Five Tips to Stay Productive in the New Year

With the new year just around the corner, lots of us start focusing on the goals we want to set for 2018 and how we plan to achieve them.   To keep you on track as you progress towards your personal and professional goals, here are 5 tips you can use to maintain productivity during the new year:

1. Explore new technology - For many, it's never an ideal time to learn new tech when there are a million other things you need to do.  What you may not realize is, learning new technology is important.  It helps you stay up to date on new trends, information and tools meant to make your life easier.  As a trainer, keeping up with new tech allows me to try creative new ways to reach my audience.  Consider Snapchat for example.  According to a Bloomberg report, Snapchat videos solicit 10 billion views per day.  This is a great way to spread brand awareness and showcase your culture, employee engagement and any other programs you're proud of.  If you want to see what we're up to in 2018, check out FS GROWMARK on Snapchat!   ​​​
2. Make a list - The struggle of scatterbrain is real.  To make sure you stay on top of your tasks both at work and home, start making a to-do list.  To manage all the projects and committees I'm working on, along with my personal life, lists have served as a great tool to remind me what needs to be done, and where I need to prioritize my time.  If you need a place to start, check out Todoist.  A popular app that allows you to create, share and edit lists with others in real time. 
3. Take advantage of the quiet time - While there are benefits in the socialization that comes with an office environment; loads of meetings and the general hubbub that accompanies a shared space can be distracting.  Since the holidays usually mean lots of people cashing in on their time off, the lack of distractions can be sheer bliss for you.  I love taking advantage of this time of year to plan out project work, wrap up loose ends or make some big strides on my 2018 goals.  For help you with your goal setting, planning and progression, check out the Goal Plus app.    
4. Use your Volunteer Time Off (VTO) - I am proud to work for a company that encourages giving back, and provides employees with opportunities to engage in causes that are meaningful to them.  Take advantage of your company's VTO policy, and give the gift of your time this holiday season.  Aside from the intangible benefits such as pride, satisfaction and the sense of accomplishment that comes with bettering your community; volunteering can also help boost productivity in the workforce.  Volunteering with your colleagues encourages teamwork and collaboration, which are two skills that can improve the overall productivity and effectiveness of your team.  If you are looking for a great teambuilding activity, VolunteerMatch.org is a great place your team can go to find a variety of good causes to serve in your community.
5. Organize your inbox - According to Huffingtonpost, a recent survey disclosed that on average, employees spend 28% of their day on email.  This was the largest amount of time spent on any of the workplace activities surveyed.  To work more efficiently in your email, here are a few features you can try:

• Folders - This is a great organization tool I use to move and retain messages. It cleans up my inbox and makes it easier to find saved items.
• Rules - I love using rules to automate tasks I want Outlook to carry out for me; such as sending emails from a certain sender directly to a specific folder and highlighting items marked urgent so I don't overlook anything important.  
• Disabling new message notifications - If you can't resist the temptation to check every new email you get notified of, you can easily turn off alerts.  In Outlook, click on the File tab, choose options, select Mail and then uncheck the box next to 'Display a Desktop Alert'.  ​

Do you have any productivity life hacks that you love?  Please share your comments below, I'd love to hear from you!  ​
Cheers to achieving your 2018 goals and wishing you a happy, healthy and joyful new year! ​​

By: ​Brittany Piepenbrink