Category: #productivitytip

Teams365 #2956 - Productivity Tip – What Are You Tracking?

2/2/2022

Tracking is a key part of remote and hybrid productivity? With days sometimes feeling like they blur into one another with Work From Home, it can be important to create pause points to notice where we are, and where we are going.

The planners I have created, PlanDoTrack (For virtual and remote professionals), and Coaching Business Builder (for coaches growing their businesses) are designed to support Planning and Tracking. The doing part is up to you!

I hope that you will grab a copy of the planner either analog (hard copy) at https://www.amazon.com/PlanDoTrack-Workbook-Planner-Virtual-Professionals/dp/0993791549 or digitally at our Potentials Realized store https://www.potentialsrealized.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Here are some of the favorite planning tools PlanDoTrack Facilitators and leaders have said they enjoy:

Daily Planner - One of my personal favorites, the Monthly daily tracker provides a space for you to regularly review your daily steps towards key goals. There’s space for you to track movement in 11 key areas – pick some personal, pick some business, and track away. You’ll see this one in the title for this week’s post.

Content Tools especially the Daily Content Tracker – The Daily Content tracker provides you with space to note what you have added to your list. Use it to list what you have created and where you are sharing it.

Monthly Content Journal – One Line a Day. Another favorite of mine, I use this in two ways. The One Line a Day gives you space to note one line for every day of the month. I use one to note my key actions for the day and a second one to note one sentence around IDEAS I had. It’s great to go back to and look at over time.

Monthly Content Tracker – While you may not be creating content every day, it’s likely that you will be sharing it. The monthly content tracker can be used to help you create a link to it.

Metaview Annual Goals and Milestones – This page allows you to get a high-level overview of all the goals you have ahead of you. Update it as you go, given that annual plans can shift and change, as we’ve seen in recent years.

The Month in Focus – This is an invaluable tool used as a planner and retrospective on your week. Use it on a weekly basis to track your key priorities, successes, enablers, derailers, lessons learned and what you will do or focus on next week.
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Pick up a copy of either one of the Planners in digital format now at our Potentials Realized site. Note they are not available as a digital edition anywhere else (at least at the moment.

This post was originally published at the PlanDoTrack blog at https://www.plandotrack.com/blog, where you will find even more posts to support you in remote and hybrid work.

Enjoy your focus!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

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Teams365 #2867 - 5 Productivity Tips To Support You As You Get Back To (Virtual) Work Routines

11/5/2021

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Getting things done is at the heart of exceptional work in the hybrid space. Today’s blog post explores five key tips for productivity in the virtual space. While these will all be familiar to you, what is a good reminder for you this week?

#1 – Put A Frame Around It. As I shared in one of yesterday’s “Back to (Virtual) Work” Posts, Parkinson’s rule asserts that tasks expand to the amount of time we give them. It can be useful to “put a frame around” bigger projects by putting a framework around the start and end. What are those tasks you want to frame out?

#2 – Related To The First Area Is That Of Boundaries. Framing things out can also relate to boundaries. What are the boundaries you want to put in place? Boundaries can include having:

Physical space earmarked for
Boundaries around when you are on, and when you are off
Boundaries around task time

What boundaries will help you focus?

#3 – Creating time for sprints. Getting things done in faster, deeper dive can be a different way of working. About 5 years ago, I started experimenting with using “sprints” in program design. I take professionals through a 45-minute series of reflective prompts, helping guide them into focus. What are the sprints you want to create around your work?

#4 – Think about meal preparation and batching cooking. It’s likely that your food prep and planning is much more organized than it was this time last year, but perhaps not. Spending time every week to not only plan, and shop, but also prepare, can make a big difference, freeing up valuable time. What are the kitchen implements you have, but haven’t used? This might be an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker. What can you do to incorporate one or two more set-it-and-forget-it meals? One of my favorite video sites is the Seven Sisters….Many of their creations are things we already have in the pantry and freezer.

#5 – Think about creating something different in your routine. Our brains crave, and remember, things that are NOVEL, DIFFERENT or SURPRISING. On a regular basis, what can you do to get out of your routine? Maybe it’s attending a call which helps you think about things in a different way. Maybe it’s about shaking up your routine (moving your workout to a different time of day). Maybe it’s about working from a different location. What can you to do jazz up your routine?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

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Teams365 #2856 - Productivity Tip – Building In More Margin with Your Time

10/25/2021

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As I go to look back at 2021, one of the things that stands out for me is the 21 for 21 Virtual Co-Working Sprints. This year I have hosted multiple months of co-working action, in 21 minute blocks. It really adds up as we have seen, with 21 days of 21 minutes working out to 7.35 hours. Leading these in the early part of the year were what helped me get across the finish line in terms of my focus with Reconnecting Workspaces and the 90-Day Guide for Success.
Here’s what I wrote about it earlier this year in a PlanDoTrack blog post “Building In More Margin”. You can read the original post at https://www.plandotrack.com/blog.
I love a broad margin to my life “ – Henry David Thoreau

As we wrapped up the 21 for 21 series a few days ago, it was a great experiment in seeing what is really possible in the time we have available. If you weren’t part of the 21 for 21 it included time for people to come together and take 21 minutes of action on their projects. Over the 21 days, it became 441 minutes of 7 hours and 35 minutes. A significant amount of time! If you considered it on a daily basis it would seem to be just a little amount of time, but over the course of three weeks, it really added up.

Almost every day during the 21 minutes o virtual co-working, I heard from attendees just how valuable the process was for them. It was an opportunity to pause and undertake focused actions which were important to them.

So what led me to host this? The 21 for 21 Coworking Sprints was influenced by several things – Thoreau’s quote rom the last century. I’ve thought about this quote for some time now, considering what we can do to increase the margin of time we have available. I’ve also been inspired by the and the invitations from Author Gretchen Rubin who for the last few years has hosted a 19 for 19, 20 for 20 and now 21 for 21, where listeners are encouraged to set a series of goals for the year.

What is the consistent habit you want to undertake right now?
Here are some great articles about that: https://richlyrooted.com/2014/01/create-margin-in-your-life-for-a-simpler-schedule.html

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Reconnecting-Workspaces-Pathways-Thrive-Virtual/dp/0993791557

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Teams365 #2836 - Productivity Tip – Daily Steps and Consistent Action Really Does Create Momentum

10/5/2021

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Back in 2018 and early 2019 when I published Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack (a workbook/planner for virtual and remote professionals), it was shaped by wanting to create a resource for professionals to be able to undertake consistent action and focus around topics of importance. Whether you used it then or you use it now, PDT and CBB provide a framework for focus on what’s important to you. They match perfectly with the new 90-Day Guide which provides the real focus for DAILY STEPS + CONSISTENT ACTIONS.

Throughout the 90-Day Guide we are looking at key topics which are important whether you are new to a role, or re-boarding to a new working arrangements (i.e. back to the office instead of working from home), or whether you are undertaking an intentional focus over a 90-Day period.

My invitation is for you to get a copy of the book and start earmarking 15 minutes a day for focus, so you can learn more about these core topics like delegation, focus, meetings, office systems. Note where you are now, and consider where you want to go.

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

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Teams365 #2815 - Remote and Hybrid Productivity Tip: Work Ahead (Repurposing WPH #61)

9/14/2021

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In today’s tip I wanted to reach back to one of the many PlanDoTRack Remote (and Hybrid) Productivity Tips. Today I wanted to zoom into my Weekly Planning Hack #61 – Working Ahead.

This is a practice I still undertake, including how I write my blog posts in regular batches (today’s is part of a writing burst for two of this month’s posts).
Here’s what I shared over at the PlanDoTrack Blog in Weekly Planning Hack- #61

In the remote workspace working ahead (a little bit) can be an important practice, especially if disruption is more the norm than the blip in your work style.

While some things will change if we undertake them too early, there are several things that you might benefit from working ahead around. Consider these items:
Reporting
Administrative tasks
Presentations
Small tasks which add up

Over the course of a day, we can pull off tangent many, many times. That may be the reason that several schools of thought in time management assert to get the most important, and often the most difficult thing done first.

I see this happen in my work on a regular basis, especially when I work around proposals, and presentations. I need a certain amount of creative and deep thinking when doing these two things, and if I can, I’ll find very early times of the day to at least get started, and sometimes finish, these tasks. Usually, I am thankful given that inevitably urgent pressing matters pop up, requiring, my time, focus and brain power.

If you were to invest in starting 30 minutes a day earlier, or getting a head start on thinking on a train ride, what would you want to work ahead around?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Check out my TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_virtual_remote_and_hybrid_checklist_aug_2021

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

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Teams365 #2762 - Productivity Tip #10 – Support Action with 3 Bullet Points

7/23/2021

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This week’s Friday flashback takes us into the realm of communication, clarity and bullet points. Let’s take a look back at Teams365 #1842: https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1842-productivity-tip-10-support-action-with-3-bullet-points

#10 – Support Action and Clarity with 3 Bullet Points

Communicating in business is usually about creating clarity so that people can take action. If our message is lost in transmission, we may have lost an opportunity to support change, missed a sale, or weakened a relationship.
Brevity is key to effective presentations and business communication. It helps us stand out and helps our message be memorable.

The latency and recency effects assert that we remember the start and the end of things. What are the key messages that you want people to remember? Keeping the latency and recency effect in mind, it is best to include the main points at the start and reinforce these again at the end.

Starting and wrapping up your presentation with 3 bullet points can be an effective way to boost retention of your message.

Rather than going into a long description, boil it down to 3 bullet points.

Activity:
Think about your upcoming presentations or marketing messages. What are the key points you want to communicate? What do you want to get across?
Think about the presentation. Write out the three bullet points you want people to remember.
Now think about the audience. What is important to them? What action do you want them to take?
Now rewrite your three bullet points.
As you think about the overarching arc of the presentation, what can you do to reinforce these three bullet points at the start of the presentation, and at the end?
Insert it now!

The 3-bullet point tip is also useful beyond communication, in light of overall productivity. Simpler is better. It helps us focus. As it applies to time management, at the start of the day identify what are the 3 core items that MUST GET Done. If all else fails, what are those 3 things?

Conversation Sparkers:

What is the message you want to communicate?
What do you want people to remember, and take action on?
What are the three bullet points?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

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Teams365 #2759 - Productivity Tip for Hybrid Work – Metrics That Matter

7/20/2021

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An earlier precursor for Reconnecting Workspaces was PlanDoTrack, a workbook planner for remote and virtual professionals. As part of that book, I blogged for more than a year on Remote Productivity tips. I thought it would be useful to update these for the hybrid space, given that in hybrid work, most things are more complex.

One area that’s important regardless of what context we are working in is tracking metrics. Here’s what I wrote in PlanDoTrack Weekly Planning Tip 71 – Metrics that Matter

https://www.plandotrack.com/blog/weekly-planning-hack-71-metrics-that-matter
“Metrics that Matter” gets us thinking about the things you want to track. What’s important to you? What’s important to your work or business? How often are you pausing to see where things are at? What are the metrics that matter?

As I shared in an earlier community call metrics matter for several reasons including – they help to:

Anchor

While we may be a Jack or Jill of all trades, it can be important to bring “Experts” on board as well. Metrics are important in the hybrid world as they are something we can all do and share, whether we see each other or not.

Provide Data

Metrics provide data, offering a variety of engagement types – products and services, which can allow you to expand your reach and geographic impact. Data is critical for hybrid workspaces so everyone can measure where they are at.

Scaling

Metrics help with measurement and scaling. They indicate where you are and how far you have gotten.

Know Where We are Going

Metrics provide a marker, and help us know where we are on the pathway of the journey towards our goals.

Resource Allocation

Metrics also provide a way to allocate resources to what is needed.

What’s important to note about metrics in your work and world right now?

What are you doing to track your numbers? Is everyone tracking the same thing, in the same way?

How are you revisiting them - This week? This month? This quarter?

If you haven’t taken a look at your metrics from the last quarter, take a look back at them now. What do you notice?

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326

Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my new book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon.

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Teams365 Blog

Teams365 #2956 - Productivity Tip – What Are You Tracking?

Teams365 #2867 - 5 Productivity Tips To Support You As You Get Back To (Virtual) Work Routines

Teams365 #2856 - Productivity Tip – Building In More Margin with Your Time

Teams365 #2836 - Productivity Tip – Daily Steps and Consistent Action Really Does Create Momentum

Teams365 #2815 - Remote and Hybrid Productivity Tip: Work Ahead (Repurposing WPH #61)

Teams365 #2762 - Productivity Tip #10 – Support Action with 3 Bullet Points

Teams365 #2759 - Productivity Tip for Hybrid Work – Metrics That Matter

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