One useful principle to remember when dealing with incoming mail is to to try and handle everything only once.  Pick something up and deal with it so it needs no further action.  It is so obvious but all too often people sort incoming mail into different piles - according to category or priority.  Each one

Mindfulness has been a bit of a buzzword over the last couple of years. It suggests that we should all be aware of who and what we are, and try to focus on the present moment instead of always worrying about what has happened in in the past, or what might happen in the future.

There have been quite a few claims over the last five years that artificial intelligence (AI) will result in huge gains in productivity.   These huge gains don’t, though, seem to be arriving any time soon. When one looks back at the claims, many have been put out by AI start up companies keen to laud AI

We’ve talked quite a few times about measuring productivity - to highlight (relative) inefficiencies, to set benchmarks and targets for improvement - but mainly to understand just what is happening in a process.  We measure throughput, quality levels, error levels, downtime, waiting time - anything that affects overall productivity.  Where possible, we try to use measures

Many of us use multiple messaging and productivity platforms in our work - Zoom, Teams, Slack and so on. Quite a few also regularly drop into Twitter or Facebook. Each time we read an interesting post or contribute to a discussion  we get a little feeling of satisfaction. We are participating and contributing. We feel

Many people use ToDo lists and apps to keep track of their outstanding tasks.   There are also lots of apps available, with different flavours of operation. However, you need to remember that  a ToDo list (even one contained within a sophisticated app) is just that  - a list of tasks. It has no understanding of priority or

I saw in a recent survey that people who thought their productivity had increased (or at least stayed the same) whilst working from home during the pandemic, also reported that their mental well-being had improved. This could suggest that high productivity makes people feel better about themselves or conversely that poor mental health results in

People often claim that technology is the key to improved productivity.  Firms should, they say, be investing in digital services, robotics, AI, IoT and so on.   Generally, there does seem to be a correlation between investment in technology and productivity improvement. Case proved, then? Well … not necessarily. I learned many years ago that

Many people feel overwhelmed at work.  The relentless tide of messages and emails seems to set an impossible agenda. So, we need to improve our time management, right?  Wrong! If tou create more space by better organisation, ‘other stuff’ will be re-prioritised and re-arranged and you’ll soon be overwhelmed again.If you show your boss you

For some people, art plays an important part in their lives. I’m not talking about ‘the arts’ - if I was, that first statement would probable apply to just about everybody - but to the visual arts. What about art in business? Well, art can obviously transform a working environment but it can also stimulate,