junk mail
Seems like a lot of work and time spent on something I don’t want to receive and something I want to get rid of.
Solution: Cut it off at the source - “Hasta la vista, junk mail”.
Here is what you have to do to free yourself from junk mail. How to stop junk mail is easier than you might think, just go to this link;
https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/proto1.php
This website allows you to remove your physical address (opt-out) from junk mail lists and other commercial lists, for example; those annoying catalogs. I’m against catalogs because most of the time those are “want items” you’ll just end up buying instead of “need items”.
There are two ways to register;
- Fill out a form online - fastest way -
- Complete a mail-in registration form. You will need to pay $1 for processing fees.
Nowadays I only check my mailbox once every two weeks. There are a few other tricks I implemented to be able to do that. Stay tuned …
Questions and Comments:
How many times a week do you check your mail box? What percentage of Junk Mail do you get?
Do you have stress? 300 Breakthrough Stress Relief Tips
How can I save money on my telephone bill?
GrandCentral is a new web app. (recently adquired by Google) that allows you to redirect all of your phone numbers (wor, cell, home, etc.) into one number. There are many features that come with your GrandCentral account (GC Features).
How can I save money with this new service? My favorite feature is the Click2Call. I use Click2Call to reduce my cell phone bill significantly and to bypass that annoying Outgoing code I have to enter everytime I need to call someone out of the state.
Let’s go through the steps about how to accomplish have a zero long distance telephone bill for your company or home.
- First, open an account with http://www.grandcentral.com/ by reserving a number. This is usually easier for those who already have a google email account. The reservation process will tell you how to get a google email account if you don’t have one. The confirmation page let’s you know there may be some areas where they won’t have coverage.
- Wait for their approved email and go through their well documented website to become familiar with the service.
- Pick a telephone number in your area code and enter your office and mobile telephone numbers in your account.
- Add a few family members and/or customer phone numbers from out-of-state into the address book.
- Now, here is the trick; use click2call feature to have grandcentral call your office telephone (incoming call) and then make the connection to your out-of-state contact.
- Voila !! You will be talking to your customer, friend or family member, no extra charge.
How is this possible? Since you are simply answering a telephone call from your service, http://www.grandcentral.com/, it is not necessary for you to enter any access code to make an outgoing telephone call.
Please share this How can I save money trick with as many of your friends and remember to refer them to these instructions.
Subscribe to this blog for more interesting office and productivity tricks (top right form of this webpage).
Hiring Practice
The hiring process is not an easy one, especially during current times of high competition for talent during a great shortage of skilled labor in the US. Managers want to make sure they find and keep the best people. Therefore, it is a collaborative job among human resources representatives, managers and work unit employees to know what is considered the best hiring practice.
Involving your workforce staff in the hiring process helps to get a good employee and one that fits the staff therefore building a stronger team. Another good practice in the hiring process is to have the manager or supervisor interview the candidate for the tasks and duties to be performed under his/her supervision. Other practices to consider during at the beginning of hiring process are;
- Make sure a resume submission process is in place
- Create flexible job requirements for the description of your posting
- Craft behavioral questions for the interview process. Open ended questions are best and considered great a hiring practice since they determine candidate’s natural tendencies when faced to resolve unexpected problems.
One of the most important and frequently overlooked hiring practice is to consider the work environment of your company. Ask yourself and your personnel what makes it great to work at your company. The best candidates will be more willing to apply to companies with great culture, benefits, promotion opportunities and work environment.
Learn more:
7 Steps For Hiring The Right Person First Time
Pre Employment Interviewing Skills And Hiring Practices Training
