For many companies, January signals more than the beginning of a new year. It is also the start of a fiscal year with new goals, deadlines, and challenges ahead. December is treated as a period for reflecting on the past 12 months while gearing up for the year ahead. Thus, it’s the perfect time to prepare for a successful new year.
According to a recent survey, 88 percent of Americans think the winter holiday season is the most stressful time of year. Almost a whooping 60 percent would characterize it as chaotic. With so many time-sensitive commitments and activities on the average person’s calendar this season, it’s not hard to see where all that stress is coming from.
Mindfulness has become a buzzword in recent years, yet, from my experience, it’s so much more. This practice is extremely beneficial for self-awareness, mental health, cognitive function, and, yes, even work performance. So, without further ado, let’s discuss about mindfulness. In this month’s installment of The Productivity Box, we’ll learn how hacking this technique can boost productivity, both on the job and in other areas of life.
Together with instant messaging, email is one of the world’s most popular means of communication and a favorite of businesses and marketers everywhere. Over half of the world’s population has an email account. The average office employee receives approximately 126 emails per day. That means a lot of time spent reading, sorting, and replying to emails during a workday. To help you deal with this more effectively, we put together a list of email best practices for a productive workplace.
We all strive to get more done, but there’s only so much time in a day, and we only have so much energy. However, there are people around us who seem to have found the holy grail of productivity. They rarely seem tired, never procrastinate, and rarely complain about not having enough time. If you wonder what is the secret of these highly productive people, read on. We put together a list of their habits that will hopefully help you get more done too.
The moment your feet touch the floor each morning, you begin to set the tone for your entire day. So it’s worth asking yourself: Does my morning routine fuel productivity? Or does it just prime my brain for distraction and procrastination? Do I start the morning with intentional practices that energize and motivate me? Or do I scroll mindlessly on social media and create unnecessary anxiety?
You may have heard that classic expression, laughter is the best medicine. As cliché as it might sound, it’s actually the truth. In past iterations of The Productivity Box we’ve talked about how mental health and stress management have an impact on your job performance. In this month’s edition, let’s turn the lens on laughter and examine how this positive emotional release can make you more productive, whether you work from home or in an office.
As the temperatures climb, you get into a summer routine, and it’s easy to slow down, including in the workplace. There are many reasons for this mythical slump, like families taking vacations while kids are out of school, creating an “out of office” ripple effect through your company. Externally, clients and vendors may be taking more time to respond, further making you less productive.
It’s summer! All you can think of is vacation, waves, beach, and cold drinks. Instead, you are stuck at home and still need to work. I can’t honestly find an encouraging bright side to that, but maybe it would make you feel better if you knew that you are not alone! No less than 25 percent of US workers feel less productive during the summer months and 68 percent admit that they are daydreaming during office hours. And that’s what summer slump is all about.
You’re sitting at your desk. The phone rings and breaks your concentration. When you pick it up, you notice it’s nearly lunchtime, and you’ve been working for a few hours, without distractions. While getting up from the chair, your legs feel completely numb. You take stock of the project on your screen and realize you’re almost done. At a quick glance, you also realize that it’s done well 😀 Congratulations, you’ve just experienced the flow state!
