Category: Tips

In today’s fast-paced work environment, maximising productivity during the workday is essential for success. However, with constant distractions and competing demands, it can be challenging to stay focused and productive. In this post, we’ll discuss some tips for maximising productivity during the workday.

1. Start with a plan One of the best ways to maximise productivity during the workday is to start with a plan. Before you begin your day, take a few minutes to review your schedule, prioritise your tasks, and create a to-do list. This will help you to stay focused and ensure that you’re working on the most important tasks first.
2. Set specific goals In addition to creating a to-do list, setting specific goals for the day can also help to maximise productivity. Make sure that your goals are measurable, achievable, and relevant to your overall objectives. This will help you to stay motivated and focused throughout the day.
3. Minimise distractions Distractions are one of the biggest barriers to productivity during the workday. To minimise distractions, turn off your phone, close your email inbox, and avoid social media and other non-work-related websites. If you work in an open office environment, consider using noise-canceling headphones to block out noise and stay focused.
4. Take breaks While it may seem counterintuitive, taking breaks throughout the workday can actually help to increase productivity. Taking short breaks every hour or so can help to reduce fatigue, improve focus, and prevent burnout. During your breaks, take a walk, stretch, or engage in another activity that helps you to relax and recharge.
5. Prioritise your most important tasks It’s easy to get bogged down in low-priority tasks and spend too much time on them, which can leave less time for the most important tasks. To avoid this, prioritise your most important tasks and work on them first. This will help you to stay focused and ensure that you’re making progress on the most critical projects.
6. Use the right tools Using the right tools and software can also help to maximise productivity during the workday. For example, using a task management tool like Trello or Asana can help you to stay organised and on track with your goals. Similarly, using software that automates repetitive tasks can help to save time and increase efficiency.
7. Manage your time effectively Effective time management is essential for maximising productivity during the workday. Set specific time limits for tasks, and try to avoid multitasking, which can actually decrease productivity. Additionally, consider using the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break, to stay focused and maximise productivity.
8. Stay organised Staying organised is another important aspect of maximising productivity during the workday. Keep your workspace clean and clutter-free, and make sure that everything you need is within reach. Additionally, organise your files and documents in a way that makes it easy to find what you need quickly.
9. Get enough sleep Finally, getting enough sleep is essential for maximising productivity during the workday. Lack of sleep can lead to decreased focus, fatigue, and decreased productivity. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night to ensure that you’re well-rested and ready to tackle the day ahead.

In conclusion, maximising productivity during the workday requires careful planning, effective time management, and a focus on minimising distractions. By starting with a plan, setting specific goals, minimising distractions, taking breaks, prioritising your most important tasks, using the right tools, managing your time effectively, staying organised, and getting enough sleep, you can maximise your productivity and achieve your goals. Remember to be patient with yourself and don’t expect to see results overnight. It takes time and effort to develop effective productivity habits,

Meetings and conference calls are an essential part of business communication. However, they can also be a source of frustration and inefficiency if not managed properly. In this post, we’ll discuss some strategies for managing meetings and conference calls effectively.

1. Set clear objectives
   The first step in managing a meeting or conference call is to set clear objectives. Before the meeting, define the purpose of the meeting and what you hope to achieve. This will help to keep the discussion on track and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.
2. Create an agenda
   Once you have defined the objectives of the meeting, create an agenda that outlines the topics to be discussed and the amount of time allocated for each item. Share the agenda with participants before the meeting so that they know what to expect and can come prepared.
3. Invite the right people
   Inviting the right people to the meeting or conference call is essential for its success. Make sure that you only invite those who are necessary for the discussion and decision-making process. Inviting too many people can lead to a lack of focus and increased inefficiency.
4. Use technology
   When it comes to conference calls, technology can be your best friend. Use tools like video conferencing software, screen sharing, and chat functions to help participants stay engaged and on-task. Test the technology beforehand to ensure that there are no technical issues that could derail the meeting.
5. Stick to the schedule
   One of the biggest challenges of managing meetings and conference calls is staying on schedule. Start and end the meeting on time and ensure that each topic is discussed within the allocated time. If there are items that cannot be discussed within the allotted time, schedule a follow-up meeting or assign someone to take ownership of the task.
6. Encourage participation
   Encouraging participation from all participants can help to keep the discussion lively and engaging. Allow everyone to have their say, and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute. If someone is not participating, try to draw them into the discussion by asking for their opinion or input.
7. Keep the discussion focused
   It’s easy for meetings and conference calls to get derailed by off-topic discussions. To keep the discussion focused, politely steer the conversation back to the topic at hand if it strays off-topic. This will help to ensure that the meeting stays on track and that everyone is working towards the same objective.
8. Summarize the key points
   At the end of the meeting, summarize the key points and any action items that were identified. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there are no misunderstandings. Send out a follow-up email that includes the summary and any action items that were assigned to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them.
9. Evaluate the meeting
   After the meeting, take some time to evaluate its effectiveness. Ask yourself if the objectives were met, if the discussion was productive, and if the meeting was well-managed. Use this evaluation to improve future meetings and make them more efficient.

In conclusion, managing meetings and conference calls effectively requires careful planning, clear communication, and a focus on achieving objectives. By setting clear objectives, creating an agenda, inviting the right people, using technology, sticking to the schedule, encouraging participation, keeping the discussion focused, summarizing key points, and evaluating the meeting, you can ensure that your meetings and conference calls are productive, engaging, and efficient.

This week I thought I’d put together a list of useful tips and hacks that have helped me make the most of my time. Of course, this isn’t just about getting the maximum amount of working time out of your day – the main objective here is to allow you to be as productive as possible while you’re working, so that you have more time for the things that are most important to you

Make calls while on the move

If you make a lot of phone calls as part of your work, consider making calls while you’re moving from place to place. There’s not much else you can do while walking or driving so this is a good opportunity to make use of otherwise dead time. Obviously it goes without saying that you should use a hands free device if you’re calling while driving, and should only do this if it is safe and legal to do so.

When I was running a covers band, if I had a long car journey I would queue up a list of agents to call in my phone and call them one by one over the course of the journey. I often had dozens of relatively short phone calls to make and this was a good way to get through them in a situation where I knew I would have privacy.

Utilise commuting time

Related to the above, but this is more if you’re using public transport. When I go into the office I normally spend about an hour each way on the train, time that in the past I would have spent scrolling social media. These days I normally get my laptop out and do an hour or so of work before I get in. The fact that there are fewer people trying to contact me at that time (and having no phone signal on the train) helps as well. Going in a bit earlier to make sure you get a seat is well worth it. At the very least, it’s a good chance to read or listen to something useful or uplifting.

Get an ad-blocker

Ad-blockers for your computer or phone are really useful for reducing wasted time from distractions. After all, the whole point of ads is to divert your attention. If you’re a little more technical, you can also use these browser plugins to block certain parts of web pages that aren’t necessarily ads, but that are still distracting. I use stackoverflow.com in my work as a software developer, and it’s really useful, but the sidebar on the right with “popular” or “related” articles is a perennial time drain, and so I’ve blocked it from ever appearing.

Unfortunately I haven’t found any really good mobile ad-blockers as iOS and Android make it pretty difficult or impossible for developers to create browser extensions, so you normally end up having to download a separate browser, which is often more hassle than it’s worth.

Distractions are a topic for a whole other post, but I’d highly recommend removing anything from your daily routine which diverts you into time wasting or just plain negative behaviour.

Know your personal peak times

I’m a morning person, and I am much more creative and productive in the morning than in the afternoon. I know that if I start work at 7:30 and finish at 5 then I’ll get a whole lot more done than if I start and 9:30 and finish at 7. For me, the morning has the added benefit that fewer people are online and I get fewer Slack and email messages before 9am, so not only am I at my most alert, I’m also at my least distracted. For me the afternoon is the worst time, so if at all possible I’ll try and get out to do a bit of exercise or schedule meetings during this time so that the interaction with others can keep me engaged.

Maybe for you the afternoon is where you do your best work, or the evening. It obviously depends on the nature of your work and family life, but try to tackle your toughest problems when you know you will be in your best mental state

Order things online

One thing that baffles me is that people still do grocery shopping in a large physical store, which usually involves driving there, pushing the trolley around looking for things, queuing, unloading the trolley, driving home, etc. You’re looking at a couple of hours of your life spent on doing something that would take 15 minutes if you did it online. The cost of delivery is usually between £1 and £4, which is more than outweighed by the time, effort and petrol of going to the shop yourself. The only genuine argument against that I’ve heard is that you can pick the specific fruit and veg that you want if you go to the shop yourself, but frankly this is almost never a problem with online shops, and even if you get the occasional dodgy cauliflower, it’s easily a price worth paying for the time you’ll get back.

Get off social media

Controversial possibly, and it does depend on whether you use it for work or if you derive any real personal enjoyment from it, but for most people social media is pretty much a waste of time. If you’re keen not to sever the connection entirely, I would suggest posting the odd thing on Facebook or Instagram when you’ve got some genuinely interesting life event that people close to you will want to know about, and not idly scrolling more than 5 minutes per day at the very most. Keep LinkedIn for when (and only when) you want to look for a new job, and get rid of Twitter entirely, unless you’re a celebrity.

In fact, get rid of it even if you are a celebrity.