When trying to improve productivity, many people start by looking at inputs - trying to reduce costs by saving materials, energy or manpower.  There is nothing wrong with such an approach except that it is

If your organisation expects you to be ‘always on’, always working, always available by telephone or email, they are exhibiting signs of ‘toxic productivity’.  I hate that term for all sorts of reasons but mainly

When the pandemic hit and the world went into ‘lockdown’,  most companies moved into remote working, using technology to support employees working from home. There were all sorts of claims that productivity improved as a

If you start your online meetings by simply asking a question such as..”You’ve all seen the plan. Any comments?”, your team members will probably look away from their cameras down at their desks (or kitchen

Measuring performance is essential for a number of reasons.   Firstly, as the adage goes … if you can measure it, you can manage it.How do you predict job times if you don’t know the performance

If you are always moaning about the number of meetings you have to attend, then almost certainly you do have too many meetings.  The pandemic - and the forced switch to Zoom and Teams and the

Agricultural productivity is one of the globe’s (and the twentieth century’s) great success stories. Over that century from 1900 to 1999 the number of people employed in agriculture dropped dramatically, yet yields rose just as

There is quite a bit of debate about whether working from home is good or bad for productivity. Are working-from-home employees as efficient as those in the office?  The jury is still out.... but perhaps

Many employees seem to want to ‘hide in the shadows’ - to get on with their work without disturbing their supervisor/manager.  Many supervisors/managers seem equally happy with this approach, feeling that employees who ‘raise their

Anyone with a hyperactive child knows how wearing it can be to have to cope with the demands such a child can make on a regular and continuing basis. Well, email and continual zoom meetings

Before the pandemic, evidence suggested that many employees were not really engaged with their work/workplace/employing organisation.  The results of a lack of engagement are absenteeism, poor quality of work and a lack of concern for customer

March 15th was National Napping Day and March was National Sleep Awareness Month.  A Pew Research Center survey found that 34% of Americans take daily naps. Many peple find a midday snooze flips off their

Can a personal productivity guru help you reach new productivity heights? Many of  us look to new tools and rtechndquwes, new technologies ologies, new approaches to stimulate our thinking about how to get more done

Before lockdown many firms were experimenting with networking/collaborative tools, hoping to improve the inter-connectedness of departments, people and processes.   When the lockdown hit, many of them accelerated the move to the various tools and technologies

Young children take some time to accept that delayed gratification can sometimes  be an improvement on instant.  For example, waiting for a treat can make that treat better - the period of anticipation can heighten the

Remote working has been necessary during the pandemic - the alternative for many was no working.     Many organisations have adjusted to the need for remote technologies and remote communication. Have they, though, adjusted to

Evolution is normally a more stable process than revolution.  Changes are incremental, slow and secure, embedded before the next change occurs. So, if you can, you are probably better trying to evolve your business into an improved,

Can productivity be raised too far. Is high productivity ever a problem? Well, it depends on how you look at it and the context/situation you are considering/measuring. For example, it is possible, by applying productivity

If you can’t control events or situations, you might find yourself getting anxious.  This is negative thinking, likely to have an adverse effect on your performance and productivity. In such situations, it is important to

There is some research evidence from India that suggests that providing farmers with information and advice about the use of pesticides, high yield seeds, weather forecasts, etc is more important than ‘showing them what to