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ADVENTURES IN PRODUCTIVITY Eric J. Gruber

Adventures in Productivity

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Tips I've learned from some great books and tools on how to be productive in the new work environment.

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Page 1: Adventures in Productivity

ADVENTURES IN PRODUCTIVITYEric J. Gruber

Page 2: Adventures in Productivity

WORKERS ARE BUSIER THESE DAYS … 2.8 percent increase in productivity 4.0 percent increase in output 1.1 percent more hours

“This gain in productivity from the same quarter a year ago was the largest since output per hour increased 6.1 percent over the four-quarter period ending in the first quarter of 2002.”

- June 3, 2010, Productivity and Costs, First Quarter 2010, Revised, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Page 3: Adventures in Productivity

… AND SOME ARE GETTING OUT

“More U.S. workers quit their jobs than were laid off in March … a sign of employees' growing confidence that more positions are becoming available in a slowly recovering job market.”

- May 12, 2010, More Workers Quit Than Were Laid Off in March, The Wall Street Journal

“A lead culprit for workers' plans to move on? The lingering effects of cost-cutting and downsizing. A workforce that's lived with higher workloads and no corresponding rise in wages is an unhappy one.”

- May 25, 2010, Employers, prepare for IT worker exodus, InfoWorld

Page 4: Adventures in Productivity

RUH ROH

Page 5: Adventures in Productivity

TIME FOR REAL PRODUCTIVITY HELPERS

NOT GOOD GOOD

Page 6: Adventures in Productivity

E-MAIL

Page 7: Adventures in Productivity

YOUR INBOX IS A BOTTLENECK

Time and attention are finite. Process to zero =>

-Inbox Zero video: http://inboxzero.com/video/-Inbox Zero presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/merlinmann/inbox-zero-actionbased-email

Page 8: Adventures in Productivity

YOUR INBOX IS A TIMEWASTER

1. Turn off audible/visual alerts and automatic send/receive.

2. Check e-mail twice per day, once at noon or prior to lunch and again at 4 p.m. (And, don’t check e-mail first thing in the morning.)

3. Create an autoresponser informing others you are busy and that you will check e-mail at specific times.

- 2009, Step II: E is for Elimination, The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris

Page 9: Adventures in Productivity

YOUR INBOX IS A TIMEWASTER

Sample autoresponder:“Because of a heavy workload today, I

will only be checking e-mail at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“If you have an emergency, please call (785) 555-5555.”

While this autoresponder is on, consider shutting off e-mail entirely.

Page 10: Adventures in Productivity

MEETINGS

Page 11: Adventures in Productivity

MEETINGS ARE TOXIC They’re usually about

words and abstract concepts, not real things.

They usually convey an abysmally small amount of information per minute.

They easily drift off-subject easier than a Chicago cab in a snowstorm.

They require thorough preparation that most people don’t have time for.

They frequently have agendas so vague that nobody is really sure of the goal.

They often include at least one moron who inevitably gets his turn to waste everyone’s time with nonsense.

Meetings procreate. One meeting leads to another meeting leads to another …

2010, Productivity, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Page 12: Adventures in Productivity

MEETINGS ARE EXPENSIVE

“When you think about it, the true cost of meetings is staggering. Let’s say you’re going to schedule a meeting that lasts one hour, and you invite 10 people to attend. That’s actually a 10-hour meeting, not a one-hour meeting. You’re trading 10 hours of productivity for one hour meeting of time.”

2010, Productivity, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Page 13: Adventures in Productivity

RULES FOR MEETINGS

Set a timer. When it rings, meeting’s over. Period.

Invite as few people as possible.

Always have a clear agenda.

Begin with a specific problem.

Time is money.No, seriously. This is the Bring TIM meeting clock, available at http://www.bringtim.com.

2010, Productivity, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Page 14: Adventures in Productivity

PROJECTS

Page 15: Adventures in Productivity

CREATIVE PEOPLE CAN BE CHAOTIC

“Especially in creative industries, [designers] are probably some of the most disorganized teams and individuals on the planet.”

- Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance, March 3, 2009, VentureBeat

Think “happy organization” thoughts.

Page 16: Adventures in Productivity

KEEP SHORT DEADLINES

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

- Parkinson’s Law, by Cyril Northcote Parksinson, British naval historian and author

Page 17: Adventures in Productivity

FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT

Roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.- Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist

1. Which 20% of sources are causing 80% of your problems and unhappiness?

2. Which 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of your desired outcomes and happiness?

- 2009, Step II: E is for Elimination, The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris

Page 18: Adventures in Productivity

MULTITASKING IS DEAD

“… you should have, at most two primary goals or tasks per day. Do them separately from start to finish without distraction.”

- 2009, Step II: E is for Elimination, The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris

“Long lists are guilt trips. The longer the list of unfinished items, the worse you feel about it. At at a certain point, you just stop looking at it because it makes you feel bad. Then you stress out and the whole thing turns into a big mess.”

- 2010, Productivity, Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Page 19: Adventures in Productivity

GET ORGANIZED

Creativity X Organization = Impact 100 X 0 = 0

Loads of ideas, but highly disorganized.

50 X 2 = 100Less creative but because of stellar organization skills will make a greater impact than the disorganized geniuses among us.

- 2010, The Competitive Advantage of Organization, Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky

Page 20: Adventures in Productivity

RESOURCES

Page 21: Adventures in Productivity

BOOKS TOOLS

The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky

The Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Action Method: http://actionmethod.com

Basecamp: http://basecamphq.com

Bring TIM meeting clock: http://www.bringtim.com

Inbox Zero video: http://inboxzero.com/video/

Page 22: Adventures in Productivity

QUESTIONS?