Monthly Archives: June 2016

Productivity Myths to Stop Chasing Right Now

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Every month or so, we turn to an expert in our network to share a Guest Post. Read on from fellow productivity enthusiast Niraj Ranjan Rout.

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We are constantly chasing productivity, whether we are striving for the inbox zero or obsessing over the many productivity apps and tools out there. We are constantly trying to get more done in a given amount of time. But, in the process, I am afraid we are losing sight of the bigger picture and solely chasing the idea of productivity, rather than productivity itself.

In fact, I think we are chasing three specific myths in the name of trying to be more productive but in reality, they’re making our lives more chaotic.

Myth 1: Multitasking makes you more productive

You are doing a day job, raising kids, running a side hustle, and even a blog. Contrary to popular belief, doing more doesn’t always make you more productive.

Multi-tasking forces you to divide your focus and attention. You will end up doing an average job at many tasks, instead of an excellent job at one task.

Additionally, shifting from one task to another while multitasking involves significant time loss. According to LifeHacker.com it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to a task after a distraction.

Myth 2: Taking frequent breaks is counter-productive

Breaks are important. They not only relieve you mentally and physically, but they also recharge you for the next task, ensuring that you are at your best when handling the task.

Many people associate taking a lot of breaks, such as going out for a walk, or taking a call etc., as signs of inefficiency and a lack of commitment. They couldn’t be further away from the truth. Check out this info-graphic put out by HealthDecide.com about the importance and benefits of taking breaks at work!

In fact, I will go one step further and recommend using the Pomodoro work technique, where you work in 25-minute chunks of time and complement it with 5-minute breaks to stretch and relax.

Myth 3: Remote working is a productivity killer

Back in the day, when there wasn’t as much technology and connectivity, remote working may have been unproductive, but not any more.

Remote working is a stress buster. People feel empowered to work in a way that suits them. It is good for their work/life balance. People work better when they have to focus on just the tasks rather than the presenteeism. Remote working gives them more choices.

Additionally, working remotely saves time otherwise wasted on a daily commute. According to the UK Office of National Statistics, “Commuters have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety on average than non- commuters.”

I have always found that my employees get more tasks done and take more initiative when they have the freedom to work from home.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. – Walt Disney

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NIRAJ RANJAN ROUT is the founder of Hiver (hiverhq.com), an app that turns Gmail into a powerful customer support and collaboration tool.

Intentional Living: The 30/30 Rule

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About 5 years ago, I totally spaced out on my dad’s birthday. We are really close, so it was a big surprise and a big disappointment, to both of us. I called him and we talked, but it had a huge impact on me. I never wanted something that important to sneak up on me again!

Our calendars are full of important dates: birthdays, anniversaries, deadlines, big meetings, vacations, conferences. The things that matter to us make it to our calendars. We don’t want to miss these big life events, and we certainly don’t want to forget them. But sometimes we do, and it hurts.

In Stephen Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he describes the Eisenhower Method. Do you remember this quadrant system with the important/not important and urgent/not urgent sections?

We know we should be spending more time focusing on the things in the “important but not urgent” category. The are the big things like building meaningful and deep relationships with family and friends, developing our professional growth and careers and even taking care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. Desiring deep connections with others, good health and to live a spiritually and emotionally balanced life is normal. These are the things that feed and nourish our hearts.

So why is it that we never seem to have enough time to devote to these things the way we would like? And why on earth was I so busy doing life that I forgot it was my own dad’s birthday?

When we fail to live fully into the important aspects of our lives that bring us the most joy, we feel it. It hurts. This is where things get personal, and if we are being honest, everything seems to feel off when we don’t take care of the things that keep us going.

These are the things that make our hearts happy and make us feel alive! But how do we do it? What is the secret to finding the time to devote to the not so urgent but very important aspects of our lives?

The 30/30 Rule

In Jason and my latest book, Get Momentum: How to Start When You’re Stuck, we talk in depth about The 30/30 Rule. To me, it is more than just a rule, but a way a life. The idea is to spend 30 undistracted, uninterrupted, completely intentional minutes every day on something that is 30 or more days out.

By checking into your schedule 30 days out, you are not only seeing what is coming up but gathering perspective on your life by acknowledging what you have already said yes to.

If this sounds hard because you’re already busy, start small. Start with personal items like birthdays, travel plans and family visits. This is an investment in your future well-being. When you start applying this to work items, you’ll be amazed at how much momentum you create when you start projects early and get the ball rolling! If you’ve ever felt like the bottleneck at work holding up other people’s work until you can review, The 30/30 Rule will be a game changer for you. Consider it an investment… as you put time in now, it will have a compounding effect in a month with the productivity that’s already started.

If it’s on your calendar, you’ve already said yes, meaning you care about it and have made it a priority. Whether it is a FYI or a reminder, you more than likely have a to-do associated with it. Now, when I see my dad’s birthday is 30 days out, I run to the store and get him a card or order the gift I have been wanting to get him so it delivers on time!

Life is full of surprises! Don’t let the things already on your calendar come as surprises!

These 30 minutes each day will change the way you live. They won’t stop your your boss from dropping a big project on you at the last moment or your kid telling you she has a science report due in the morning, but at least you’ll have peace of mind about everything else on your schedule, and you’ll never forget your dad’s birthday again!

Understanding What Makes Us The Leaders We Are

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According to the Kolbe Concept, individual performance can be predicted with great accuracy by comparing a person’s method of operation (actions, reactions, interactions, use of time and natural form of communication) with self-expectations and the requirements of specific tasks. Understanding and exercising control over these resources gives us the freedom to be our authentic selves. If, as leaders, we are called to be our true authentic selves, we must be willing to uncover who we are.

Leadership is one of those concepts that everyone seems to have their own opinion about. Not only do we define leadership traits and qualities differently, but we act as leaders differently Why is this? Because leadership starts with the leader. With so many people asking, teaching and talking about leadership, it’s understandable that opinions vary on what makes a great leader, but the things that compel us to lead may be more similar than we think.

The truth is, we all have a vision of how we could make something better. Let’s take a look at teachers for a moment. We all have had some great teachers and we have all had some not so good teachers. Both teachers taught us something though, right? The good teachers taught us how powerful learning can be, while they bad teachers taught us how important it is to have good teachers in the school systems. We recognize that if we were to one day be a teacher, we would be one of the good ones because we have now personally experienced the joys of learning and the thrill of excelling in school. We felt the impact and realized that we too could one day make an impact on a child through teaching. Imagine if we all acted on these visions of being better and doing better. This world would be a much better place because of it! So what is it that makes us into the leaders that we become?

Here are two things that we believe are key concepts in recognizing what make us into the leaders that we are: knowing yourself and knowing the motives.

Knowing Yourself

“For it is easy to criticize and break down the spirit of others, but to know yourself takes a lifetime.” - Bruce Lee

“Let’s look in the mirror then we can look out the window.” This is something we tell people all the time. It is important to practice on the small things, so that when it’s time to perform, you’re ready. You have to know yourself in order to lead and be willing to work on changing the things you need to change within yourself to become the best leader you can be.

Knowing the Motives

“People have motives and thoughts of which they are unaware.” - Albert Ellis

What motivates you? Is it the bad teacher or the lack of strategic planning? Whatever it is, pinpoint it and keep it in mind, as this will serve as a daily reminder of why you do what you do. It is also important to recognize what motivates your team? What motivates and engages the people you are leading? By identifying their motives, you are tapping into their strengths and what keeps them at their best. Just as you engage in your own motives, great leaders engage in motives of others as well.

Recognizing these two elements of leadership is essential in understanding ourselves and others as leaders. This realization helps us understand that leadership does in fact look differently on everyone, and that is okay. The important thing to remember is the vision that we all had at one point in time where we decided we wanted to do better and be better. For this moment was the catalyst that brought you into leadership to begin with.

Do you remember a moment in your life where you decided you were ready to step into leadership and were dedicated to the vision of doing and being better? Comment below!