Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

#Teams365 #3104 - Tips for Creating a More Productive Workspace (IN today's Hybrid and Remote World)

7/5/2022

In Chapter 18 of Reconnecting Workspaces we explore the topic of time management. I thought it would be useful to share the following excerpt from page which covers tips for creating a more effective workspace:

Tips for Creating a More Productive Workplace—Essential Elements. What do you have in place?

• Dedicated desk space or working area.
• The ability to stream—Webcam.
• Minimize disruptions and interruptions. Gloria Mark has found that there is a
significant cost with interruptions, where it can take upwards of 28 minutes to get
back on task.
• Help team members when they get demotivated. In a regular job we might move
people into a job shadowing function. In a virtual team, it is hard to do this so we
may look at doing some virtual job shadowing, where people are encouraged to
work together.
• Look at changing work location—maybe there are distractions in the global space.
• Pair with a peer partner for a few hours. What can you learn from each other?
• Reorient work hours to accommodate a remote or hybrid rhythm which may need to take into account other family members’ schedules who are also working from home, as well as a more global reach.
• Take some time off and away.
• Bring team members to core locations (like the main office or a departmental retreat, when possible) so they are more connected and have a bigger sense of the whole/ bigger picture

What are you doing to create more of a productive workspace for yourself? What small changes would make a big difference?

Enjoy the flow,
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 - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

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.

#Teams365 #3103: IntroducIng Chapter 18 - Reconnecting Workspaces: Time Management and Personal Productivity

7/4/2022

After spending most of June exploring Chapter 17 of Reconnecting Workspaces, and the topic of Emotional Intelligence, today we move into Chapter 18 and the focus on Personal Productivity and Time Management. This is one of my favorites and is covered in much greater depth in my workbook planner, PlanDoTrack for Virtual and Remote Professionals. For years my clients have been focusing on this topic of finding the best balance for high performance in the virtual and remote space.

As we step into Chapter 18 of Reconnecting Workspaces I wanted to get you thinking about the following Principle:

“Boundaries and balance are important for doing more with less. Time management and productivity is about being focused and strategic.”

What does focus look like for you?
What does it feel like?

For many years I have embraced the mantra, “I am only one person, I can only do so much.”. Work will always be there in the virtual, remote and hybrid space, making boundaries even more important. What do you notice about how important boundaries are for you?

Enjoy the flow, and this series which will run for the next few weeks,
Jennifef

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 - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist

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.

TEAMS365 #2445 – 5 Productivity Tips To Support You As You Get Back To (Virtual) Work Routines

9/9/2020

#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?

For more ideas and virtual productivity hacks, check out the PlanDoTrack Weekly Planning Hacks. You’ll find them here.

You might be interested in reading a recent post I wrote last month – Maintaining Productivity in the Remote Space

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2444 – Back to Work Routines

9/8/2020

Whether you are still working from home or back to an amended, socially distant, working routine, this month is often likened to the start of the new year. As you gear up for work, consider these routines:

What are the tasks you want to streamline, automate or systematize – From accounting to processing your outreach, what can streamlined, automated or systematized?

What can be batched? The term cognitive switching refers to the processing needed (and associated) energy when we switch from one type of task to another. As I liken it, there can be a need to switch and reset parts of our brain. Think about the different flow you find when you are working with numbers? Or writing? Or creating something? Or reading something? What are the tasks you want to batch? When do you want to schedule them? Would it be useful to earmark a Friday afternoon to filing and financial info when your brain is tired? Or early morning for really important tasks that need to be completed?

What are the boundaries you want to create? If you are working remote, tech time and work time may need some adjustment to provide you with free space to

Fit in workout time. While our work out time and routine may look different today than it did last year, what are you doing to build in workout time? When does it happen? What will help you prioritize that it happens? Do you prefer doing it early morning? Lunch time (yes, we do need to take a lunch in the remote space)? Or at Night?

Give things a start and end – Just as Parkinson’s Rule asserts, tasks expand to the amount of time we give them. What are the time windows you have given on important tasks? For example, with a writing project, are you giving it a month for completion or two weeks? Some tasks can wind up extending onwards much longer. As you look to your major projects this month, what are the time windows you want to give them?

What else will help provide a frame and focus?

If you want to read more, check out this post: Remote Teams: 5 Things to Schedule Before Fall

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2354 – Have you scheduled these 10 focus areas yet?

6/10/2020

Earlier this year I shared a post on ten things you would want to make sure you took time to schedule. You can read Teams365 #2199 post here.

As we moved into the months of January and February a lot of our focus was on getting up to speed, and with the pandemic taking a lot of attention in recent months, some of these activities may not have been on the radar as much. I thought it would be useful to go back and take a look at these areas:

#1 – Team Meetings – Make them consistent and regular. It’s likely that you won’t be able to have everyone at the table (or the screen). Make sure that you create shared team agreements of what team members need to do if they are not present for meetings.

#2 – Meetings with Your Boss – Have you scheduled in time with your direct line manager? Keeping visible and being in regular communication is essential in today’s workplace. Corporate priorities can change quickly as can your boss’ priorities. How often are the two of you meeting? What format are you using? What’s important for them to know?

#3 – One-on-Ones with The Team – While group and team meetings are great, team members still need some 1-1 time. Be sure to schedule in some time with your team on a regular basis. Are you aiming for monthly 1-1 conversations? Quarterly deeper dives? Daily touchpoints? As a team talk about expectations and make agreements about who is responsible for scheduling and follow up.

#4 – Team Development Time – As I shared in yesterday’s Effective Virtual Conversations tip, team development time is critical and is often overlooked for virtual teams. Teams don’t just excel by osmosis! They need time to get to know each other, clarify how they are operating and focus in on what’s important.

#5 – Strategic Thinking Time — Are you leaving yourself enough time for reflection and thinking? Be sure to leave in enough time for strategic thinking. This can include creating, or revisiting your VISION, MISSION and MANDATE. Taking time to think strategically is important so that you have a clear big picture with a longer-term horizon. With things changing rapidly, the strategic horizon of 1, 3 or 5 years down the road can be invaluable in helping us keep moving, and not getting too set back by the small changes which can feel frenetic.

#6 — Time to Get Things Done — With meetings, communication and email taking a lot of time, what time are you leaving for yourself to get things done? For some professionals, it means coming into the office early to tackle key tasks for 30-60 minutes before others arrive. For others, it means booking a conference room and closing the door. Notice when you are most productive and when it’s important to get things done.

# 7 – Learning Time – What are your learning and development goals this year? Embracing ongoing learning has never been more important. What are the skills, processes and approaches which are going to help you do your best work? Note that learning can take many forms: including in-person programming, virtual learning as well as on-demand learning. Finally, peer learning (see #9) is another set of approaches.

#8 – Feedback Time – What feedback touchpoints are you building in throughout the year? Feedback in many organizations has moved to an ongoing cycle, and it can be important to make sure that it is happening regularly. Block off time in your schedule to get it done.

#9 – Peer Learning Time/Mentoring Time — What is the peer learning you want to undertake this year? Is it possible to do some job shadowing or pair with a peer partner throughout the year to compare notes, share resources and learn from each other?

In addition to peer learning, what about identifying a mentor in your organization or industry who can share their experience in order to help you understand “what’s below the waterline”?

#10 – Time Within Your Industry or Outside Your Regular Scope of Work — Finally, industry connections are key. Keeping current in your area of work may be as important, or more important, in the medium- and longer-term. What connection into professional associations are going to support you this year?

What do you want to make sure you make time to focus on?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar

PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here.

TEAMS365 #2340 – Remote Productivity Tip - Reducing Distractions in the Remote Space

5/27/2020

With the tsunami of professionals who have had to shift over to remote work this year, many are getting into the groove of remote work. Whether remote is your new normal or still something temporary, even with the best of intentions, distractions can get in the way.

As someone who has worked in the remote space for several decades while leading virtual teams and a virtual business, I’ve been writing on remote productivity on a regular basis at the Teams365 blog since 2014, and thought that it might be useful to dip into some of my older posts.

Here are four areas I shared back in 2016, in Teams365 blog post #797 about four ways to minimize distractions when working remote. They are:

1. Clear a dedicated space for your work. Whether our workspace is a small table which folds back into the wall when we are done, or we have dedicated office space, clearing the clutter can be an important step in creating space to focus and be productive.

Consider where you work - what needs to be cleared? Spend 15 minutes this week clearing yourself more space.

2. Make sure you have what you need in order to do your work. Small issues can become big issues when working remote. An old laptop which crashes regularly, taking with it your hard work, becomes a liability. Slow internet speeds can also take a toll. While these issues might be minor pain when working remote once a month, if you need to work remote several days a week, the cost adds up. Consider what you might be tolerating in terms of equipment/resources that just aren't cutting it.

What's the cost of replacing them? What's the cost if you don't?

3. Consider when you are at your peak for different types of work. Some of us like the early morning to get our thoughts down on paper, while others like to tackle calls first thing in the morning. Consider your style and preferences in terms of when you would like to get different tasks accomplished, and SCHEDULE IT IN. We know that as Peter Drucker said, “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”.

4. Distractions can occur when we don't allow ourselves time for a break, or we don't allow ourselves to get into the flow of one activity at a time. While there are many approaches to time management (check out all of the Teams365 time management tips here), one favorite I’ve shared with many professionals over the years is the Pomodoro approach. The Pomodoro Technique recommends you set a timer for a set amount of time (i.e. 25 minutes) and work until the alarm goes off). Other time management gurus recommend a 10-minute break every 50 minutes.

What is going to keep you focused and at your prime in terms of productivity?

As you think about your current working situation, what distractions are getting in the way? What’s going to help you be most productive? What’s going to help you do your best work, when working from home?

This was originally shared as Teams365 #797 https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-797-four-ways-to-minimize-distractions-with-remote-work

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar

PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here.

TEAMS365 #2339 - Ways to Keep Your Virtual Meeting on the Flow

5/26/2020

Keeping the conversation going with virtual meetings in the remote space can take some concerted effort and is critical in terms of getting right. For many teams, it’s going to be a while longer before they are back face-to-face.

Next time you are going to lead a virtual meeting or facilitate a virtual webinar, consider these tips:

Keep it varied. Keep the pace moving and adjust pace every 7- 10 minutes. This might involve polling people in a larger audience or focusing more on
Use the tools available. There are usually many tools we can activate in the virtual space to engage others. From annotation, to breakouts, polling, to chat, what do you want to ensure you do to bring in everyone’s voices?
Wrap it up before the top of the hour. Maybe even 5 – 10 minutes early. With back-to-back virtual meetings becoming the norm, what would it be like to adopt a 50- or 55-minute meeting length so people actually have time to move from one meeting to the next?
Leave 30-60 seconds for people to note what they are going to do and schedule it in. How many times have you left one meeting, clear on what you had committed to doing, and then by the end of the next hour had forgotten what it was?

Always run through your pre-meeting checklist before you get going…. check out my past post around 8 Meeting Questions you always want to ask. You can read it here at the PlanDoTrack Blog.

What’s going to help make your next meet be most efficient?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar

PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here.

TEAMS365 #2321 – Flashback Friday: Minimizing Distractions When Working Remotely

5/8/2020

Finding better focus in the remote space was a big theme for those working remote in the months of March and April 2020. Many may have already found their groove in working remote by now, but many professionals may find that it’s useful to look at what continued adjustments will help if you are Working From Home. Today’s post takes us back to a 2015 post – Teams365 797 – Four Ways to Minimize Distractions with remote work.

Today's post looks at four ways to minimize distractions when working remote.
They are:

1. Clear space for where you are going to work. Whether our workspace is a small table which folds back into the wall when we are done, or we have dedicated office space, clearing the clutter can be an important step in creating space to focus and be productive.

Consider where you work - what needs to be cleared? Spend 15 min this week clearing yourself more space.

2. Make sure you have what you need in order to do your work. Small issues can become big issues when working remote. An old laptop which crashes regularly, taking with it your hard work, becomes a liability. Slow internet speeds can also take a toll. While these issues might be minor pain when working remote once a month, if you need to work remote several days a week, the cost adds up. Consider what you might be tolerating in terms of equipment/resources that just aren't cutting it. What's the cost of replacing them? What's the cost if you don't?

3. Consider when you are at your peak for different types of work. Some of us like the early morning to get out thoughts down on paper, while others like to tackle calls first thing in the morning. Consider your style and preferences in terms of when you would like to get different tasks accomplished, and SCHEDULE IT IN.

4. Sometimes we get distracted because we don't allow ourselves time for a break, or we don't allow ourselves to get into the flow of one activity at a time. While there are many tips to time management that we've covered (check out all our time management tips here), months ago I wrote about the Pomodoro approach where you set a timer for a set amount of time (i.e. 25 minutes) and work until the alarm goes off). Other time management gurus recommend a 10 minute break every 50 minutes. What is going to keep you focused and at your prime in terms of productivity?

Let us know which tips you try out and what you find useful!

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar

PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here.

TEAMS365 #2243 – Team Building Tip 275: Remote Work Enabler: Boundaries

2/20/2020

This week’s Team Building Tip gets you thinking about our second remote work enabler. You can find the first remote work enabler here.

The second remote work enabler is to create boundaries. Boundaries are key in the remote space in order to focus.

What is key is being efficient in managing boundaries, especially if you are part of a matrix team and/or working across many sites. There can also be a challenge of ensuring that there is a good balance or integration of your work and life, especially when you collaborate and work with others in different time zones. This balance may look different that what a 9-5 job could look like, perhaps having you start work at 5 and run to 3 with breaks in between to get to the gym, or for a swim (as I do!).

What are the things that help you focus in your work as a remote worker? What boundaries might you need to integrate into your work?

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.
Check out upcoming programs on our calendar!

TEAMS365 #2199 – 20 Ideas for 2020 – Day 7 – 10 things to Make Sure You Schedule This Year

1/7/2020

As we move into 2020, it’s easy to get swept up into the “doing” of work right away. Before the year gets further ahead, take a few minutes to be sure that you get these items scheduled in…

#1 – Team Meetings – Make them consistent and regular. It’s likely that you won’t be able to have everyone at the table (or the screen). Make sure that you create shared team agreements of what team members need to do if they are not present for meetings.

#2 – Meetings with Your Boss – Have you scheduled in time with your direct line manager? Keeping visible and being in regular communication is essential in today’s workplace. Corporate priorities can change quickly as can your boss’ priorities. How often are the two of you meeting? What format are you using? What’s important for them to know?

#3 – One-on-ones with The Team – While group and team meetings are great, team members still need some 1-1 time. Be sure to schedule in some time with your team on a regular basis. Are you aiming for monthly 1-1 conversations? Quarterly deeper dives? Daily touchpoints? As a team talk about expectations and make agreements about who is responsible for scheduling and follow up.

#4 – Team Development Time – As I shared in yesterday’s Effective Virtual Conversations tip, team development time is critical and is often overlooked for virtual teams. Teams don’t just excel by osmosis! They need time to get to know each other, clarify how they are operating and focus in on what’s important.

#5 – Strategic Thinking Time — Are you leaving yourself enough time for reflection and thinking? Be sure to leave in enough time for strategic thinking. This can include creating, or revisiting your VISION, MISSION and MANDATE. Taking time to think strategically is important so that you have a clear big picture with a longer-term horizon. With things changing rapidly, the strategic horizon of 1, 3 or 5 years down the road can be invaluable in helping us keep moving, and not getting too set back by the small changes which can feel frenetic.

#6 — Time to Get Things Done — With meetings, communication and email taking a lot of time, what time are you leaving for yourself to get things done? For some professionals, it means coming into the office early to tackle key tasks for 30-60 minutes before others arrive. For others, it means booking a conference room and closing the door. Notice when you are most productive and when it’s important to get things done.

# 7 – Learning Time – What are your learning and development goals this year? Embracing ongoing learning has never been more important. What are the skills, processes and approaches which are going to help you do your best work? Note that learning can take many forms: including in-person programming, virtual learning as well as on-demand learning. Finally, peer learning (see #9) is another set of approaches.

#8 – Feedback Time – What feedback touchpoints are you building in throughout the year? Feedback in many organizations has moved to an ongoing cycle, and it can be important to make sure that it is happening regularly. Block off time in your schedule to get it done.

#9 – Peer Learning Time/Mentoring Time — What is the peer learning you want to undertake this year? Is it possible to do some job shadowing or pair with a peer partner throughout the year to compare notes, share resources and learn from each other?

In addition to peer learning, what about identifying a mentor in your organization or industry who can share their experience in order to help you understand “what’s below the waterline”?

#10 – Time Within Your Industry or Outside Your Regular Scope of Work — Finally, industry connections are key. Keeping current in your area of work may be as important, or more important, in the medium- and longer-term. What connection into professional associations are going to support you this year?

As you think about this year, what is going to support you best?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Writing
Phone (416)996-8326

As we step into the start of the year, get your planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder
Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon.

Winter 2019 programs start this week including the Coaching Biz Growth Lab (an annual focus on coaching business development), GroupCoachingEssentials (8.75 CCEs), the Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (10 CCEs) and the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program (8.5 CCEs) - geared to support you in creating more exceptional virtual conversations. Finally the Mentor Coaching Group for Winter 2020 will begin - aimed at coaches who are working towards their ACC, PCC or renewing.