A holistic approach to increasing your get-up and go, from the productivity expert whose previous books showed people how to Find More Time and Leave the Office Earlier. If you want to be productive but are just too tired all the time, you need to read this book! Laura Stack combines invaluable insights and practical advice in this guide to becoming more energetic and more productive in every area of life. Stack describes the factors that contribute to low energy (the "energy bandits") and explains how to reduce their effects and build up or renew sources of positive force (with "energy boosters").

Available now from Amazon.com and at better bookstores everywhere.

Leave the Office Earlier, Laura shows you how you CAN get more done than you ever thought possible and still get home to your real life sooner.Available now from Amazon.com.

More of The Productivity Pro's Resources

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We make way for the man who boldly pushes past us." - Christian Nestell Bovee

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Recent posts:

Business Efficiency: Audio Podcast: Resolve to Stop the Meeting Madness!

Time Management: It's All in the Timing

Business Productivity: Weekly Series on Denver's Channel 7

No Time Like Now To Get Organized

Workplace Productivity: Your First To-Do of the Day

Time Management: Gracefully Refusing Requests

Business Productivity: Technology In the Workplace 2010 Study

Time Management: Match Your Tasks to Your Energy Level

How to conquer your top 10 PC resolutions

Ten steps to increased productivity through effective training

Multitasking: is it effective?

10 things human resources won't say

These are all private client engagements with Laura Stack. At this time, Laura does not offer open enrollment seminars to the general public. If you're interested in bringing Laura to your organization to present a training seminar for your employees on the day prior or the day after one of these engagements below, please contact John Stack for special "piggyback" pricing.

June 2010

8::Denver, CO

16::Suitland, Maryland

17::Denver, CO

25::Black Hawk, CO

28::Denver, CO

29::San Diego, CA

July 2010

12::Denver, CO

13-16::Orlando, FL

17-20::Orlando, FL

27::Sioux Falls, SD

28::Denver, CO

August 2010

4::Pittsburgh, PN

8-10::Breckenridge, CO

13::Phoenix, Arizona

23::Denver, CO

26::Denver, CO

September 2010

11::Cologne Germany

14::Cary, North Carolina

18::Birmingham, AL

27::Denver, CO

October 2010

9::Nashville, Tennessee

15::Tinley Park, IL

19::Palm Desert, CA

23::Adelphia, ML

25::Denver, CO

Visit Laura's Calendar On-line for her complete availability.

SUPERCOMPETENT^(TM) KEY #5: ACCOUNTABILITY

This month's article correlates to the fifth key in my newest book SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (Wiley), to be released on August 9: ACCOUNTABILITY.

Accountability recognizes that "the buck stops here."

SuperCompetent people mean what they say and say what they mean. They're authentic, and other people know this and appreciate them for it--and also for their refusal to blame others when unforeseen circumstances trip them up. Their intense focus on their values is borne out in their demeanor and their sense of personal responsibility.

Accountability involves your commitment to yourself and others. It's about the promises we make to the people who rely on us--and to ourselves. It's about consistently hitting goals, meeting deadlines, fulfilling promises, and committing to teamwork.

The truly Accountable understand that in almost every circumstance, they're responsible for who they are and where they are.

A high level of self discipline and Accountability can be achieved by consistently practicing the following precepts:

1. Take personal responsibility for handling your time and productivity. Never lay the blame on anyone else. Unless you live in a totalitarian state or are an indentured servant (unlikely), then when it comes to productivity, it's all up to you. If something or someone gets in your way, it's your duty to go around.

2. When a process seems unusually long and inefficient, do what you can to make it easier for everyone. Just because something's been done a certain way for a long time doesn't mean it's the best way to do it now. If you find a problem, step forward and fix it if you can--or offer a solution if you can't.

3. Rather than waste even small amounts of productive time, get right to work. Breaks are necessary, but don't overindulge in them. Self-discipline is important in any field of endeavor. Without it, deadlines get missed, you feel guilty--and guilt sucks the energy right out of you. Or you get fired. Or both.

4. When you have all the information you need to proceed, make decisions immediately. You have to make critical decisions quickly whenever it's necessary and you're empowered to do so. Don't let worry or social inertia slow you down, because motion beats meditation every time if you have all the data you need.

5. Understand the difference between being busy and being productive. Don't let little tasks keep you from getting things done. Most of us spend too much time tending to minor issues that other people can handle more cheaply and efficiently, and never have enough time to do all the really important tasks.

The SuperCompetent take charge of their own productivity because, ultimately, they realize that it all comes down to them. They accept the blame when it's due, not just the credit.

They also do all they can to make things work better for themselves and others, and make every effort to become comfortable with making decisions, without letting the possible negative consequences paralyze them.

Personal responsibility is easy to observe in people who have it. Make sure people can observe it in you.

Make it a productive day! ^(TM)

(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.

Q: Hi Laura, scientists have proven and the health experts realize that multitasking can screw things up at work. How the heck do I get my firm to understand that? I am not a computer, and even computers will crash if you open too many things at once. Help!

A: Is there a single serious professional out there who doesn't want to be more productive? I doubt it. So it's no wonder we multi-task constantly. To some extent, "multi-tasking" is necessary in the sense that we all have to juggle multiple projects and activities at any particular time. However, you're correct that trying too hard to do too many things at one time is simply counter-productive.

It's easier to concentrate if your mind isn't scrambled, so make sincere efforts to focus on just a few important things at a time. Go beyond trimming your multi-tasking list. Learn to cut through the clutter and control distractions, instead of letting distractions control you. Stop trying to do everything at once. If you think about something, write it down, and come back to it later: don't drop what you're doing and pursue the new line of thought.

Always use caution when working with a multi-tasker. These people will rarely admit they don't have the capacity to take on another task and can easily become distracted by competing priorities. Always double-check with multi-taskers directly to make sure they can and will do what is expected in an agreed-upon timeframe.
 

Have Laura speak to your company, conference or organization. How do you know if Laura would be perfect for your next event, meeting, or training? View the "Laura Stack Is Perfect For This Group" fact sheet.

Ever bought a new computer and dreaded having to install all of your no-cost programs again -- software like Firefox, Audacity, Adobe Reader, iTunes, etc.? It's quite a time-consuming chore, since you have to find the download link at each of the sites and then download and install each piece of software individually.

Now you can install the most popular freebies from one site, Ninite (ninite.com). Ninite installs the most popular software fast (based on the ones you choose from their menu) with default settings and says "no" to browser toolbars and other junk. Ninite checks your PC's language and 64-bit support to install the latest, best version of each program. It runs on Windows XP/Vista/7 and works in the background unattended and 100% hands-free. All it does is automatically download and install the apps you select. There's no Ninite software to install.

Ninite for personal use is no-charge. They also offer a Pro version with a monthly fee that offers extra features like saved downloads and silent mode that make Ninite Pro faster and more flexible. The only downside to this site is that there's no link that explains what each of the featured software downloads does. So, if you're not already familiar with the app because you have it on your computer, you'll need to research any unknown apps you might be interested in adding to your computer to see what they do before adding them to your installation order.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, click the link provided on the bottom of a recent newsletter.  If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to interested associates so they may subscribe.

We have clients in several cities who would like to split a day of Laura's training fees and travel expenses (if outside Colorado) with another company or organization in the local area. If you live within one hour of these locations and are interested this shared model, please email Becca@TheProductivityPro.com.

Denver, CO
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Tampa, FL
 

Laura Stack, MBA, CSP
Publisher

Messages from Laura

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