Productivity

Mindfulness Matters

From the cover of Time Magazine to countless articles in Forbes and the New York Times, Mindfulness has been getting a lot of mainstream media attention. The reason? Mindfulness has been scientifically proven to help deal with the challenges of today’s world – namely a lack of concentration and constant distractability. It’s also been confirmed to have many more benefits. What is mindfulness? The definition: Training attention and awareness...

The Potential Project: Mindfulness at Work on Wednesday Evenings Starting April 2nd

CORPORATE BASED MINDFULNESS TRAINING (CBMT) Would you like to have more hours in a day? Or at least make better use of the precious time you have each and every day? Are you looking for opportunities to be more effective, calm, clear, and focused at work and at home? Are you interested in learning techniques to be more responsive and less reactive in everyday living? Mindfulness is a scientifically...

Want More Hours in a Day?

Or at least make better use of the precious time you have each and every day? Are you looking for opportunities to be more effective, calm, clear, and focused at work and at home? If so, join us for the Mindfulness at Work workshop series starting April 2, 2014. In this enjoyable, interactive course we will explain, demonstrate, and practice, scientifically-validated solutions to every day work and life challenges. To get further details or...

The Mindful Workplace – December 6 & 7, 2013

The 24/7 demands of business are leading to greater absenteeism, less effective decision making and lower employee engagement and productivity. While the hectic pace of business has been acceptable in the past, there is a growing need for a more mindful workplace. This workshop explores why mindfulness is critical to engagement, focus and productivity. Click here for further details or to register.  

Meditation can Increase Concentration- especially when Multitasking

A recent study (The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Multitasking in a High-Stress Information Environment, 2012) shows that practicing mindfulness meditation can help people stay on task longer with fewer distractions and also improves memory and reduces stress. The Experiment Three groups of Human Resource managers were tested on their ability to multitask. All were given an initial round of testing. The first group was then given 8...

Get In on the Fun with WTS

Watershed Training Solutions has two great  events in June that are designed to enhance your workplace experience while equipping you with the necessary tools to get the job done effectively and efficiently. June 17th CMA Ontario – Essential Leadership Skills This is an interactive and informative workshop that will identify critical emotional intelligence competencies, transforming you into the optimal leader. June 29th – Releasing Stress Through Laughter Yoga Giggle...

How Leaders can Engage Their Teams

Image Courtesy of Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net In the Globe and Mail article Employee Engagement Starts at the Top, Nora Underwood advocates that leaders set specific standards for their teams, while advancing a corporate culture that is conducive to employee engagement. Follow these simple tips to get the most out of your team while setting the standard for excellence Recognize your team’s efforts. Encourage your team by giving positive feedback like saying...

Sleepless Nights, Endless Days: Technology and Life Balance

Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net A recent study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation has discovered that almost 95% of people questioned use an electronic device before bed. More surprisingly, around two thirds of those individuals admitted that they do not get enough sleep (Patricia Reaney, Not Getting Enough Sleep? Turn Off the Technology, Reuteurs.com. March 7, 2011). This poses an obvious question. If the connection to...

Increase your productivity – check your diet

Image courtesy of zirconicusso/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Keeping energized at work has an impact on your productivity and food and water intake play a critical role. Eating healthy and drinking lots of water is a challenge because it’s difficult to beat the allure of the corner vending machine with its tempting goodies. Here are a few tips to keep you energized for a more productive workday. Use Eden Spring’s water Hydration Calculator...

Quotes of the Week

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”~ Erich Fromm, 1900-1980, Psychologist “Listen to anyone with an original idea, no matter how absurd it may sound at first. If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.”~ William McKnight, 3M President “All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.”~ Albert Camus, French Algerian author, philosopher and journalist “If you...

Attaining the Happiness Advantage – Part Three

In parts One and Two of the Happiness Advantage, I outlined the key points made by Sean Achor, CEO of Aspirant and author of The Happiness Advantage: the Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work in a recent HBR Ideacast. In the interview, Sean outlined what is meant by the happiness advantage and offered up some quantifiable research showcasing the benefits of this paradigm...

Measuring the Happiness Advantage – Part Two

In Part One of Measuring the Happiness Advantage, I summarized a recent HBR Ideacast which featured Sean Achor, CEO of Aspirant and author of The Happiness Advantage: the Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. To recap, the “happiness advantage” refers to the ability of your brain to do more when you’re positive. Number Crunching Now, if you’re like me, you want some form...

The Happiness Advantage – Part One

Sean Achor, CEO of Aspirant and author of The Happiness Advantage: the Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work was recently featured on a HBR Ideacast where he discussed the profound effect a positive outlook has on our ability to work productively and experience happiness both at work and at home. Sean begins by clarifying what is meant by positive psychology. He’s not talking...

Managing Email Madness – Part Three

We hope you enjoyed our series on managing email madness. In case you’re still  experiencing resistance from your email recipients, or you’re just looking for some more great techniques, we’ve extended our series to include a third installment.  In our final chapter, we’re going to look at some more tips from  Stever Robbins on helping you to control the flow of email. Send out Delayed Responses This technique is...

Managing Email Madness – Part Two

Last week, in Part One of our three part blog series, Managing Email Madness, we taught you how to become a better, more efficient email sender. By now, we hope your new techniques for sending email have rubbed off on those around you, but in case you have some resistors, Stever Robbins has a few techniques that you can use when it comes to reading and receiving email Use a Paper...

Tips to Stay on Task and Get Things Done

Image courtesy of Rawich/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Let’s face it, everyone out there has griped (at least once) that there are too few hours in a day. Sometimes life gets so overwhelming you feel like there is never enough time to meet all of your demands and complete all of the tasks on your never ending to-do’s. But maybe if we made better use of our time, we could get more done....

Quick ways your brain can Boost Productivity.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net According to David Rock, author of Your Brain at Work and Founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute and Summit, here are a few ways to make your brain work more effectively to boost your productivity: Understand your energy cycle and complete tasks accordingly Arrange work around your brain’s energy level in order to work productively and effectively. Whenever possible, carve out blocks of time, away from phones...

Increase Your productivity – Drink Water

Keeping hydrated at work can augment your productivity. According to Eden Springs, drinking water is critical and here’s why: ●  Preserves Energy When the body is dehydrated by as little as 1-2 per cent physical performance declines by as much as 5-10 per cent, draining your energy and making you feel tired. When you feel thirsty that is a sign that you are already dehydrated. You want to drink enough...

Tips for greater productivity

Image courtesy of sheelamohan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net 1. Take time to Plan– At the end of each day, create a list of your next day’s activities. Make sure to highlight the important tasks that must get done each day. Planning is the difference between reactive and proactive. When you don’t plan, you end up responding to the day’s events as they occur. 2. Ask for input– When you get input from others...

Quick Tips to Improve your Leadership Skills

1. Get a reality check. Get a clear vision of yourself, others, and the world. Find out who you are, what your colleagues think of you, and how you want to influence others. Finding out what others think of your leadership skills and your communication skills can be a real surprise, and is often the most influential driver for change. 2. Listen, listen, listen. Listening is one of the...

Why Take Breaks and Vacations?

In 2009 Americans will throw away 465 million vacation days. Expedia.com, 2009 Men who take vacations every year lowered the risk of heart disease by 20%. Those who did not have a vacation for the 5 years of the study had the highest mortality and incidence of heart disease. Houston Woman Magazine, 8/2009, re: State University of New York research Workers receiving the alerts on the job to take...

Thinking of quitting smoking? Here’s another reason why.

In the aftermath of the recession, productivity has become the main focus of recovering companies. In the recovery process, the cost of saving a faltering business is substantial. Businesses that are inefficiently using this money are bound to go downhill. A great amount effort must be put in by the business’ employees and executives for workplace productivity to be maximized to its fullest potential. Smokers can pose significant barriers...

Top 10 Reasons to Manage Stress

1. Stress can cause you to ‘numb out’ and become insensitive. This is a natural survival instinct in an emotionally painful environment and could cause you to become an ineffective customer service representative or an insensitive manager. (David Lee, Training Scene) 2. Stress can stifle your creativity and innovation in the workplace due to the high physiological and psychological effects it can have on you. It causes your thought...