Productivity and work-life balance

10-8-2015, LaunchBase, Maastricht

Benno Groosman MScBA, www.groosman.info

Define your goalsThe garden of success• The law of weeds: what are you planting exactly?

• A half-grown garden: you are going to have to prep the soil, get your hands dirty, etc. Put results before comfort!

• Don’t keep digging up your seeds: when you plant a flower, you believe and trust that it will grow. You don’t dig it up every day.

• Every flower is different: you cannot separate who you are from the success you achieve and you need to give yourself permission to do it ‘your way’.

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Define your goalsBrian Tracy assessments• Take an hour to do this assessment:

• http://www.groosman.info/#!work-life/c1tou (Tracy.pdf)

• And if you feel committed, follow up with this one:• http://www.groosman.info/#!work-life/c1tou (Goals.docx)

I worked with these assessments with 35 entrepreneurs and students, and 34 found the assessments useful. I still update it every 4 months.

Thanks, Brian Tracy!

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Define your goals… and accomplish them (1)

1.Utilize the SMART Goal Approach

2.Write your goals down and display them

3.Break big goals into smaller ones

4.Make an action plan and follow it

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Define your goals… and accomplish them (2)

5.Do your goals as early in the day as possible

6.Tell others your goals to keep you accountable

7.Make sure your goals excite you

8.Use positive language in your goals

Read the source http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-set-goals-10-steps-stay-focused.html and see that I skipped the last two of the original 10.

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Productivity tipsDay to day (1)

• Delegation doesn’t equal laziness• Share the load with your team

• Share the load with freelancers

• Lists are your best friend, paper or:• My favorite: www.asana.com

• http://www.rememberthemilk.com/

• Try and keep using the one you prefer

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Productivity tipsDay to day (2)• Manage your emails, don’t let them manage you• Organise your mail with folders

• Flag things that can wait: use this technique with important emails rather than urgent ones, because there is a distinction between ‘important’ and ‘urgent’

• Process your emails in 20 – 40 minute bursts around 2 – 3 times per day, and keep your email client closed the rest of the time

• I use YesWare to track and remind emails and ScheduleOnce for planning meetings: both save time and the reduce amount of emails.

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Productivity tipsCreate time to do more1. Know what you want and do everything possible at any

moment to get there.

2. Make a clear plan and start working consciously.

3. Learn smart working techniques (next sheet).

4. Avoid multitasking.

5. Analyze your working day and remove all that is not helping you (outsource, eliminate, etc.).

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Productivity tipsSmart techniques (1)

• Plan your own time: many people let others dictate their schedule; find out your own productive times and do what you do best during those hours.

• Interruptions: make sure you don’t just outline your day with the things you can plan, also schedule time for interruptions.

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Productivity tipsSmart techniques (2)

• Educate people: be the change, live the change, and change will occur!

• Meetings: don’t take part if it is not really needed to be there, or change the agenda in such a way that your sections are at the beginning.

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Productivity tipsPick the right task to do (1)

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Productivity tipsPick the right task to do (2)

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Productivity tipsPlan your distractions

And see http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/recognising-distractions-and-how-prevent-them.html to prevent all type of distractions.

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Productivity tipsTop 8• Focus on your top 3 daily priorities.

• Stop checking your email.

• Set limits for everything.

• Apply the 80/20 rule.

• Stop multitasking.

• Attend fewer meetings.

• Start an information diet.

• Create thinking time.

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Organize your lifeSimplify your life (1)

• Give up material items: having so many items not only clogs up space in your home, it creates more distractions for you.

• Minimize responsibilities: you’ll need to clear out the responsibilities that are causing your life to be complicated.

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Organize your lifeSimplify your life (2)

• Sleep: sacrifice is necessary sometimes, but when it comes to sleep, never sacrifice what’s needed.

• Organize your life: cleaning that desk can get rid of many distractions.

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Work-life balanceAre you a workaholic?1. You work longer than others

2. You can’t turn off

3. Your body feels unwell

4. Your relationships are strained

5. You tie your worth to your work success

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Work-life balanceTips for better balance (1)

1. Let go of perfectionism• Good is better than perfect

2. Unplug• Detach from electronic devices and other work

distractions

3. Exercise and meditate• Running and mindfulness are helpful for me

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Work-life balanceTips for better balance (2)1. .

2. .

3. .

4. Limit time-wasting activities and people• First identify your goals and then trime time-wasters

5. Change the structure of your life• What changes could make your life easier?

6. Start small and build from there• You cannot change habits overnight

• Act step by step and be kind for yourself

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Thanks for your attention!Feel free to contact me

Benno Groosman MScBA

Email: benno@groosman.info

Website: www.groosman.info

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Benno_Groosman

Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/benno_groosman

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Credits

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/4-things-that-hold-you-back-from-success.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-ways-simplify-your-life-right-now.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/actionable-productivity-tips-streamline-your-working-day-and-lower-stress.html

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/saving-2-hours-per-work-day-easy.html

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/stop-working-long-hours-10-simple-ways-to-maximize-your-productivity/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pickthebrain%2FLYVv+%28PickTheBrain%29

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-get-more-done-day-7-ideas-that-really-work.html

http://www.hrdaily.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?selkey=2625

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-set-goals-10-steps-stay-focused.html

http://olivergearing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Importance-Vs-Urgency.gif

http://zestebiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-30-at-2.18.43-PM.png

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/5-signs-you-might-be-a-workaholic/2/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/

And the sources named in the sheets.

All photo pictures are taken from www.lifehack.org.

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