To Procrastinate – Or Not? September 20, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In an article at FastCompany, Drake Baer talks with Frank Partnoy, author of Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, about the lengthy decision-making process. Partnoy believes delaying decision-making is not necessarily a bad thing. Yet, the business and social media world looks on delayed decision-making as a bad thing, but this often leaves little room for relaxed and well-thought out decisions. On the other hand, Kevin Purdy, also writing at FastCompany, cautions against procrastination and encourages people to get to work, because procrastination can have negative effects. He thus advises readers to clear away clutter and tackle heavy things first.
You can read the interview with Partnoy here, and Purdy’s article against procrastination here.
5S At Home September 20, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, lean, work-life balance.Tags: 5S, 5S & Visual Management, lean, work-life balance
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Tim McMahon, writing at A Lean Journey, shares a video by Paul Akers of applying lean at home. The video highlights, among other things, Aker’s home office and bathroom. He revamps his top desk drawer by using carved-out foam to standardize the locations of his commonly-used tools and writing instruments. David Allway, writing at The Common Sensei, recalls his childhood foundations of 5S, helping to organize his father’s workshop. Allway organized important steps of his life –as a college student, a coach, an athlete, and as a business professional.
Check out McMahon’s thoughts and the nifty video here, and Allway’s excellent post here.
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast September 20, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Laura Vanderkam writes about time management in the morning in an article at FastCompany. She provides a list of suggestions for handling chaotic mornings. These suggestions include tracking one’s time, and thinking through logistics, including mapping out a morning schedule to follow.
For the rest of Vanderkam’s suggestions, read her article here.
Working Out Doesn’t Just Make You Stronger, It Makes You Smarter September 20, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance, workforce.Tags: work-life balance, workforce
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Exercise is vital to a person’s health. Yet, by their teenage years, only 12% of people get enough daily exercise. But exercising improves more than just one’s health – it also improves intelligence. Activity means the brain is functioning, increasing the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory. According to the study listed, on average, employees who exercise regularly are 15% more efficient.
Read more about the mind and exercise here.
Are You A Level 5 Company? September 20, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance, workforce.Tags: work-life balance, workforce
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Chuck Runyon at FastCompany talks about the hierarchy-of-needs for businesses, which include safety, love, and esteem, to reach the fifth level of self-actualization – blurring the lines between home and work. In other words, at home, employees should be able to think about work not out of pressure or demand, but because of self-satisfaction and happiness to work. In this fifth level, employees give their hearts and souls to the company.
For the list of levels and their explanations, check out Runyon’s article here.
Train Your Brain to Focus March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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While popular media and friends marvel at those who can multitask, a Bloomberg Businessweek Harvard Business Review article asserts that multitasking means more mistakes and an inability to retain information among other issues. Focus is better. The article presents a ways that anyone can train their brains to focus. Negative emotional distress can be tamed with good sleep, meditation, and exercise, for example –and this leads the brain to strategize more efficiently.
Head on over to Harvard Business Review to read the article.
Work/Life Balance is a Myth: Here is What You Can Do About It January 30, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance.Tags: work-life balance
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Writing at FastCompany, Craig Chappelow contends that the work/life balance –of even scales between home and work –is an idealistic myth. It is difficult to manage work and home, but there are some things that can be done to make it easier. Those include getting help on relationship problems, and to quit complaining about work –even if you have reason to complain.
To read Mr. Chappelow’s article, head here.
Work/Life Balance is a Myth: Here is What You Can Do About It January 30, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance.Tags: work-life balance
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Writing at FastCompany, Craig Chappelow contends that the work/life balance –of even scales between home and work –is an idealistic myth. It is difficult to manage work and home, but there are some things that can be done to make it easier. Those include getting help on relationship problems, and to quit complaining about work –even if you have reason to complain.
To read Mr. Chappelow’s article, head here.
What Happened to Downtime? December 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance, workforce.Tags: work-life balance, workforce
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In the digital age, quiet time is becoming increasingly rare. Social networks, the internet, apps, smart phones – all of it proves distracting and keeps us in a constant state of motion. Because of this, we deprive ourselves of creative pause, or disconnection. To combat this, we must take advantage of times when we do not have to be connected, and choose to remain unconnected.
Get connected to the FastCompany article here.
What Happened to Downtime? December 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance, workforce.Tags: work-life balance, workforce
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In the digital age, quiet time is becoming increasingly rare. Social networks, the internet, apps, smart phones – all of it proves distracting and keeps us in a constant state of motion. Because of this, we deprive ourselves of creative pause, or disconnection. To combat this, we must take advantage of times when we do not have to be connected, and choose to remain unconnected.
Get connected to the FastCompany article here.
The Creative Brain on Exercise December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Exercise can free the creative mind, whether you are an artist, writer, or CEO. Haruki Murakami, famed Japanese novelist, is quoted in a FastCompany article where he talks about schedules of writing which involve exercise and running. Exercise helps handle anxiety, and relieving intense stress. Making time to exercise gives us more and better-usable time to work.
For the FastCompany analysis of exercise and work, head over here.
The Creative Brain on Exercise December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Exercise can free the creative mind, whether you are an artist, writer, or CEO. Haruki Murakami, famed Japanese novelist, is quoted in a FastCompany article where he talks about schedules of writing which involve exercise and running. Exercise helps handle anxiety, and relieving intense stress. Making time to exercise gives us more and better-usable time to work.
For the FastCompany analysis of exercise and work, head over here.
Six Strategies for Dealing With Workplace Distractions November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In a Fast Company blog post, David Lavenda writes about ways that workers can deal with workplace distractions. He divides these ideas into individual and organization strategies. On the individual level, for example, workers can put their technology distractions to rest by turning off things like e-mail alerts. Organizationally, meetings can be made shorter, during which time cell phones and other devices must be turned off.
Check out these and other ideas for handling distractions here.
Six Strategies for Dealing With Workplace Distractions November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In a Fast Company blog post, David Lavenda writes about ways that workers can deal with workplace distractions. He divides these ideas into individual and organization strategies. On the individual level, for example, workers can put their technology distractions to rest by turning off things like e-mail alerts. Organizationally, meetings can be made shorter, during which time cell phones and other devices must be turned off.
Check out these and other ideas for handling distractions here.
Call It Work-Life Choices November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance.Tags: work-life balance
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Jack and Suzy Welch, writing for Bloomberg Businessweek, demonstrate that it is possible for leaders to be top-performers while maintaining a work-life balance. Balance, say the Welches, depends on the person and what feels right based on what he or she wants out of life professionally and personally.
Check out their article at Bloomberg Businessweek here.
Call It Work-Life Choices November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance.Tags: work-life balance
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Jack and Suzy Welch, writing for Bloomberg Businessweek, demonstrate that it is possible for leaders to be top-performers while maintaining a work-life balance. Balance, say the Welches, depends on the person and what feels right based on what he or she wants out of life professionally and personally.
Check out their article at Bloomberg Businessweek here.
The Value of Monotonous Rituals February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In the effort to improve personal and work productivity, to-do lists at home and at the office are once again becoming all the rage. It is important to differentiate between the thousand things that go through your mind each day, separating the trivial from the monumental. Writing them down on a list –and the rewriting the list as things are accomplished –helps prioritize.
Check out the Time Back Management blog post here.
The Value of Monotonous Rituals February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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In the effort to improve personal and work productivity, to-do lists at home and at the office are once again becoming all the rage. It is important to differentiate between the thousand things that go through your mind each day, separating the trivial from the monumental. Writing them down on a list –and the rewriting the list as things are accomplished –helps prioritize.
Check out the Time Back Management blog post here.
You Can’t Multitask, so Stop Trying February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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The arguments continue to mount against multitasking, and Paul Atchley delivers the next one. Mr. Atchley contends that multitasking actually makes us less effective in our lives. Efficiency can actually drop as much as 40% when trying to multitask, and it takes an average of fifteen minutes to reorient from one task to another. Among the ways to counteract the bad effects of multitasking, Mr. Atchley recommends focusing on one task until it is complete.
Check out Mr. Atchley’s Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
You Can’t Multitask, so Stop Trying February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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The arguments continue to mount against multitasking, and Paul Atchley delivers the next one. Mr. Atchley contends that multitasking actually makes us less effective in our lives. Efficiency can actually drop as much as 40% when trying to multitask, and it takes an average of fifteen minutes to reorient from one task to another. Among the ways to counteract the bad effects of multitasking, Mr. Atchley recommends focusing on one task until it is complete.
Check out Mr. Atchley’s Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
My Most Important Productivity Tool January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Mark McGuinness over at Lateral Action has posted a brief article about productivity with links to recent entries. One of them follows the rule that if it doesn’t fit on a Post-It Note, it doesn’t fit into your day. This, explains Mr. McGuiness in the article, forces him to prioritize.
Check out the post and the links here.
My Most Important Productivity Tool January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance
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Mark McGuinness over at Lateral Action has posted a brief article about productivity with links to recent entries. One of them follows the rule that if it doesn’t fit on a Post-It Note, it doesn’t fit into your day. This, explains Mr. McGuiness in the article, forces him to prioritize.
Check out the post and the links here.
Worry Isn’t Work September 24, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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Dan Pollotta, writing at Bloomberg Businessweek, explores the old idea that, anything fun cannot possibly be work; and anything unpleasant is. Mr. Pallotta explains that one has to separate oneself from work. Exercise, meditate, see a movie, go to church. In other words, one must relax if one is to be able to focus more clearly at work. Who, Mr. Pallotta wonders, will be the more productive contributor to a company -the “person who is healthy, rested, well-balanced, full of energy, and clear of mind, or the sleep-deprived, overweight, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen, psychologically unexamined, self-critical maniac?”
Head on over to read Mr. Pallotta’s article here.
Worry Isn’t Work September 24, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce.Tags: personal productivity, work-life balance, workforce
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Dan Pollotta, writing at Bloomberg Businessweek, explores the old idea that, anything fun cannot possibly be work; and anything unpleasant is. Mr. Pallotta explains that one has to separate oneself from work. Exercise, meditate, see a movie, go to church. In other words, one must relax if one is to be able to focus more clearly at work. Who, Mr. Pallotta wonders, will be the more productive contributor to a company -the “person who is healthy, rested, well-balanced, full of energy, and clear of mind, or the sleep-deprived, overweight, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen, psychologically unexamined, self-critical maniac?”
Head on over to read Mr. Pallotta’s article here.
The Real Effects of Workplace Anxiety September 24, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in work-life balance, workforce.Tags: work-life balance, workforce
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Susan Berfield has written an article over at Bloomberg Businessweek which includes part of her interview with Karen Sumberg of the Center for Work-Life Policy. The Center conducted a three-month long 2008 study called “Sustaining High Performance in Difficult Times.” The study looked at 200 employees identified by their bosses as having “high potential.” Because of the recession and worry over layoffs, for example, trust and loyalty in the company and in management had declined dramatically. The article also looks at effective countermeasures, such as allowing people to volunteer during work hours.
Check out the Bloomberg Businessweek article here.
