4PSA Blog

Time Management – 4 Easy Ways to Gain Control of Your Work Time

Posted on 5th Dec 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

Time management is a skill you can learn. If only you had the time. To be fair, it might seem a lot less crucial than it is. Yet, today’s world is full of time challenges. There never seems to be enough time for anything. People are always in a hurry, everybody is always busy.
Some would love to have more time to spend with family and friends. Others would really enjoy spending that extra time in the gym. Or doing yoga, meditating, learning an instrument. There are some for whom there is never enough time. In fact, the common denominator for all entrepreneurs is that they never have the time. And, with startups as well as with anything else in life, being on time is crucial.

11 Proven Ways to Persevere and Meet Your Goals

Posted on 30th Nov 2017
by Alice Calin
in Teamwork

Being able to meet your goals takes willpower and perseverance. But, most important than anything, it requires you to have a clear image of what you are really expecting from your personal and professional life.

4 Quick Tips to Stay Focused and Productive When Working from Home

Posted on 28th Nov 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

Stay focused and work will be a breeze. Yet, working from home is a challenge in its own right.
Let’s be honest, working from home is uniquely challenging. That’s because most people stash all sorts of fun things at home. Think home entertainment, from Netflix to video games. Gym equipment, kids, pets, deliveries, random visitors. There are countless opportunities for distractions.

Successful Delegation – What and How to Delegate Effectively to Teams

Posted on 23rd Nov 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

Knowing how to delegate can make or break your team. Yet, we often feel odd about delegating or being delegated. And when it comes to flattened hierarchies, things get even odder. In fact, people tend to either under delegate or over-delegate.
To put it another way, knowing how to delegate is a skill. Without doubt, a very useful one. Despite being easy to understand, delegating is a tough skill to acquire. That’s because it’s an organic process. The nature of the work that needs delegating changes over time. Hence, figuring out how to delegate is something everyone should learn and practice.

Five Startup Myths Debunked So You’ll Become A Successful Entrepreneur

Posted on 20th Nov 2017
by Elena Carstoiu
in Teamwork

These days everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and launch a startup. It’s cool to be your own boss, wear the same clothes to work every day, have a ping-pong table in the fun room, and brainstorm with your team over pizza at 3 in the morning.
Still, there is a huge gap between the way people picture the startup life and the actual reality. In fact, the gap is so big, you can easily call it a chasm. Multiple factors have created it and continue to widen it every day:

The media that glorifies highly successful founders, yet says little about the rest of them, which in fact represents the majority
The pot full of gold that people dream of finding at the end of the rainbow, i.e. a startup turned unicorn
Blockbusters that make you want it even more

Let’s take all these urban legends out of the way, even if it’s just for a second. The picture is not so bright anymore, right?

Motivate Teams With 7 Things That Really Work

Posted on 16th Nov 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

Motivate teams and get every obstacle cleared. Motivate teams and reach set goals. In fact, motivate teams and everything about teamwork streamlines to optimal results.
But in order to motivate teams, you need to be versatile. You need a full range of methods. Moreover, you need to possess special abilities, from public speaking to one-on-one mentoring and listening. Seems improbable? It’s actually achievable.

5 Easy Ways to Be More Productive and Avoid Burnout

Posted on 14th Nov 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

“Be more productive” is the work chant of the decade. And it’s unlikely to change anytime soon. The future is every bit about boosting productivity. Meanwhile, today has its own challenges. And it’s tougher than ever to stay ahead. Especially considering how quickly things change.
And these things are all related to technology. Indeed, tech has revolutionized the workplace. Granted, the past few decades have brought forth significant change. But we mean disruptive tech. Only two decades ago email on a mobile phone was a stretch. Tech is key, and it’s been transforming the workplace. But the constant is people. And people, unfortunately, can fall behind only to find themselves on the brink of burnout.
Besides, we might have reached an odd plateau. When compared to people, tech is no longer as disruptive as it used to be. At least, not when it comes to tech helping us be more productive. Because at the end the day, it’s the individual that deals with all the challenges. The constant here is the end-user. There’s only so much we can do in a day.

8 Key Learnings to Help Your Team Embrace Work Changes More Easily

Posted on 9th Nov 2017
by Alice Calin
in Teamwork

Work changes occur all the time, in every company committed to making progress. However, one of the biggest obstacles that managers need to overcome along the way is people’s resistance to change. Managers often take it as a given, thinking it’s human nature. Even though there is some truth in that, it’s in their power to implement change in a way that would make it easier for everyone to get on board.

Fight Exhaustion and Stay Productive at Work with These 12 Essential Tips

Posted on 7th Nov 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

To stay productive despite being tired is an often-recurring challenge. We’ve all been there. For whatever reason, we feel tired yet we have to work. Having to deal with the consequences of not getting enough sleep is one thing. Add to this feeling exhausted, anxious or burned out. Sometimes it is work pressure that does it.
Without reservation, prolonged wakefulness is today’s second-hand smoking. Yes, this has much to do with sleep deprivation. Prolonged wakefulness means that we are not getting enough sleep. In fact, most people sleep far less than they should. And this can have significant impacts on cognitive performance. We also overindulge on coffee, and spend far too many hours sitting on a chair. We procrastinate, misuse breaks, don’t breathe right and have all sorts of productivity issue. Despite all of this, we often find ourselves in an odd situation. We need to stay productive while tired.

7 Smart Ways to Make Yourself Useful During Meetings

Posted on 2nd Nov 2017
by Remus Serban
in Teamwork

Meetings are a buzz killer. Most complaints about office work are about meetings. In fact, meetings seem to be the most dreaded office activity. Potentially, even more disliked than peer reviews and evaluations. Yet, meetings continue to be an apt and necessary way to do work. Otherwise, everyone wouldn’t be so keen on organizing them. Hence, we can only derive that there must be something about meetings that is truly valuable. It’s something that, until now at least, only meetings can provide.
Meetings have been studied, and there are countless publications discussing the matter. What’s so special about meetings? It may have to do with the information exchange. Or it may well be due to the nature of the event. The physical proximity, the sheer presence of teams in the same room. It likely has to do with an interplay of the two.