If you are one of the many who are seeking a new job at this time, you can easily become frustrated and find days slipping by without much to show.  No matter what your current employment status, there are many proactive approaches that you can take to have a productive day. 

It is interesting that the best strategies are ones that pertain to our lives regardless of our present work environment.

1. Make goals.  Have specific targets you want to reach.
2. Set a schedule.  Block out times each day for specific tasks and stick to your schedule.
3. Maintain a normal routine.  Get up at the same time each morning, and eat regular meals.
4. Learn something.  It could be a new skill or  building in-depth knowledge of your  field.
5. Read.  Keep up with current events, industry news, and online business networks.
6. Take or teach a course.  This will deepen your understanding of a topic.
7. Network.  Keep up with your contacts and let them know of your interests and goals.
8. Improve fitness.   The payback in health and energy makes this a must-do.
9. Take odd jobs or freelance.  You are exposed to new experiences and earn extra cash.
10. Volunteer.  Your network will increase and you may learn other skills.

For more suggestions on productive activities for job seekers, read the article posted at the website, Online Degree Programs, titled “100 Inspiring Productivity Ideas for the Unemployed.”

According to the American Time Use Survey, we spent less time working, on average, in 2009, compared with 2007, which means we had more time to engage in other activities. 

A common lament that I constantly hear in my time management training sessions is the lack of time in our days.  “If only I had time, I would….”   What do you think you would organize your days if you were given more minutes in your day?  Would you use it to get more done, to increase your knowledge, to build in more exercise hours, or to develop a new hobby? 

The study, conducted by the government and run annually, explored how those extra minutes were spent, and it seems that the winning activities were more television and more sleep.  What we did NOT do was increase our time volunteering, exercising, and learning.  And reading lost ground.  According to economist Daniel Hamermesh from the University of Texas, “It’s not like we’re using the recession to build our skills–the skills are depreciating.  It’s a waste.”

Behavior varies somewhat by sexes: 

• Men watched television for an average of 3 hours and six minutes per day in 2009, compared with 2 hours and 34 minutes for women. 
• Women spent 3 hours and 10 minutes doing chores, including housework, child care, and care for other family members.  This compares with 1 hour and 53 minutes that men devoted to these tasks.

It is easy to blame work and society for the pace of our lives and feeling overwhelmed, but maybe part of the problem is that we are not structuring our days for greater productivity so that we can actually achieve those things we say we want to accomplish.  Instead we bounce around, multitasking, and do not focus on priorities.

My reference to self-destructing email does not apply to written errors in judgment on your part blowing up in your face.  Instead my scenario  is more in tune with the Mission: Impossible shows where the tape self-destructs after the agent listens to it.

There are two major problems with our current mode of correspondence:

• Any email communication might be called up for legal proceedings.
• Your private message could be forwarded to an inappropriate party.

VaporStream is a company that has a solution allowing for private written conversations.  Their software, available for computer or smartphone, has messages disappear from the sender’s device as soon as they are sent, and then they disappear from the recipient’s device as soon as they are read.

Granted, we often want to have a paper trail.  However there are many business situations where ideas are parried back and forth, and one does not want a record.  A private phone call could be the answer, but you are not always in a situation where privacy  is an option.

When confidentiality is an issue, especially in fields like finance and health, this might be worth exploring.  It could give your clients a guarantee of discretion on your part.

Another scenario involves all the email that is currently stored on company servers, yet has absolutely no value. IT departments are constantly trying to keep email inboxes and file storage at a manageable level, while employees do not stop to clean out the valueless mail.

VaporStream’s software might be one more tool in your arsenal as you struggle to keep up with the daily flow of messages.

Just a delay of 30 minutes in starting the school day boosted sleep times, mood, and health for adolescents.  Although this study involved teenagers, there are problems at every age with sleep deprivation and how it affects the workplace.

Therefore it is advantageous to examine the results of a recent study published in the July in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.  The average adolescent has difficulty falling asleep before 11 p.m.  That corresponds with a majority of working adults.  By providing these subjects with an extra 30 minutes in the morning, many felt so much better than many began going to bed a bit earlier.  Their full sleep cycle increased by 45 minutes, adding up to almost eight hours per night.

The results among those who increased the duration of their nighttime rest:

• Daytime drowsiness dropped to 20% from 49%.
• The number of students who labeled themselves depressed or unhappy decreased to 45% from 66%.
• The number of missed or late first period classes declined to 44 from 80.
• Reports from those feeling annoyed or irritated during the day went to 63% from 84%.
• More students ate hot breakfasts.

While reading this, I kept thinking of clients who go to work earlier and earlier.  Either they want to beat the morning rush-hour traffic or they want to have a quiet uninterrupted time before the workday begins in earnest.  These motives are good, but is there a price in productivity as the day progresses?

Productivity doesn’t need to be complicated. While truly mastering the art of organization and time management doesn’t happen overnight, there’s lots of simple and small changes you can make right away that will dramatically boost your output. If you feel like you’ve been lagging or you’re searching for ways to accomplish more work in less time, read on for five little tips that can make a big difference.

1.  Switch off your Internet connection. Unless you’re working on something that involves a steady stream of web research and fact checking, eliminating the distractions of email, social media and IM can greatly speed up the rate at which you complete a project. If you do need the web, try to finish as much as you can without it, then fill in the gaps at the very end.  
2. Spend more time planning, less time “working”. Many of us jump straight into answering email as soon as we get to work, without any clear plan of what we really need to get done. Before we know it, 3 hours have slipped by. We may feel like we got a lot done, but would be hard pressed to say what we actually accomplished. Before you start working, make a list of 1-3 things you must get done that day, and focus on completing those before you start running around putting out fires. 
3. Try a change of scenery. If you can, stroll over to the local coffee shop and take along your laptop to complete some work there. If you’re stuck in the office, try positioning your chair at a different angle or going to sit in another room with a pen and paper for a while. Moving around, altering your surroundings and looking at different things can all help stimulate creative thought and increase the amount of work you do.  
4. Set small goals. It’s easy to whittle away a lot of time if you don’t have a clear objective, but if you establish steps that you know you can accomplish, your focus and concentration will be much better. Try saying things like, “I’ll write another 200 words in the next 15 minutes” or “I can come up with one more marketing objective and plan before lunchtime.” 
5. Establish clear work/life boundaries. When you head out of the office in the evening, do what makes you happy, whether it’s cooking a nice meal, spending time with your family, working on a hobby, having drinks with friends, or relaxing with a sudsy bubble bath. If you make the most of your time outside work and spend it doing things you enjoy, you’ll feel more refreshed and productive when you’re back at your desk chair.  

This post was contributed by Kyle Tuttle, who spends his productive time helping students find the right psychology degree.

“I have been reading Productivity Today for some time and have found the articles and insight very effective not only for me personally but also in my business.  I have implemented some of the systems and strategies you suggest and have not only increased my efficiency but have also alleviated quite a bit of stress. Today, however, I actually have a suggestion for the Email Management section of your blog.  As a busy division manager, I have encountered all of the issues you discuss in this section which are all united by the idea of cutting down on time wasted checking, reading and responding to email.”  (from Art Decker, Division Manager,  Self Storage Company)

The following is Art’s way of managing his email: 

Do you know what the problem is with ToDo lists?  They are  forgotten.  It doesn’t matter whether you scrawl the list on the back of an envelope, type it into a smartphone application, or use a fancy online ToDo list manager like “Remember the Milk.”  The ToDo list gets made, it gets set aside, and it gets forgotten.  If you are lucky, you get to cross a few items off your list before the whole list gets lost.  But if you are very busy — and therefore most in need of reminders to help you to remember to get things done — the list is likely to get lost or forgotten about sooner rather than later. There will always be paperwork on your desk, a phone to answer, or an incoming email to distract you from your well-intentioned list.

But there is hope.  If you get distracted easily, the key is to make your ToDo list the distraction.  Here is my new method:  I’ve made my email into a ToDo list.  Specifically, I’ve set up an email account to keep track of tasks that I need to do.  When I have an item for my list, I email it to my new task-based email account.

I used filters to set up my old email so that it forwards email with certain subject lines, and email from certain people, directly to the new email account.  For example, email from clients goes to the ToDo email account, since responding to those emails is bound to be something I would include on my list. I’ve also asked the people I work with to include the word “immediate” in the subject line if they email me something that requires quick action.  My email filters send all the emails that have “immediate” in the subject line to my new ToDo account.

Next, I reconfigured my email program so that it only routinely checks the email that I use for tasks. I haven’t stopped checking my other email account, but I check it less often, since I know that the really important emails will reach me at the new account.

There are other methods for using your email as a to do list.

• Some people use the same method I do, but in reverse.  They unsubscribe to all their email lists, news feeds, and other nonurgent email subscriptions, and then resubscribe to them at a new email address that they check once a week.  That works too, but it takes a little longer to set it up.
• You can create a folder called “ToDo” within your email program. But folders get forgotten about unless you are already in the habit of checking them.  I found that once I put an item in the ToDo folder, it was out of sight, and once it was out of sight, I forgot about it.  Needless to say, it didn’t get done.
• Another option is to assign each task to a particular day in your electronic calendar and have the calendar remind you to do it.  That works, but only if you actually do the task that day.  If it does end up being one of those things that spills over to tomorrow, it’s gone forever, because the calendar was only scheduled to remind you to do it on the day when you initially intended to do it.

Not only is my method  fast and easy to set up, but it takes what used to be a vice and an addiction — getting too caught in email — and turns into a virtue — getting things done.

Art Decker is a division manager with Self Storage Co., which includes a California self storage company. Art leads a stressful life, with much of his time eaten up by meetings and conference calls.  He also spends a lot of time traveling from one self storage site to another.  As a result, Art has developed a strong interest in topics such as productivity, organization, working while traveling, balancing work and home life, and reducing stress.

We have all heard plenty about the potential physical dangers, to yourself and others, when driving and talking on your cell phone simultaneously.  But how about also considering how you may be affecting business relationships?

Because you are multitasking when driving and talking on the phone, you are not fully present in either situation.  In a conversation, this can lead to unexpected pauses, distracted comments, or overlooked points.  The person at the other end of the call, unable to see your facial expressions and gestures, only has your tone of voice to gauge reactions. 

 He or she does not see that car cutting in front of you, pulling away your attention.  He or she does not see you searching for a street sign as you drive through an unfamiliar area.   With only your voice, an inappropriate pause or a lack of comment can lead to misunderstanding.

Before you grab the phone to deal with a client or business associate, think about what kind of impression you want to make.  Remember those initial seven seconds that create a lasting impression?  If you only have audio, you want to be completely focused on that person.  Driving while conversing does not allow you to do this.

This topic was recently addressed by Professor Paul Rosenblatt of the University of Minnesota with an article in the Family Science Review.   While there are obvious logistical difficulties in providing statistics showing how this can harm business development, he uses his own experiences as well as those of his students for proof of the theory.  These would be support by current research on the problems with multitasking and use of time management techniques.

Have you taken a vacation yet this year? 
If yes, did you come back rested and recharged for work? 
If no, then you are not alone.

Each year Expedia.com has conducted a survey comparing vacation habits in the United States with those of other countries.  The overall finding is that Americans not only take fewer vacation days, but even with breaks they have a hard time unwinding and relaxing.

• Only 53% of Americans say they return rested and invigorated after a vacation
• 30% have problems dealing with work stress while they are away

This is not surprising when you consider how much of your life is tied up with multitasking and speed.  When you bounce from one activity to another, you are less productive.  Because you are less productive, you have to try even harder to keep up, which leads to more multitasking.  All of this creates a steady pumping of adrenaline. 

You have trouble quitting cold turkey in switching to a leisure style.  You’ve become addicted to this pace, and that can lead to an inability to truly relax, with the results that:

• You pack so much in a break that you are even more tired after a trip. 
• You continue to work throughout the vacation time.  Colleagues and clients may not even know that you are out of town.

None of this is a prescription for productivity.   If you want to be as productive as possible, you should be:

1. Limiting multitasking throughout the day with good systems, instead of pumping adrenaline and creating stress on your body
2. Using your time management skills to schedule true vacations for unwinding and recharging

What might today’s worker have in common with the plain, black government pen?  You know the one.  It is in post offices and federal offices and throughout the military

I grew up around those black, plastic objects since my father was a government employee.  They were definitely not flashy, but I had no idea of what went into the making of them until I read an article by Ylan Q. Mui from the Washington Post.

72 years ago, a 16-page legislative mandate was drafted with the specifications for this pen, which included requirements that it:

• Must be able to write continuously for a mile, under 125 grams of pressure
• Must function in temperatures from 160 degrees to 40 degrees below zero
• Must produce writing not be completely removed after two applications of bleach
• Produce no more than 15 blobs per 1000 feet of writing

Think of the many types of pens you have used over the years and the price ranges.  Some are stylish and we love to show them off.  Others just feel comfortable.  No matter what changes have evolved, that black pen still endures.

When I read about the features of this long-lasting icon, it reminded me that we too often go for the “flash” in the workplace.  Who is the “favorite son” of the moment because of a big deal?  Who dominates a room when they enter?  Aren’t these the ones that immediately come to mind when it’s time for promotions?

Yet there are always long-time, steady back office workers, the ones you go to when you need to know or find something, regardless of how long ago it happened.  These people show up every day, consistently maintain their productivity, and provide the backbone of a company.

We will always be attracted to the flash, but make sure that you hold onto and value the background resources that are steady and reliable.  They are the ones that will be supporting you and your productivity levels when the flash has moved on to other showcases.

The stress of constant, adrenaline-fueled multitasking is damaging brain cells.  We were hoping that the prescription of using mind-games, puzzles, and other cognitive-enhancing products would be a solution for reviving the damaged cells, but it turns out that this is not the answer.

True, the exercises did improve short-term memory and problem-solving, but only for the tests involved.  They did not improve “mental fitness.”

The study, published online on 4/20/2010 by the journal Nature, tracked 11,430 participants through a six-week online study.  These were healthy participants, and this was not a test about warding off dementia.

Two areas of the brain are most damaged by the stresses of multitasking:

• Prefrontal cortex.  That area of the brain controls your executive function (planning, analyzing, prioritizing) and marks the spot to return when you are interrupted. 
• Hippocampus.  This is where new learning takes place.   

The fact that damages are not reversible means you have to stop the multitasking stresses right now.  There is not a fix you can take a few years from now.

One key to brain health also being explored right now is exercise.  In 2009 the Association for Psychological Science found that studies pointed to the overwhelming value of physical activity for maintaining brain function, including executive function, short-term memory, and attention span.

You may not be able to reverse damages, but this is a good to develop new habits so that more harm is not done in the future.

For more statistics on multitasking, visit our page of time management statistics.