According to a post by Jeff Haden on Inc., there are a few things to cross off your to do list.

1. Check your phone while you’re talking to someone. If you want someone to feel special when you’re speaking with them, refrain from checking your phone. Seriously.

Haden writes, “Stop checking your phone. It doesn’t notice when you aren’t paying attention. Other people? They notice. And they care.” continued…

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Well, our friends at Brazen Careerist outlined a few ways to manage chaos on the job.

1. Prioritize. Yes, this entails planning ahead even during the most chaotic of times. Vishnu Subramaniam writes in the piece, “Not all tasks are created the same. You must determine what your ultimate goal and objective is for the day. Is your job to advocate for a policy, improve turnout for a community event or sell a product or service?”

Once an objective has been identified, it should be crystal clear as to what you should work on first. Looming deadline? Time to work on it first. continued…

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Okay, feeling punchy here on a Thursday.

The key to time management is that we can always learn something new, right? Although some people are better at it than others, we can always strive to streamline our work in order to be more productive.

According to a post by Elizabeth Grace Saunders on Harvard Business Review, we should approach a task by categorizing it into an investment, neutral or optimize activity. continued…

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Chances are, by now you’ve already completed your brackets and while employees compete during the tourney, it turns out the NCAA men’s basketball romp will cost U.S. employers a ton of lost wages this week.

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As more and more employers ask their employees to wear tracking sensors on their clothing (yes, it’s just what you think it is to track your movement), they’re actually compiling compelling data in the process.

According to a piece in The Wall Street Journal, researchers found that productivity surged at one specific tech company when workers ate at tables designed for 12 people instead of four.

In another situation, a bank call center moved to group breaks instead of individual ones and productivity increased by 10 percent. continued…

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Researchers at Michigan State University looked at 300 participants who performed a sequence-based procedure on a computer. As it turns out, interruptions of three seconds doubled their error rates!  continued…

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Have you ever felt like when you’re doing a great job and your team is collaborating, you’re all winning? Well, along the lines of winning, the piece advises managers to instill more fun and excitement into the job so essentially it feels like a game.

What does this mean exactly? Managers should provide a “sharply focused, urgent goal and a very tight deadline.” Let’s say there’s actually a long-term goal instead. Well, in that case, managers should break it down into smaller more immediate goals.  If there’s a deadline in three months, break it down into two-week intervals.

The piece adds the endeavor should encourage creativity and managers should “celebrate successes along the way.”

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Chances are, your body is in the office and your mind is likely elsewhere. If you’re zoned out or still hyped up amidst the holiday hoopla, never fear.

We got inspired by this Harvard Business Review post on how to quiet your mind. If you truly start to think about when you’re most productive at work (looming deadlines aside), it’s likely when your mind is still and most creative.

1. Meditating. According to the piece and a recent study, meditation may make your brain bigger, faster and appear younger. As this relates to work, why not leverage that morning commute? Let’s say you’re a passenger in a car or hop on a bus. The piece recommends closing your eyes for 10 minutes.

Alternatively if you drive, allow for 10 minutes of peace time sitting in the car before heading into the office. Select one image like a waterfall, specific beach or tree and focus only on that image. As other thoughts bubble up, start to push them away.

2. Pulsing. The post also references another research study which points out top performers in their field work in cycles. Whether they’re musicians or athletes, they work in 90-minute cycles and then they take a break. Why not start to tackle a project and set the alarm on your mobile phone for 90 minutes?

This way, you’ll know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and there’s a break waiting for you. In the meantime, you can power through that project until you get pinged. As for the break itself, a few options include taking a walk, talking to a colleague, listening to music or getting a cup of tea or coffee. After five minutes, get back to work for another 90-minute interval.

3. Daydream walking. Get this — as per the piece, apparently people who daydream and simply let their minds wander score higher on creativity tests and simultaneously remain aware enough to recognize a brainstorm when it occurs. Yes, we should give ourselves permission to let our minds roam. Even though you may feel chained to your desk at work, resolve to take a break.

And it doesn’t even have to be every day — even if you walk away for 20 minutes two days a week during lunch, you can think about anything you want aside from work. You’ll tap into the creative side of your brain whether you’re thinking about your next vacation or the fun you had over the holidays. You can ramp it up to every day of the week but realistically start out with one or two.

If a colleague wants to join you as you head outside to walk, resist the temptation to have company (because let’s face it, you’ll likely start talking about work), and just say no.

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Maybe you’re always the one burning the midnight oil on deadline at the office while one of your colleagues, ahem a slacker, sneaks in and out of the office for long lunches while no one notices.

Well, this piece on Forbes made us take notice.

Granted, it’s meant to be tongue in cheek so it’s not exactly like we’re endorsing loafing at the office. Sometimes we all need a splash of sense of humor to get us through the work week. This being one of them. continued…

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Family. Check.

Roof over our heads. Check.

Heat, hot water, electricity, food. Check, check, check. And yes, check.

Well, as time marches on and situations resume to somewhat normal routines after the storm has come and gone (assuming and hoping there was minimal devastation and power outages), it’s time to get back to work, right? continued…

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As for the hurricane itself or any natural disaster that forces you to work from home and rightly so (after all, nothing is more important than your safety), how does that impact productivity? Considering all mass transit is shut down today many east coasters are working remotely.

continued…

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1. Appreciation
When it comes to what employees want from a boss, appreciation is number one. Leadership consultant Roxana Hewertson, CEO of the Highland Consulting Group, says appreciation drives self-esteem, happiness and loyalty. “The number one difference between people who love their work and people who don’t is the degree of appreciation they receive from their boss and their peers,” said Hewertson.

But don’t just take her word for it. Get more tips in What Employees Really Want From Their Bosses (Besides a Raise). [subscription required]

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Well, according to an Entrepreneur piece, specific scents by boost your productivity as well! Consider this: The sense of smell is the strongest sense and can apparently influence brain activity.

In fact, Beverley Hawkins, owner of the Vancouver-based West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, explained to the site, ”Essential oils have anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and using them in an environment where there are a lot of people can help to keep germs at bay.” continued…

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Essentially, one list focuses on what you must accomplish today and the other list focuses on weekly to do items.

In a Lifehacker post, he recommended moving items from the weekly list to the daily list as the week progresses. Here’s the kicker: As you’re working, only focus on the daily items. When the day is done, so is your list but he indicated if your daily list always has items leftover that trickle into the next day, you’re biting more than you can chew.

He wrote, “Set fewer goals and actually finish them. Easy, right? Unfortunately, almost nobody takes my advice! They claim that they have to get that work done, so they can’t possibly set a smaller to-do list. Instead, of setting smaller goals, they continue creating to-do lists they can’t possibly finish.” continued…

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According to the Labor Department, worker productivity increased by 1.6 percent from April through June.

So, how is productivity determined, you ask? According to USA Today, the Labor Department classifies it as the amount of output per hour worked. An increased productivity could be assessed one of two ways: First, it could show an increased workload and thereby eventually demonstrate a need to hire more employees due to an increased workload. continued…

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