If “Be More Effective” is on your list of things to do this year, don’t miss our newest infographic, 10 Secrets for Overcoming Procrastination (opens a PDF). Procrastination is one of the most common ways people block their own productivity. We hope you will find the information useful…and share it with others!

The information featured in this overcoming procrastination infographic is pulled from the popular video, Time Challenged. Time Challenged reminds us that just “wishing for more time” isn’t an effective strategy. The character in the video learns how to identify and avoid behavior that is causing him to waste time, while also discovering ways to prioritize and accomplish tasks.

Time Management. An interesting concept, and a topic that I’m asked to present fairly often in a workshop format. It occurs to me that what employers are really interested in is productivity. To actually manage time is an oxymoron, as time really can’t be managed in the way we would like to think it could. We’re just not that omnipotent. Helping people manage themselves so that they become more efficient at completing their work in a timely fashion seems to be a much more doable concept.

Time management has always amused me because I happen to excel at procrastination, and yet have memorized and present time management techniques. However, one needs to implement these wonderful tools and techniques in order to “manage the time”. Time continues to pass all around the world without regard or reference as to what we individually are doing at any given moment. Often people claim to just need “more time to get all this done”. Actually there is more time; it just keeps on ticking away.

I find “time management” to be somewhat like dieting. Not all things work for everyone, and the only way they work is if we are willing to be diligent at managing ourselves and accept the responsibility that it takes real effort to actually implement changes in our lives. If you are not pre-destined to be the multitasker of the century, the tips outlined here should help. Accepting that sometimes you may fail even with the best effort also allows you to not give up, but to try again, and maybe re-examine what other changes need to be made to successfully feel the sense of accomplishment. With that being said…. now here´s where we actually explore the possibility of getting more done in less time. (more…)

Most of us complain that there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything we need and want to do. Yet, often we spend hours on activities and conversations that don’t come close to being top priority. One simple way to identify time wasters and focus on balance is to take an inventory of how you spend your time.

A time inventory is a tool to help you see how well what you do every day matches up with your big-picture goals and values. How you take your inventory is up to you (iPad, tablet, computer, journal) but “the key is to be honest and consistent,” says Joan Gurvis of the Center for Creative Leadership. It’s like writing down everything you eat before starting a diet so you have a clear picture of your eating habits.”

Here’s a four-step process to evaluate where the hours go and use that information to gain greater balance:

Track. Keep a log a week or two and jot down what you do for any period of an hour or more. Some themes or categories will emerge: career, family, community, health, self, spiritual pursuits and so on.

Understand. Write down why you did what you did. Do your actions reflect or contradict your values and goals?

Review. At the end of your time tracking, look at your notes and consider how you feel? Do you feel “in balance”? What does your assessment tell you? (more…)

Everyone procrastinates at one time or another. In fact, of all time management problems, this is the one that is most obvious, and it is the one we most readily admit to.

Procrastination comes in many forms. It is doing the urgent rather than the important. It is watching television when you should be exercising. It is lingering over lunch, while things are stacked up back at the office. It is avoiding people rather than facing them when there is a problem. Whatever form it may take, procrastination is something we should strive to overcome.

There are several reasons why we procrastinate: the task is unpleasant, the task appears to be overwhelming, the task requires a decision, or the task is perceived as being of low priority.

To overcome procrastination, we must overcome an inertia that has set in, a tendency to resist taking action. From physics we learn that a body remains at rest until a force is exerted against it. Physics also teaches us that it takes less effort to maintain motion once the initial inertia has been broken. Here are some techniques to help procrastinators get moving and to stay on track. (more…)

Feel free to use this tip sheet / checklist as you tackle tasks and projects.

ACT AFTER YOU PLAN

• start with a written plan of action to avoid getting distracted
• keep your plan simple and straightforward
• start with the one thing you must get done today to feel productive
• should be a manageable item you can complete in 10-15 minutes
• break the day up into a number of “action sessions” for other tasks
• balance the time spent planning with time spent creating or doing
• avoid over-planning — another method of procrastination
• before ending your day, spend 10 minutes reviewing your progress
• take time to plan your actions for the next day (more…)

New Survey Reveals Layers of Workplace Distractions that Impact Employees and Businesses

Every minute of every work day employees are bombarded with distractions they must work with or around to get things done. Whether it’s the meeting that runs 30 minutes over, the Blackberry that won’t stop buzzing, office gossip about the newest employees or even family matters, there are a myriad of conflicting matters vying for employees’ attention. (more…)

How can your organization – and you as a trainer – benefit from the use of off-the-shelf, video-based training materials? It’s an important question.

The bottom line? Video-based off-the-shelf training materials save you and your organization both time and money, they make you (and the organization) look good, and because they help build learning retention, they can improve the ROI on your training investment.

* Source: CRM Learning Customer Survey, June 2008