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Entries Tagged as 'Work Life Balance'

Then and Now: Are You More Productive?

May 6th, 2008 · No Comments

As we start out in the month of May, it is beneficial to reflect on what May Day means to many countries. On May 1, 1886, hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. marched in support of the eight-hour workday. From that date, It actually took 54 years of struggle before we [...]

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Tags: Changing Times · Office Productivity · Work Life Balance

Crisis Management: Project-Driven vs. Customer-Driven Settings (Part One)

April 25th, 2008 · No Comments

In a post that I wrote last week about crisis management, I presented some techniques for limiting the pressure of deadlines. Responding to this, one reader commented that it wasn’t useful advice for those “on the front lines who don’t have jobs that come with laptops, travel, and corporate jargon.”
I recognize that not everyone [...]

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Tags: Interruptions & Distractions · Office Productivity · Personal Productivity Tips · Work Life Balance

Using Technology to Help Your Child with Homework

April 22nd, 2008 · 1 Comment

Do you know any time-challenged parents who want to help their children use time productively? There is no question that kids can spend multiple hours per day on the internet, often to the detriment of homework. YouTube is one of the favorite spots.
Now there is another site growing, called TeacherTube, based on the [...]

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Tags: Changing Times · Home Productivity · Personal Productivity Tips · Work Life Balance

Separating Yourself from Workplace Electronics

March 28th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Are one of those people who lament the lack of personal time to escape from work issues, yet cannot bring yourself to let go of the Blackberry, laptop, and cellphone even when on a vacation?
Are you a family member who wants a vacation without those electronic intrusions into your spouse’s “free” time?

There is now an [...]

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Tags: Changing Times · Work Life Balance

Mental Health and Productivity

March 20th, 2008 · No Comments

Two pieces of legislation, one from the House and one from the Senate, relating to mental health issues have recently passed. It is the latest step in a seven-year effort to craft a mental-health parity bill requiring insurance plans to match mental-health benefits with those for other medical conditions. The next challenge is [...]

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Tags: Office Productivity · Work Life Balance

Are You Stretched Beyond Your Limit?

February 26th, 2008 · No Comments

My last post discussed how we stretch ourselves to the limit and then can push ourselves further when driving as we try to reach a destination quickly, often in the interest of better time management. At that same time the news came out about the possibility that two Mesa Air pilots both fell asleep [...]

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Tags: Stress Management · Time Management Strategies · Work Life Balance

Drowsy Driving Is a Tough Way to Manage Time

February 20th, 2008 · No Comments

In the previous post, I spoke about the common ways commuters multitask when driving. Another detriment to long-term effective time management is pushing through on the road so you can get somewhere faster, even though you may be struggling to stay focused.
The National Sleep Foundation says:

60% of Americans have driven while drowsy
37% admit to [...]

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Tags: Time Management Strategies · Work Life Balance

How Do YOU Multitask When Driving?

February 18th, 2008 · No Comments

80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes occur with three seconds of a multitasking episode involving physical movement. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration & Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)
Notice that this is not even taking into account mental lapses while we work though an office problem or personal dilemma. We’ve all been [...]

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Tags: Multi-Tasking · Work Life Balance

How a Shorter Workweek Can Benefit Both Employees and Companies

February 6th, 2008 · No Comments

Have you ever felt that your dedication to the job was evaluated by the number of hours you were physically present onsite, or the number of hours you were reachable? This is often used as a determination of work ethic.
We ourselves often boast about the number of hours we dedicate to the job, under [...]

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Tags: Work Hours · Work Life Balance

Is Clutter the Sign of a Good Citizen?

January 28th, 2008 · 2 Comments

“How did consumption–the willingness to buy food, clothes, cars, electronics, appliances and homes–become Americans’ defense against economic collapse?”
This was a question posed by Katherine Reynolds Lewis in the Houston Chronicle’s article of 1/28/2008, “It is a U.S. duty to spend?” The reality is that the average American is surrounded by more clothes, electronics, and [...]

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Tags: Organizing Tips · Work Life Balance