Pathway to Productivity and Better Time Management

This video course provides you with information on some of the most effective techniques for increasing your productivity and time management skills.

Each lesson provides the reasoning and research behind each method. Following each video, you will find a 'quick guide' that will help you implement the ideas presented in the videos.

The term ‘productivity is often misused. It is not just about getting more done or help us to work faster. The truth is if we are more productive, we will have greater work-life balance and have more ‘down-time’ so that we can enjoy our lives outside of work.

In order to better control your time, you need to know how you are spending it. Once you have an understanding of how you spend your time, think about the things you want to accomplish or should be accomplishing.

Sometimes we are sabotaged by distractions when we are trying to complete our work. It is a bigger problem than you may think. Research shows that employees spend more than 90 minutes every day dealing with distractions.  Let's look at some tips for eliminating distractions.

It is essential to write down everything you must do when you first think about the task. That prevents you from worrying about it until it is time to focus your attention on that item.

Some people use paper systems, while others use digital systems. It doesn’t matter which you use. What is important is that you rely on your system and review it regularly.

There are two schools of thought regarding the organization of your work environment. Many believe that a messy desk is the sign of a disorganized person and that a person’s best work is down when clutter is at a minimum. Others think that a messy desk is a sign of creativity.

Here is my prescription for creating a more productive work environment.

Meetings have a bad reputation because they are frequently run poorly or are not planned correctly. In this lesson we look at tips on how you should handle a meeting if you are moderating it, and what to do if you are in a meeting that is wasting your time.   Plus, are regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings really worth your time?

We have created a culture where some people expect that you will respond instantly to emails as soon as they are received. This might make the ‘sender’ happy, but reduce your productivity.  This lesson teaches tips for managing your email and how you can triage your system.

This course is designed to improve your productivity, but it isn't something that can be implemented in one day.  This is a starting point and look at the importance of tweaking your system that it always work for you.