The calendar has transitioned from that chaotic holiday rush in December to an exciting fresh start in January. Now is the time to reset your focus on performance goals. Fortunately, with winter in full force across the Northern Hemisphere, it’s easier than you might think to harness mental energy, alertness, concentration, and other executive functions during this time of year. Yes, the cold winter can actually help!
Focus is the main ingredient in productivity. Without it, you won’t be able to complete the tasks on your list in an accurate, efficient manner. As powerful as focus is, it can be hard to sustain. If you’ve noticed an ebb in your attention and concentration levels, there are ways to get back into focus and be more productive.
Efficient workflow leads to a successful performance and higher bottom line. It doesn’t matter your industry, organization, or team culture. And yet, research shows that only 60 percent (or less) of the average employee’s time is productive. Not to mention, employees face about 56 interruptions each day, which can take them as long as two hours to recover from. There is a lot of inconsistency that could drive to less-than-desired results.
Establishing achievable and realistic expectations is crucial for workplace success. These guidelines help in fostering productive interactions with clients, colleagues, and managers, while also ensuring that you stay in sync with your own boundaries, responsibilities, and objectives.
You’ve been sitting at a desk, staring at the same computer screen for hours, and, yet, just cannot summon one more coherent thought. You could use some clarity and creativity. So what’s the solution? Start walking.
Many of us fantasize about switching off email and chat notifications and retreating to a beach where no communication app can intrude. Fantasies aside, how often does the typical employee actually use their vacation time each year? Turns out, not nearly often enough.
There’s a reason we often feel happier in the summer: the sun is life-giving, literally and figuratively. Sunlight also happens to offer many advantages when it comes to boosting your work performance. In this month’s installment of The Productivity Box, we will dive into the physical and mental health benefits of sunlight—and why it should be a fixture in your office.
In many installments of The Productivity Box series, we’ve talked about how the ergonomic features of a work environment can influence overall performance. We have examined the impact of light, sound, temperature, air quality, and more. But this month, we’re turning our attention to the powerful, dynamic connection between colors and the cognitive function.
Time management is one of those key skill sets that teams place a high premium on, but often fall short of maintaining. In this installment of The Productivity Box, we want to introduce you to time-blocking—a technique that will help you and your team reclaim the workday.
The average American works about 1,750 hours per year. That’s more than six other high-income nations: the U.K., Australia, Sweden, Belgium, France, and Germany. Even with all those hours on the clock, 88 percent of the workforce procrastinates for at least one hour each day. In other words, no matter how many tasks are written down (or crossed off) on their to-do list, people are still wasting valuable time and losing out on productivity. This is why it’s important to balance strategic vision with tactical execution, a work balance, if you will.
