The key to focus every day
Recently I have been running Smart Teams workshops for several clients who have previously attended our Smart Work personal productivity training. It’s always insightful to revisit clients at some stage after they have done the initial training, because even though the Smart Work system is simple and practical, it’s easy to slip back into old […]
Read MoreWe have more time than we think
Over the Christmas break I identified some jobs to do at home that have been hanging over me for a while. One of them was to clean out the walk-in food pantry in the kitchen. Over the years it has filled up with stuff, making it hard to find space for anything new. Plus it’s always a challenge finding things once they’re in there. So […]
Read MoreAgainst the wind
Well those drifters’ days are past me now, I’ve got so many more things to think about Deadlines and commitments, what to leave in, what to leave out Against the wind, I’m still running against the wind I’m older now but still running against the wind Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band I love that song – a classic from the 1970’s […]
Read MoreTurn intentions into behaviours
I once read that culture is a set of collective beliefs and behaviours. In organisations, the productivity culture is influenced by the behaviours of the people within the organisation, especially senior managers. Staff see how managers and leaders operate and tend to copy these behaviours. The behaviours then become the norm. For instance, if an organisation has a meeting-heavy culture, it is […]
Read MoreA more proactive approach to toilet paper
What is it with people not replacing the toilet paper? How hard can it be? On the odd occasion that I walk into a bathroom to find no toilet paper, I am struck by how selfish the behaviour of the previous occupant was, and how reactive that person’s work life must also be (I will […]
Read MoreHow visibility can influence your culture
I recently visited Launceston to spend a day with a local management team. I stayed in a very cool new hotel – Peppers Silo Hotel. As the name suggests, it is an old converted grain silo, and I loved it! I had dinner in the hotel restaurant and was blown away by the way the kitchen worked. I have worked in restaurant kitchens in […]
Read MoreProductivity lessons from school
Well, today is the last day of school for my son Finn. He starts his HSC in a few weeks, and then takes on the World. I am so excited for him. And just a little sad. Just yesterday I was walking him to kindy!Here are three productivity lessons I hope he takes out of his schooling and into the […]
Read MoreAre your subject lines fuzzy or focused?
I recently helped a team create a more productive culture around email usage. They were all past alumni of Smart Work, and all passionate users of the system, but they still struggled with the high volume and poor quality of email communications they received each day. One of the big breakthroughs they had on the day was to agree on a set of email subject abbreviations […]
Read MoreStay in the loop and in control
I recently worked with the head of a consulting team in Sydney. He was receiving a large volume of emails every day and was struggling to keep up. During our discussions I discovered that he was CC’d on every email sent to his clients by his team. This resulted in him getting over three hundred emails every day! When […]
Read MoreThe 25 Minute Meeting
My good friend and colleague Donna McGeorge has just published a new book that I can’t wait to share with you. It is called The 25 Minute Meeting and shows you how to double the impact of your meetings in half the time. If you’ve have been following my recent blogs, especially since I released Smart Teams, […]
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