Staying Productive at Work



Yesterday, Geekwire.com posted an article on 7 tips to make yourself more efficient right now. I thought it was great. As a person who needs to motivate myself to get everything on my plate done, taking new tips and ideas to add to my personal style is always helpful. Here are my favorites:

Do your most important 1-2 tasks/projects FIRST every day (before email and voicemail) - if you know there is a deadline, wait to open up that email (unless you know there's an email about the project and then only open that email). You'll lose time in responding to requests and continue to push back more important jobs. I make hand written lists each day to make sure I'm prioritizing.

Set a morning “Daily Do” reminder - similar to my "Must Do" list, a Daily Do list is a great reminder for things that need to get done. I like Geekwire's example:
*Check Facebook for birthdays, and wish people a happy birthday first-thing
*Check Klout for notifications, and give a handful of people I know “+K” for their expertise
*Check my online spam filter (via Postini) for anything important I may have missed yesterday
*Check LinkedIn and Gist for other important updates across my network, and comment back as necessary
*Scan yesterday’s schedule, and send thank you notes (email or hand-written) as necessary
*Ensure all to-do’s captured yesterday have been filed and prioritized (either today or for later)
*Confirm my priorities and to-do list for today, and ensure I have every resource necessary to get them done
*Confirm today’s meetings (including sending a confirmation email if necessary)
*Prepare for today’s meetings (including any documents I’ll need there, any homework I needed to complete, etc.)

Use the two-minute rule - from their article, "Each time a new email arrives in your inbox, ask yourself: “Can I respond to this in two minutes or less?” If so, then respond right away! Don’t click or open another message just to read it. Be diligent and respond to the message you have open quickly before moving on". Too true!

And finally - Carry idea capture tools with you at all times. As soon as I get my new phone, I am downloading this app from Dial2Do. If you think of an idea while driving or away from your computer (or handy dandy notebook), you can leave a message to yourself that sends an email directly to your account, thus not forgetting this great idea! We do so much, how easy is it to forget something cool you randomly thought up?

Another great article to check out is from askmen.com's 11 Ways to be More Productive at Work. From planning phone calls and leaving at a specific time to streamlining recurring tasks, this one can definitely help you prioritize your tasks.

~Kendal

Sustainability and the Office

As our work environments continue to expand and grow into mobile, global, interconnected spaces, it is now a great time to reestablish your commitment to the environment. The products you use may be greener, the companies you work with are going greener, and many people who want to use your goods or services may make final decisions based on your sustainable practices.

Wisegeek wisely writes, "In environmental terms, sustainability implies that an action can be continued indefinitely with little, or manageable, impact on the environment. Because the health of the environment is closely linked with the health of society in general, sustainable practices ensure that the Earth's resources will be available for future generations to enjoy, and that there will be an Earth to enjoy them on. For this reason, many companies focus on sustainability, either as consultants to other companies or as part of their corporate mission". Wanting to give back where possible should be the mission. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Make sure everyone is turning off the computers, monitors, lights, printers and copiers when not in the office (or at your desk)

2. Have power strips or surge protectors with on-off switch throughout the office

3. Have recycling bins near your copier / printer

4. Use paper that is 100% recycled, 30% post consumer

5. Try to go as paperless as possible

6. When purchasing new computers, buy EPEAT certified or items that are Energy Star rated

Check out this PDF for more tips (created for an educational institution) or here for more tips (created for the office).

Additionally, how do your city and state rank on going green?Not to brag, but I live in the number 1 city in the USA - apparently we are highly educated on the sustainable movement and it's practices. Check out the list from Grist here. Oddly enough, Washington State is number 17 on the US national list. Those guys in Vermont are definitely doing something right! See where your state falls here.

Have anything special that your office does? How do you stay accountable? Let us know in the comments below!

~ Kendal

Inspirational Quotes for the Workplace

This guy needs a little color in his space
and maybe one of these quotes frames!

Some days, work can really drag. I personally am a big proponent of positive reinforcement and motivation to keep morale high and moving forward in the workplace. It's true that different personality types need different types of management styles, but as a whole, constantly being put down will most likely do more harm than good. In that respect, I give you some great quotes for the workplace!

Attitude
"A positive attitude may not solve every problem but it makes solving any problem a more pleasant experience". Grant Fairley

"You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses". Zig Ziglar

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same". Francesca Reigler

Procrastinating
"Stop procrastinating. Take control of your own destiny. Understand yourself in order to better understand others. Visualize it. Want it more than anything. ‘Excellerate’ your efforts. You are unique of all God's creations, nothing can replace YOU. Zero in on your target and go for it!" Wanda Hope Carter

Teamwork
"There are few, if any, jobs in which ability alone is sufficient. Needed, also, are loyalty, sincerity, enthusiasm and team play." --William B. Given, Jr.

Truth
"Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love." --David McCullough

"Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” --David Rockefeller

"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it." --Pearl Buck

For more quotes, check out this site and this site.

~ Kendal

The Interconnected Workplace: are you ready?

Yesterday, B&OI had the pleasure of receiving training from Libby - a Steelcase brand manager who has great presentation style and a whole lot of energy! Of the 2 presentations, the one I found extremely interesting was on the interconnected workspaces and how ready people and offices are to evolve/adapt to the changing times. Here are a few figures I pulled from the pptx presentation that I found interesting. Note: Steelcase spends years researching different concepts and trends and creates White Papers on topics like this - visit their white papers site at http://360.steelcase.com/. 

Global integration: "Capitalizing on the collective intelligence of global teams is a top priority, and 80% of organizations feel they need to collaborate more, but 78% say they struggle to effectively connect their workplace"

Creativity: "CEOs in the IBM research (2010) ranked Creativity as the most important leadership quality, just ahead of integrity and global thinking". 

Favorite Quote: "Acceleration is Accelerating" - Steelcase Workspace Futures: "Lengthy planning cycles have been replaced with clear plans and strategies that are nimble and responsive. Organizations need to promote a mindset of being fast and flexible: Act Quickly. Make decisions when you “know enough” and resist the urge to wait until you “know it all.”

Mobile: "Skype wanted to understand workers who are “remote” or who are mobile outside of the office and what they found is that 62% of businesses have remote workers, and of their total workforce 34% work away from the office, but as you can see they’re out of the office 40% of the time – which means that 60% of the time they are in their workplace".

Quotes were taken from the training power point and should be credited to Steelcase's research. The facts and figures were all based off of additional studies and seem to be the direction that things are moving. So what do you think? Is the place you work ahead of the game or waaaay back at the starting line?

How to Make Work Fun

As a member of the 24/7 society, work is an essential part of life. In an ideal situation, you love what you do and wouldn't trade it for anything - even if that means being strapped to your smart phone during your daughter's soccer game and answering emails at 2am. However, many people are working in a position that they may not have dreamt about. They're sitting at their desk with a stack of papers trying to stay motivated enough to finish (I blogged on that, too!). So...how can they beat the blues?

Fun, possibly silly refreshing things to do at the office. Here are a few ways you can do to liven up your day and actually make work fun*.

Work Happy Now Suggests:
1. Bring in stickers that a third grade teacher would have i.e. “You are Great,” and pass them out.
2. Have a paper airplane contest on break. Whoever’s plane goes the farthest gets an extra 15 minute break/a prize/lunch for the day.
3. Give every co-worker a special rock that you picked for them and tell them why they got the rock that you gave them.

Project Magazine Suggests:
4. Have an adventure - Be an adventurer.  Look at each day as an opportunity to do something different.  Some adventurers we have had include: hold supplier workshops, start a supplier advisory council, visit some major customers, work on a cross functional team, or organize a talent show.  An adventure can advance your career and make your job more fun.

And from Tom Stern at Fast Company, here are some tongue in cheek ideas:
5. Bring a karaoke machine to the office and stage "American Idol" contests at lunch break (that was the tamest idea).

Ideas like this can help break the monotony of day to day tasks without pulling too much away at the job you have to do. I hope they help!

* These suggestions will vary from person to person - I hope at least one will add a new perspective to your day or at least make you smile to yourself.

~Kendal

Professional Resolutions for 2012

We are in the middle of the 2nd week of January and as I have already destroyed my diet plans by eating cake and bangers and mash for supper last night, I plan on refocusing my resolutions for 2012 on my professional self. January is a great time to refresh goals, plan for the future and start something new. So...what do you plan on accomplishing in 2012? Here are a few ideas:

1. Get Organized: Look around your desk space at work and at home. Spotless?  Probably not and it doesn't necessarily need to be. But if you have a pile of papers you can't remember the last time you went through or a file drawer that hasn't been opened since 2008 - you may want to go through and recycle. Keep the important items, shred or dispose of the unnecessary. Often lose items or documents? Make a place for each item - get that pencil holder/file holder/paper tray/cabinet. Now is a great time to make your space work for you!

2. Set Goals: Want to get your MBA? Learn a new language? Take charge of your finances? Clean out your closet? Create a better social media strategy? Write it down and put that goal in a place you can see it daily. Every time you get a little bit closer, give yourself a small reward. Positive reinforcement can remind you why you're aiming for this in the first place.

3. Start Networking: Seattle is full of clubs and organizations where you can meet people with similar interests (and possibly goals). Join your chamber of commerce, attend that working woman's lunch, see if your Alma mater has a mentor/mentee program you can become part of (or a local chapter of the alumni association). In addition to giving your business a promotion and possibly meeting customers (in a non-formal/non-sales pitch like atmosphere), you may start networking with people with interests and concepts beyond you current scope - thus teaching you something new.

Two additional articles with some great tips and ideas for 2012 are at Turnstone's Blog and  at About.com. (I personally like about.com's #9 tip, but didn't want to self promote. But I'm glad to see they thought of it, too!).

Good luck with your resolutions - it's never too late to start anew! Would you add any tips to my list?

~Kendal

Helpful Technology for your Class or Office

Working in a showroom, I often get to see cool and useful technology that many people may be unaware is available. You could have seen it at a client's office or vaguely remember something similar on Star Trek, but the truth is there are some really great tools out there that can help make your work life much easier. Here are 4 of my favorites (click on the vendor name to visit the product site)

From Steelcase, "Through the integration of furniture and technology, media:scape is reshaping the way people collaborate in a connected world. Most collaborative work spaces today support leader-led presentations where information is controlled and shared by one person at a time. media:scape removes these barriers and democratizes how people access and share information by allowing all participants to contribute their ideas – equally, quickly and seamlessly".

From Polyvision, "The flexible and agile eno one height-adjustable mobile solution is tailored for the comfort and safety of teachers and learners. Gliding the board up or down brings math problems to eye-level. The unobtrusive ultra-short throw projector minimizes shadows and glare. And, the dedicated projector icon strip gives the teacher more control—right at the board. No matter the teaching style or accessibility challenge, eno one meets teachers and students wherever they are".

From Steelcase, "RoomWizard works with a variety of calendar systems including Microsoft® Outlook® and Lotus Notes®. Meetings can be managed seamlessly via web, laptop or smart phone. When workers find an open meeting space, they can reserve it instantly and get to work. It even keeps track of space utilization with a database that measures and reports reservation patterns".

From Details, "The Walkstation is the combination of a fully integrated electric Height-AdjusTable Worksurface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. At a maximum speed of 2mph the Walkstation lets you walk comfortably, burn calories, feel healthier and more energized...all while accomplishing the work you’d normally do while seated". Personally, I can't wait until we get this back in the showroom!  

All of these tools help organize, create, collaborate, and/or keep you moving. Please feel free to leave a comment for any feedback about these products!

~ Kendal