Time Management Secrets from Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and 5 Other Highly Successful People

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Managing and maximizing your time is no easy task. However, who better to turn to than some of today’s most successful people for guidance. By taking a look at some of the tips and tricks that people like Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett have come up with, your one step closer to better time management and higher productivity. However, the time management concepts that some of the world’s highest achievers have created were based on their own schedules and needs. So taking ideas from some of these people is great for inspiration, yet your best bet might be figuring out your own strategies that work best for you and your time. Just take it from Amazon’s Bezos who has his very own meeting philosophy called the “two pizza rule,” which means he won’t attend any meeting that’s too big and that two pizzas can’t feed. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh came up with his own email management method called, “Yesterbox,” where he only responds to emails from the day before. To learn more about these quirky time-saving tricks, here are seven time management secrets from the world’s most successful people.

1. Zappos CEO’s “Yesterbox”

Today, email alone can feel like it’s sucking up most of the work day. And even after responding, deleting and archiving, the idea of “inbox zero” is still far-fetched. When Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh felt this way, he came up with a solution, which he coined “Yesterbox.” Yesterbox is Hsieh’s very own email management system, where instead of trying to tackle everything in his inbox at once, Hsieh only responds to his list of messages from the day before. Unless they are urgent, the rule of thumb is that Hsieh never responds to any of the actual day’s emails.

2. Richard Branson’s “social sweep”

After waking up at 5 a.m. and starting his day with some kitesurfing or tennis playing, Virgin Group billionaire Richard Branson finishes up his morning with a major “social sweep,” where he logs onto his Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts and catches up on news as well as addresses any messages and other activities. “Social media has opened up the world, and given the public the power to really have a say — it’s a wonderful thing,” Branson says. Another great perk of a social sweep, is you take care of it all at once, instead on constantly logging on and off of social media all day long, and becoming distracted.

3. Warren Buffett’s simple approach

Famous billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s approach to time management is as simple as it gets: say “no.” He’s not far off either, because letting yourself get overloaded with work by constantly saying “yes” to new projects and assignments will lead you straight to burnout. According to Entrepreneur, Buffett once said, “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.”

4. Jeff Bezos’ “two pizza rule”

The richest man in the world doesn’t have time to waste in meetings. That’s why he has his own meeting philosophy to make sure he maximizes his time. Calling it the “two pizza rule,” Bezos refuses to go to meetings if they are too big. How does he measure this? If two pizzas can’t feed the amount of people that are supposed to go to a meeting, then it’s too big.

5. Basecamp CEO’s 32-hour workweek

Jason Fried, the CEO of Basecamp, offers employees 32-hour workweeks during the summer. “You can get plenty of stuff done in 32 and 40 hours if you cut out all the stuff that’s taking up your time,” Fried explained to CNBC. However, other than summer, employees are required 40-hour workweeks during the rest of the year. Fried also shared to CNBC that his company does not require that any meeting be mandatory, so people can pick and choose the meetings they think they need to attend.

6. Microsoft executive’s laziness approach

Julia Larson-Green, Microsoft’s Chief Experience Officer, admits she’s lazy. In fact, Larson-Green has found a way to use laziness to her advantage. In an interview with Fast Company, Larson-Green explained, “Being lazy makes me more efficient, because I try to find ways that I can do the best work in the most minimal amount of time. I also know that I need pressure to perform, and procrastination is one of the levers for creating that pressure.”

7. Airbnb exec depends on Apple Notes

Airbnb’s Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer Belinda Johnson attributes Apple Notes to much of her productivity successes. In an article by Fast Company, Johnson explains how Apple Notes help her stay organized and on top of things: “I use it all day long. As I’m going through my email, I’m either taking care of things in the moment or making [an entry] in Apple Notes that I need to deal with it later. At the end of the day, I go through all my notes and make sure I’ve addressed everything.”  


Originally published here.

Leading Your Startup When You’re Out of Town

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Finding Your Motivation After Startup Failure

At some point, even the most passionate and hardworking entrepreneur gets pulled away from their business. Maybe it’s because they’re taking a much-needed vacation. Or they’re traveling for work to attend a conference or meet with some important. Leading your startup while you’re out of town can be extremely stressful, regardless of the reason

On one hand, just making travel arrangements and getting from Point A to B is enough to turn your hair grey. But, you also want to make sure that your business operates as usual. That will further change the color of your hair. But, that doesn’t have to be the case if you take the following steps.

Preparation is key.

There might be days when you wish you could up just get up and disappear for a couple of days. Unfortunately, that’s not a luxury for entrepreneurs. Just imagine the chaos this would create!

To ensure that things run smoothly at your startup while you’re gone, you need to make lots of preparations. This includes making your travel arrangements to informing key stakeholders when you’ll be gone and when you’ll return. Sharing your calendar would be the easiest way to do this in one shoot.

Additionally, you should wrap up any work that has a deadline and not take on any more responsibilities. Also, designate someone to be in charge of the office and delegate tasks properly. Create an out-of-office message and schedule social media in advance. And, don’t plan to schedule anything to go “live,” like a marketing campaign or new site.

The point is to make sure that everything is in order before you leave. This way business will operate as normal. But, if there is a hiccup, you have a Plan A, B, and C to handle it before it gets any worse.

Assign new responsibilities to your team.

This isn’t delegation per se. Instead, it’s giving members of your team members a chance to spread their wings. For example, if someone has expressed interest in creating content for your website, let them write blog posts while you’re gone. You may want to still review it before it gets published, but it’s reducing your workload while keeping your team engaged.

Another option that I’ve tried is giving different people a chance to run meetings. These meetings are often shorter and no as in-depth when I’m out of the office. But, it lets my team develop new skills and keeps regularly scheduled meetings in everyone’s calendar.

A matter of trust.

The only way that you can lead from afar is by having people on your team that you trust 100 percent. At the minimum, you should have an assistant you can take messages, manage your inbox, and maintain your schedule. You should also have someone to put out fires. And, you should have a team that you know will still get work done when you’re not around.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this. But, building trust is about setting clear expectations and connecting the right people with the right jobs. And, if you’ve given your team autonomy, then this shouldn’t be an issue.

Use technology to your advantage.

Armed with nothing more than your smartphone, it’s possible to check your emails and jump in on conference calls. With a little preparation, you can pretty much run your entire business from the palm of your hand. After all, there’s an app for every aspect of your business from accounting to project management.

The kicker is that you’ll need WiFi — but what do you do if you don’t have WiFi? Since this is readily available, this also isn’t a concern. But, it does force you to be more mindful of your tech usage. You don’t want to be glued to your phone while attending a conference, meeting with a client, or relaxing with your family.

Schedule check-ins.

This segues into my next point; determine when to plugin or not. Whether you’re out of town for business or pleasure, it’s impossible for entrepreneurs to completely unplug. It’s like being a parent. Even when you’re out having the time of your life, you still call home to make sure the kids are alright. In fact, an ADT survey found that 45 percent of business owners said they find it very hard to ‘check out’ while away.

Since completely unplugging is not an option, schedule frequent check-ins. Let’s say that from 6:30 A.M. to 8:30 A.M. and then from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. you’ll be available. During these times you can go through your inbox, get on Slack, and take phone calls. However, when you’re offline, then stick to it so that you can get the most out of your travels.

Collaborate and listen.

Again, there are all sorts of tools that ensure everyone in your organization remains in the loop. Shared calendars and project management software, for example, can be used to assign tasks and deadlines. You can also track your team’s projects. And, you can work together on a project thanks to the power of the cloud.

Additionally, these tools allow you to review schedules and address any issues in real-time. Even if there isn’t a crisis, at least you can make sure everything is running smoothly without micromanaging your team. Your time-off may also be a time to rethink about meaningful motivation and what actually drives each of your employees.

Let go of perfectionism.

Even if you were home, you know that things don’t always go as planned. Remember, we’re all human and make mistakes from time to time. But, if you’re chasing perfection, you’re not only harming your productivity, you’re also putting your health in jeopardy since it creates more stress.

Of course, this is even truer when you’re out and about. You just don’t have the time to be perfect. You may not even have access to the right resources to get the job done as well as you would like. But, do the best you can and move on.

Leading Your Startup When You’re Out of Town was originally published on Calendar by John Hall

Here’s What Science Says About Multitasking

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Everyone has attempted to multitask at some point in their life. Maybe it started when you were attempting to watch TV and finish schoolwork in your younger years, or attempting to talk on the phone while finishing up an important report. Multitasking is a way that we try to get more out of the time on our Calendar. Here’s what science says about multitasking.

Multitasking might be your favorite way to forge through your daily tasks. The logic is flawless. Accomplishing two things instead one thing is always better. Or is it? If it takes you twice as long to accomplish the two tasks at once, is it really a good idea? Let’s find out what science has to say about the feasibility of multitasking.

What is multitasking?

Before we discuss whether or not humans can handle multitasking, let’s define the word. Multitasking is attempting to do or more things simultaneously. Unlike segmented amounts of time for a task, such as half an hour interval, multitasking is attempting to complete two or more things at the exact same time. If you are dividing your time between tasks and focusing on one thing at a time, then you are not multitasking. But, there are ways to get more done in a day.

Can humans multitask?

Unfortunately, science seems to agree that humans simply cannot multitask. Although the idea of multitasking sounds amazing, only a very small percentage of the population can actually do it. You might still disagree and believe that you are an effective multitasker. However, the science behind the conclusion that multitasking is inefficient is everywhere. You might be able to multitask but it is costing you productivity.

What Science Says About Multitasking?

The human brain seems to be set up to handle one task at a time. It is impossible to change the way our brains are set up, so it is better to accept reality and avoid multitasking. If you choose to multitask, then you are costing yourself time and efficiency that you cannot get back.

Split attention

Dividing your attention between two separate tasks is almost never a good idea. Best-case scenarios, you have half of your attention on two separate tasks. Worst case scenario, you are unable to focus on either task and take extra time to complete both. Not only does multitasking affect the overall amount of time it takes to complete tasks, but it can also lead to a poor quality product for your efforts.

Time costs

When you attempting to multitask, you are switching back and back between tasks. Multitasking equates to losing time while you switch back and forth. As you continually shift your focus between tasks, you are forced to lose your concentration on one task and transfer it to the next. Incrementally, you can accomplish things by returning your attention to a single task enough times. The time lost in between tasks can add up.

You may be able to save time by focusing on one task, completing, and finally moving on to the next task. If you choose to forgo multitasking, then you will be able to focus on a single task until it is complete. Through this concentrated effort, you will be able to finish one task in a timely manner and then move on to the next task.

Difficulty focusing on a task

As you work through your tasks, you may notice that you have difficulty focusing on a particular task as you continue to jump between tasks. When you break your concentration and switch tasks, it can make it extremely difficult to refocus your attention. Although it is different for everyone, interruptions can cause you to lose your focus and prevent you from completing a task in a timely manner. Figure out how to motivate yourself each day on your big tasks.

One study found that it tasks an average of 25 minutes to fully return to a task after you have interrupted. If you think of the switching between tasks as an interruption, then you may have a better grasp of the lost productivity. The constant interruption from one task to another can cause a break of focus that is difficult to restore.

Are there exceptions?

Yes, according to one study, around two percent of people were able to multitask effectively. These supertaskers are actually able to complete two tasks simultaneously without a decrease in their effectiveness. The other 98% of people were unable to multitask at all. It is fairly likely that you are in the 98 percent of people who cannot multitask. However, a select few are able to perform multitasking with ease. You may believe that you are a “supertasker” but do not allow yourself to be deceived by your own brain. It is very likely that you cannot multitask well.

What about the easy tasks?

Of course, there some easy tasks that you are capable of completing simultaneously like watching TV while folding your laundry or listening to a podcast while cleaning your house. Simple things that do not require too much of your brainpower to complete on their own are usually easy to lump together.

However, any tasks that require focus should be done individually. A good example is texting while driving. Unfortunately, this is a way that many people multitask. Studied have shown that drivers that text cause accidents similar to drunk drivers. Any task that could put your life at risk is not a task that you should attempt to multitask.

Any task that requires focused attention should be done without a competing task. For example, you should avoid completing important work assignments while working on another task. Even if the competing task seems simple, like talking on the phone, it is capable of taking your attention away from the important assignment. It may take you longer to produce a subpar version of the assignment if you continue to multitask.

How to remove multitasking from your Calendar

You should consider removing multitasking from your Calendar. The science is clear: humans cannot multitask effectively. Unless you are a “supertasker” then it is time to quit your multitasking habit. If you’re skeptical that multitasking less will help you to accomplish more, — then just try it for a few weeks. Maybe you are one of the two percent who actually can multitask? However, you might be surprised how much more you are able to accomplish without multitasking compromising your productivity.

Be Productive During Your Summer Slump

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It’s long been known as a fact, that productivity at work plummets during the summer — especially in July and August. A study by Captivate Office Pulse found that during the summer, productivity decreases by 20 percent. Additionally, attendance drops by 19 percent and work turnaround time increase by 13 percent.

There are several reasons why this is the case. The most obvious is that a lot of people are taking vacations during this time of year. Even if you’re still hustling, employees, investors, vendors, and clients might be out of town. It’s tough to get things done when decision-makers are out of town.

Another culprit is the weather. Most of us can’t focus when it’s nice outside. Since we’d rather be outdoors, we get more distracted. Research from the Harvard Business School backs they claim up. They found that crummy weather conditions, like rain, encourage us to be more productive since we aren’t getting cognitively distracted.

Moreover, we get distracted by FOMO. We see a friend relaxing on the beach, and we focus on how awesome that would be instead of working. There’s also the weather. When it’s too hot, it’s harder to make decisions and humidity makes lose concentration. As a result, we crank up the AC. But, when it’s too cold, we tend to make more errors.

So, yeah. Summer doesn’t just slow you and your business’s productivity; it can put you in a slump. Of course, there some ways to prevent this from happening. For example, shifting your priorities, having meetings outside, and shaking up your routine. But, fighting against this all summer can be exhausting. Instead, use this lull to your advantage and become productive during your summer slump.

1. Catch up on some reading.

I don’t have to tell you just how vital reading is. While I do read daily, there are times when I don’t get to learn as much as I would like. But, thankfully, I can always count on the summer to catch up on books and even industry publications.

The best part about reading is that you don’t have to catch up on reading. Reading can always be a part of what you do. Read something light if you wish to, during a long weekend or vacation. Or maybe — heavy reading should be done right now? What works best for your learning? Because the office is usually a little less hectic, I’m able to read in my office during breaks throughout the day.

2. Learn something new.

Just like reading, learning is essential for entrepreneurs. Make time for this piece of your life. Of course, a lot of us are way too busy to stop what we’re doing to make this something we do daily. However, since there’s some downtime right now, it’s the perfect summer activity.

What you want to learn is entirely up to you. But, it should be something that will help you grow as a person. You may choose to improve by learning a new language, how to play a musical instrument, or enhancing your existing professional skills. Other options would be to get out of your comfort zone and to explore your city or trying out a new productivity technique.

3. Schedule more lunch meetings.

I’m a big fan of lunch meetings. I’ve found that there aren’t as many distractions and there’s more flexibility with time. Most importantly, it allows you to spend valuable one-on-one time with clients, prospects, and employees. Spending one on one time is particularly true if you want to build a relationship with a new networking contact.

Additionally, it’s the perfect excuse to get out of the office for a bit. And, if you pick up the check, there’s no better way to show your appreciation.

If lunch meetings aren’t always an option, then consider walking meetings. Or relocate a team meeting from the conference to a park. Doing so will spark creativity and help keep everyone in good spirits.

4. Volunteer.

Volunteering is another activity that we should do more often. It doesn’t just make the community better; it also gives you a chance to strengthen your skills and network. And it just makes you feel amazing.

Let’s say on Friday afternoons you and your team help build a community garden or teach a class for free. You could also mentor or coach aspiring entrepreneurs. Or, speaking of coaching, see if any local sports teams need coaches or someone to raise money for them.

5. Focus on your body.

Last winter, I neglected my health. I wasn’t exercising as much and eating like crap. Going into the new year, I wanted to focus on my body. Of course, that’s still a juggling act between all of my existing obligations and battling the elements.

While I’ve been able to follow through with this goal, I’m going to kick it up a notch. With a little more free time, and the desire to get outside as much as I can, this summer I’ll be focusing on eating healthier, exercising daily, and meditating. Using a calendar for scheduling will ensure I accomplish my goals. Eating right, exercising, and meditating will give me the energy and stamina to be more productive, while also reducing the amount of stress in my life.

6. Strengthen your leadership skills.

Being a founder doesn’t automatically mean that you’re a natural-born leader. A lot of entrepreneurs struggle with this day in and out. However, this is the perfect season to change that around.

During the summer, enhance your leadership skills. That sounds broad. So, I suggest getting some feedback from your team to see which areas you should focus on. For example, if you need to improve your communications skills, then seek out advice through books, podcasts, webinars, or Ted Talks. Record yourself during a meeting to see your performance — I did this and found that I spoke too quietly. Check out productivity hacks backed by science.

7. Re-organize your work environment.

You would be surprised at all of the stuff you accumulate over time. If left unchecked, this can create a cluttered and disorganized environment that is blocking you from being productive. So, send your spare time tossing out items you no longer need and organizing your files. And, don’t forget to clean out your inbox as well.

After you’ve cleaned and organized your workspace, you might want to re-organize it as well ultimately. You may find that the new layout is more functional. And, sometimes changing things gets those creative juices flowing.

8. Attend industry events.

I can’t tell you how many events I’ve not attended because I’ve been so swamped. But, if you have some free time this summer, then that’s when you should attend as many events as possible.

Not only will this get you out of the workplace, but it’s also a chance for you to learn new information or become aware of the latest trends. There’s also plenty of networking opportunities as well.

9. Spend more time getting to know your team.

How many times has an employee asked if you have five minutes to chat, and you respond that you’re “too busy?” That excuse doesn’t fly right now. And, whether you realize it or not, getting to know each other will be beneficial for everyone.

When you get to know your team, you’ll be able to motivate them better and inspire them since you’ve built a relationship. Also, it shows your team that you have a genuine interest in your employees. As such, they’ll be more engaged and loyal to you and the business.

10. Tackle your deferred project list.

I think we all a list of items that we’ll get around to eventually. Even if they’re important, we tend to forget about our listings when they’re not urgent. Take the time to reconsider your lists and deferred projects. Update all account information and get price comparisons done on insurance providers. In other words, get all the smaller projects out of the way that have been bugging you

If you don’t cross these items off now, then when? And, if this list continues to grow, then it will become too overwhelming to address. Go ahead and set some time aside to get these tasks done and over with finally.

11. Think about your future goals.

“Unhook from the minute-to-minute, day-to-day franticness and give yourself some space,” David Allen, author of the popular book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, told Forbes. “Lift your head up and look at the longer horizon. What would you like to have accomplished? What do you want your life to look like a year from now or even five years from now?”

Since the office is quieter and you aren’t as busy, you can finally answer those questions. And, you can start making plans on how you will achieve them.

12. Take a vacation.

Finally, don’t forget to have some fun this summer. And, for most of us, that means getting out of Dodge and going on a vacation.

Everyone, including entrepreneurs, need to step away from work occasionally. It will clear your head, alleviate all of that stress, and help you develop fresh ideas. Along the way, you may also learn and partake in new experiences. It also allows you to spend quality time with friends or family.

If you can’t go on an exotic vacation, then plan a weekend getaway that’s within driving distance. And, there’s always the staycation where you stay home but unplug for a couple of days. Whatever you do, take the time to enjoy yourself this summer so you can come back refreshed.

Dread Meetings? How to Create Team-Lead Accountability

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Less Is More: People Will Attend Your Meetings When You Make Them Painless

Let’s not sugarcoat this. Meetings suck your time, your energy, and occasionally your soul. Meetings waste your team’s focus, they’re boring, and they’re the leading cause of death in office productivity. The good news is that there are ways to reduce the number of meetings within your organization. But, if you dread meetings, how can you create team-lead accountability?

Thanks to project management tools and internal communication channels like Slack, you can collaborate on projects, ask questions, assign tasks, and map out an entire project without ever having a meeting.

And meetings are a necessary evil: They’re where problems and conflicts are resolved. They also enable goals to be set and achieved, and feedback to be given and received. It’s where you can “rally the troops.”

Those reasons may not be enough to help you and your team get over the collective disdain of meetings, but if you create a culture of team-lead accountability, that might change.

Find a common purpose and set clear expectations.

“Set the stage for any team initiative by talking about the ‘why,” suggests Cathy McCullough, a business growth consultant, and culture expert at Rhythm Systems. “Connect what you need the team to do with why you need them to spend valuable time doing it. What’s the point? Why does it matter? We always tend to tell a team of people what to do; many leaders are good at that. As a result, the ‘why’ gets wholly ignored.”

After the purpose is clear, you can set measurable goals, so everyone involved with the meeting knows what’s expected.

Assign pre-work.

Assigning pre-work can be as simple as asking your team to provide critical solutions, suggestions, examples, or feedback about the agenda before the meeting takes place. Getting this information before the meeting not only ensures that everyone comes prepared, but it also makes people curious. A little buzz about a meeting goes a long way to making the session better. After all, your team is involved in its creation.

Adopt an “everyone plays” mentality.

Remember when you used to play soccer as a kid? It probably wasn’t much fun when you had to sit on the bench, right? The same is valid for meetings.

We often dread attending them because we feel like we contribute nothing. Rather than let that happen, get everyone involved by assigning roles, topics, or updates for every participant to share with the group. The assignments will make everyone more attentive and feel more empowered because of additional responsibility.

More importantly, it makes every attendee feel like his or her opinions and feedback are genuinely valued and play a role in the bigger picture.

Follow the “two-pizza” rule.

Meetings are more effective when there aren’t as many individuals involved. Only key players should attend. Fewer people not only keeps the meeting moving faster, but it also keeps them be more productive.

“Besides, the more people you have in the meeting room, the less responsibility each of them has,” writes Renzo Costarella. “As items are discussed, people will feel less inclined to speak up as they assume it will get covered by the other attendees. You need to invite key players, not spectators.”

As a general rule of thumb, follow the advice of Jeff Bezos: Don’t hold a meeting if two pizzas aren’t enough to feed everyone.

Decide who will do what and by when.

One of the most effective ways to create a culture of team-lead accountability is by assigning tasks to team members and giving them deadlines. Deadlines inspire your team members to take action and hold themselves accountable for their specific responsibilities.

However, it’s now your responsibility to step back and avoid micromanaging. Instead, give your team the freedom to complete these assigned tasks however they want — just as long as the project completion is within the timeframe. You’re only here to listen and provide support.

Rotate the leader.

One person should lead each meeting for the sake of efficiency; rotating that role will give your sessions variety.

You’ll need to provide guidelines for each meeting leader to follow. Allowing a rotation of employees to volunteer and experience leading a meeting can make them feel valued and visible. A rotating meeting leader can ensure the “regular” meeting leaders don’t burn out. All of your employees will step up their game on every project with revolving meeting leadership. Watch it happen.

If you’ve called a meeting because urgent decisions need to be made — make sure the leader of the meeting is also a high-ranking decision-maker.

Include “culture moments.”

When you start your meeting, kick it off with a “culture moment.” It’s a simple way to make the session more enjoyable while aligning expectations for how you want invitees to think and act.

For example, if you give a team player recognition for going above and beyond, tell the story — like how two departments collaborated on a project together — or ask others to share a story or give recognition.

Leave room for white space.

Keep the agenda as concise as possible. Don’t pack the meeting with so many items that it goes over the allotted time. Call this, leaving a little extra room for the white space. Not overloading a meeting with too many details also enable spontaneous discussions that help spark creativity.

Follow through with a plan.

Once the meeting has concluded, make sure attendees leave with action items. In most cases, these tasks are expected to be completed by the next meeting. If they’re not, you may want to reconsider whether the tardy person should continue to be a key player in future meetings.

Send an email to all attendees, so everyone knows who is expected to be in the session. All employees need clear indications of what is expected. You’ll not want an employee coming into the meeting who shouldn’t be in attendance. Similarly, you’ll not want someone not showing up to a meeting when their presence is essential. Include what assignments and preparation are necessary. Who’s responsible for what and when the work should be completed all will be decided beforehand so the meeting can remain short and sweet.

Empowering your team to take the reins at meetings can result in fresh ideas, new perspectives, and interest. Rather than put the onus on yourself to keep meetings captivating, pull your team members in to share the load — they’ll appreciate it as much as you will.

Dread Meetings? How to Create Team-Led Accountability was originally published on Calendar by Deanna Ritchie

Not Everyone is Built for Remote Work: Find People Who Are

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According to the report, “The State of the Remote Job Marketplace” from FlexJobs, 3.9 million Americans — or 2.9 percent of the total US workforce — now work from home at least half the time. FlexJobs is also predicting that one-third of employees will work remotely within the next decade. But, not everyone is built for remote work; find people who are.

Technology made the freelancing and remote employee possible. The arrangement is beneficial for both employees and employers.

Those with flexible work options are more productive and healthier both mentally and physically. Additionally, remote work reduces employee turnover, saves businesses an average of $10,000 per year in real estate costs (employees save around $5,240 in expenses), and it’s more eco-friendly.

At my company Calendar, most of my team works remotely. While we’ve all enjoyed the benefits listed above, I’ve also noticed that I have access to a deeper talent pool, while my team enjoys a healthier work-life balance.

While there are still challenges — it’s not the easiest of tasks to manage a remote team — having a remote team is an ideal solution for me. But, that’s also because I surrounded myself with a team that is cut out for remote work.

How can you tell if a potential employee can handle working virtually? Here’s how you can find out.

Look in the right places.

There are hundreds of websites and job boards where you can find remote workers. But, not all job boards are equal.

For example, Fiverr is a great place if you’re on a tight budget and need work as a voiceover for your podcast. But, if you need a developer or social media manager, you need to look at more quality websites. These sites typically only showcase talented workers who have unique skills.

I would suggest trying out UpWork, WeWorkRemotely, Toptal, and Flexjobs to start your search.

Don’t forget to tap into your network. I’ve found some of my best team members just by asking for referrals from people that I trust.

Create job posts that attract quality, remote workers.

Let’s say that you want to post a job opening on a site like Toptal. You want to compose a job posting that not only excites potential candidates but also separates the top remote workers from the rest.

For example, I’ve seen new businesses looking for freelance writers on a site like Freelancer.com. They simply want to get lots of content on their new website. Because they don’t have a ton of money, they’ll hire writers who aren’t the greatest because they don’t charge much money per hour. If they were looking for full-time content writers, this definitely wouldn’t fly.

So when creating your job post make sure that you clearly state how much the worker will be paid, what your expectations are, and the minimum requirements and qualifications you want.

Also don’t forget to include links to your website, articles that mention your business, and any other relevant information about your company, such as what you do and who the founders are. This is a simple way to prove that you’re a legit business only looking for the best-of-the-best.

Screen your remote worker candidates.

Now that you’ve got some applicant showing interest in joining your business, it’s time to screen the potential employees. This not only ensures that you hire people who can successfully work remotely, but it also guarantees that you’ll find people who will fit in with your company’s culture.

  • Consider the characteristics you want in an employee. For remote workers, keep a lookout for those who are self-motivated, disciplined, highly responsive, and possess strong communication skills. It also doesn’t hurt that they have previous experience working remotely.
  • Use several different interview methods. When I interview potential employees I start with an email and then schedule a brief 10-minute call on Skype or Zoom. The email is testing their responsiveness and written communication skills, while the Skype call gives me a better understanding of their personality.
  • Ask the right questions. This will provide you with the right information you need to determine if the candidate can work virtually. Skillcrush has a list of 18 questions you should ask during a remote job interview, such as “How do you schedule your day?” “How do you prioritize tasks?” and  “How do you use technology throughout the day?”
  • Check out their social profiles. LinkedIn is a great resource to learn more about the candidate’s past work experience or identify references. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram provide insights into the individual’s personality.
  • Assign a task. As someone who has freelanced previously, you never want to work for free. However, if someone is applying for a top-notch gig, they won’t mind a little homework since they understand that this showcases their skills, as well as proves that they can meet a deadline and work independently.

Review samples and references.

Even if you’ve assigned a little task for a potential employee to complete, you still want to look over samples of their work — which could simply be a link to their online portfolio. This way you can be certain that their specific work will meet the needs of your business. You should always ask for a couple of samples when they apply for a job.

On top of samples, ask for at least two references. You can then ask these references if the person was able to meet deadlines, understand directions, and submit high-quality work. You could also inquire about their communication skills and if they were willing to attend virtual meetings.

If you’re nervous don’t make a full-time commitment.

If you’re still on the fence about hiring remote employees, you can always hire someone to complete a one-off task. It’s perfectly acceptable on services like UpWork to do this. I would say freelancers and other virtual employees wouldn’t be opposed to this either since it gives everyone a chance to see how the assignment goes before committing to a long-term relationship.

Remember, you’re looking for someone who isn’t only skilled, but who can also meet a deadline, work independently, and gels with the culture of your business. For the remote worker, they want to be sure that they can work with someone they get along with as well.

8 Steps to Planning Digital Content in Less Time

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I’m a planner. I love writing things down and preparing myself for the work week in advance. Still, as a content producer myself, planning website content isn’t always an easy task.

When you do finally force yourself to sit down and start planning content for your website, blog, email list, etc. it can be a very time-consuming process. If the major brain dump method doesn’t work for you either, check out these 8 steps to planning digital content in less time.

Step 1: Use Current Copy as a Foundation

The best place to start is to look at your existing content for your business. Even if it sucks, you have someplace to start. Look at analytics to see which content resonated well with your audience and what didn’t.

For example, if you’ve been getting some great feedback on social media for a particular article, see if you can expand on the subject and plan to produce some follow-up content in the future. Keep a running list of topics whenever you gain inspiration or think of ideas that could be useful. It only takes a few minutes to do this each week and it’s the best way to jumpstart the content creation process.

Step 2: Make Sure You Understand Your Audience

Don’t waste time planning digital content before you get to know your target audience. Interact with them on social media, ask your email list questions, save helpful feedback, and ask your audience to a short market research survey every few months. 

This will help make the content planning and creation process much simpler because you’ll know who your audience is and what they want. Sometimes, I practically drive myself crazy trying to brainstorm content ideas. Ever since I started asking my audience what they wanted to see and listening to their recommendations, the digital content planning process has been pretty painless and quick.

If your audience is telling you multiple things, segment your website visitors into the primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences and determine how you’ll address their needs in future content types.

Step 3: Use a Calendar to Map Everything Out

If you’re planning digital content without a calendar, you’re doing it all wrong. Using a calendar tool can help you stay organized and begin to work ahead.

I like to set up days dedicated to brainstorming, outlining, creating/scheduling, polishing, and promoting. Yes, the content production process is pretty tedious, but having a solid plan laid out in writing can make all the difference.

Coming up with headlines and outlines at this stage is very important. It’s interesting to note that doing this in advance will literally cut a lot of time out of the content creation process and keep you focused so you can finish and release your content more efficiently.

By storing everything on a digital calendar, you can set reminders to hold yourself accountable for meeting specific deadlines and allowing yourself enough time to prepare what you need to complete the content.

Step 4: Work With Others

Ask others to help you research, edit and review when you’re planning digital content. This will save you a ton of time. For example, if you’re writing for search engines or trying to rank some of your web pages, you may want to have someone do SEO research. 

If you’re producing social media copy you may want to have a consult with a social media marketing expert to help you come up with a clear strategy so you don’t waste time making rookie mistakes.

This can be ongoing or just a one-time thing depending on your needs.

Step 5. Storytelling vs ‘Storyselling’

You don’t have to use your website to merely tell your own story. The stories that matter are those of the people who have used your products and services and found them beneficial.

Nobody is interested in knowing how wonderful a business you have. Give your audience results and evidence. The language you use should speak to them. Offer your products as the solution to their products.

One of the easiest ways I work storytelling into my digital content planning process is to simply be authentic. When I experience things or have conversations that I believe could be pivoted into inspiring content for my audience, I add the idea to my content calendar with a date and a brief outline. In less than 2 minutes, I have quality content planned that I can produce quickly.

Step 6. Write For Search Engines and Humans

SEO is important. However, crowding your content with too many keywords can only render it unreadable. Include the keywords as naturally as possible to avoid coming out as a robot. If anything, you don’t have to stick to your specific keywords. Use variations that will still give the same meaning.

As you’re planning your content for the web, it helps to determine a focus keyword ahead of time so you know what to base your content around. I like using the Google Adword Keyword Planner tool because it’s free and easy to use when you’re researching keywords and narrowing them down.

Step 7. Have an Action-Oriented Copy

All of your content should have a goal behind it. It’s likely that you want to help turn readers into leads and paying customers. To do this, you need to make sure you plan out content that has a clear call to action.

This will prompt your audience to do something. This is something I failed to do in the beginning stages when planning content for my business and I regretted it. It’s important to focus on providing value, but you also want to let people know what you want them to do. Is it to call you, email you, or make an online purchase? Show them the step they need to take next. Provide links or email address so that they can find it easy to reply and take action.

Step 8. Make It Visually Appealing

Content and visuals go hand-in-hand. When you’re planning digital content, be sure to include ideas for illustrations, charts, and images to support the text. Alternatively, use testimonials, bulleted lists or larger pull quotes. Divide sections with subheadings and use short paragraphs.

Again, planning all this out on a calendar will help you stay organized and on track. Remember, you don’t have to actually follow through will all of your ideas for content, images, SEO, etc. All you have to do is jot them down and organize them. 

The whole process can be done in under 20 minutes weekly or once a month as a huge content overhaul.

Do you plan out your content at all for your business? If so which one of these steps to you find most valuable?

 

Originally posted here.

How To Market A New Business More Efficiently

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After starting a new business, you’ll need some way to spread the word about your existence. Marketing involves improving your brand recognition and visibility while attracting new clients. Most entrepreneurs turn to digital marketing. It’s an accessible way to market and advertise your business. Your success in this area isn’t a guarantee.

If you want your business to be successful, you’ll need to think about the efficiency of your marketing strategies. In other words, how much are you getting compared to the time and money you’re investing? Doing this calculation is called your return on investment or ROI. It’s affected by many factors, including the strategies you choose and how you execute them. Most marketers focus almost exclusively on how much they are paying versus how much they are getting in new revenue. But, tt’s also essential to think about how you’re managing your time.

What steps can you take to make sure you’re marketing your new business as efficiently as possible?

Understand Your Goals

First, it’s crucial to identify and understand your goals. Obviously, marketing and advertising are all about raising awareness and attracting new customers. But, what are you specifically trying to achieve, and what are your highest priorities? For example, is it more relevant to you to increase brand recognition, or is it better to get new paying customers as soon as possible? A new source of revenue can play a significant role in which strategies you choose and how you execute them.

You’ll also need to think about your timeline. Some marketing strategies have a very high ROI. These strategies are useful for a wide range of businesses, but they take a long time to develop—sometimes months to years. Other strategies take effect immediately. Sometimes, they guarantee traffic to your site or new leads. Yet, they tend to be much more expensive. What balance would be most appropriate for your business? And, is a short-term or long-term focus more important for you?

If you don’t understand your goals initially, you won’t be able to come up with an effective marketing plan.

Work With an Agency

Thanks to the abundance of content on the Internet, it’s possible to learn the basics of how to market a new business on your own. However, for most businesses, it’s better to work with a digital marketing agency.

According to Crown Media Tech, “Agencies have access to more resources than the average business owner can gather on their own. It’s the only way to make sure your campaign funds are being used efficiently.”

Digital marketing agencies tend to have access to many different niche experts. Rather than hiring a generalist or tracking down a network of your own niche specialists, you can rely on the specialists within an agency. Digital marketing agencies tend to have extended networks. They also have more flexibility when it comes to workloads and service provision. Then, you’ll never have to worry about shortfalls or gaps between availability and needs.

Even more importantly, marketing agencies tend to hold themselves accountable to high standards. They want to keep you as a client. If results are lackluster, they’ll usually go the extra mile to troubleshoot the campaign and make things right.

The flip side is marketing agencies usually cost a few hundred to several thousand dollars a month to employ. The cost depends on the services you’re using. Compared to the results you get, this is still cheaper than what you’d pay for an in-house team.

Learn What You Can, When You Can

Even if you’re delegating most of your marketing work to an external agency, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about marketing and advertising. The crucial knowledge about marketing will help you make recommendations for your campaign. It will also be useful for evaluating new angles to try. You can get a critical lens through which you can understand your agency or employee actions.

Start With One Core Strategy 

If you’re trying to manage your marketing strategy on your own or if you’re coordinating with a small team, start with one core strategy for your campaign. The core strategy doesn’t have to be your only strategy. But, it should be the focal point of your campaign.

In terms of how to market a new business, a core strategy is beneficial for several reasons:

  • Specialty expertise development. If you and your team are focusing almost exclusively on one strategy, you’re going to learn at a much faster rate. Over a period of weeks to months, you and your team members will grow to be much better versed in this strategy. Then, your expertise will start paying off.
  • Noise reduction. If you’re new to the world of marketing analytics, focusing on one strategy will help reduce noise in your measurements. You won’t struggle to figure out which of your sub-strategies is having the most impact on brand recognition. Instead, you can focus on the effects of your core strategy.
  • Min/maxing. In most marketing campaigns, it’s better to spend a lot of time and money on one, high-quality strategy than to distribute those funds amongst multiple, lower-effort strategies. In other words, this is a focus on quality over quantity. By starting with one core strategy, you can give it your full attention instead of half-heartedly pursuing a dozen strategies simultaneously.

Establish a Clear System for Communication 

Much of your marketing success will be dependent on your ability to communicate your ideas and collaborate with others. The principles of communication applies to most situations. Whether you’re meeting with an agency regularly to discuss new ideas and provide direction, or you’re coordinating with a team of writers to ensure your content is relevant.

For starters, establish a clear hierarchy and a precise arrangement of responsibilities. Who is responsible for organizing and coordinating meetings? Which marketing items require your approval, and which ones can be managed independently? You’ll also want to decide which mediums are most appropriate for each type of communication. For example, in-person meetings tend to be counterproductive, primarily when a group email could have accomplished the same goals.

The idea here is to improve the level of transparency and the clarity of communication between groups while minimizing the time spent communicating those ideas. Much of your communication is going to depend on the abilities of the individuals in your network. You may have to mentally translate, as they may not be able to express their ideas and needs as concisely as possible.

Experiment and Make Cuts

As you become more comfortable with your marketing campaign, start to experiment with how you market a new business. That could mean gradually incorporating new marketing strategies with which you’re unfamiliar or trying new angles with your existing focal strategy. Either way, experimentation is all about trying new things, measuring their outcomes, and keeping the angles that work.

It’s easy to become complacent with a marketing strategy. If it’s earning you decent results, you’ll be inclined to keep it running as-is. However, this blinds you to the possibility that there may be a different angle or different combination of strategies that can easily outperform it.

It’s also essential to cut consistently underperforming strategies. You may feel inclined to keep a strategy around indefinitely because you worked hard to understand it, or you’ve already invested so much in the “how-to.” This action is known as the sunk cost fallacy. In some cases, it’s best to cut your losses and move on with something else.

General Productivity Habits

If you’re trying to accomplish more in the marketing and advertising space, you can also focus on strategies designed to improve your bottom-line productivity in general. For example, you could invest in an app (or multiple apps) designed to increase your productivity. You could spend time physically exercising or meditating in the morning, clearing your head, and readying you for the day ahead. A different tactic is to invest in a better project management app or a task management system. Then, you can enforce new rules in how projects and tasks are assigned.

Another strategy is to develop a better hierarchical system for prioritizing your own responsibilities during the day. There isn’t a right or wrong way to approach this since different strategies will have varying levels of effectiveness on different individuals. However, it’s vital to give multiple ideas a shot. Then, see how your productivity is affected.

Practice How to Market a New Business

Marketing a business efficiently isn’t the result of a binary decision; you can’t flip a switch and suddenly start spending your time and money in a highly efficient way. Instead, it’s a gradual process. You’re going to make lots of mistakes as you try to better understand your business and its target demographics, but every mistake you make will bring you closer to an “ideal” setup.

Be ready to fail and ready to learn from your errors. As long as you’re actively trying to improve and make things more efficient, you should be able to succeed.

How to Manage Time and Stay Productive During a Conference

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Conferences can be a great way to connect with people in your industry, build real relationships, and even grow your business. It’s the perfect place to meet new people who are in a similar situation, and there are often many opportunities to learn new tactics and strategies. But how doe you stay productive during a conference?

As with all networking events, you’ll want to get the most bang for your buck. You also want to stay productive and get something accomplished while you’re at the event. Expect your schedule do be all over the place during a conference.

Tips to manage time and stay productive during a conference.

Have Someone Handle Emails and Urgent Messages

You probably won’t have a ton of access to email while you’re away at a conference. Sure, you’ll have WiFi, but do you want to be logged on and responding to emails and questions the whole time? Probably not.

Instead, ask someone from your team to handle emails and urgent messages to keep things flowing. Work ahead so that critical deadlines are met and use a detailed auto-responder to help with emails.

Include essential links and FAQs in your auto-responder so that people emailing you during the time you are out of town — can take basic steps on their own. With essential links, your clients can schedule a future call with you or communicate with your assistant.

When you return from the conference, you’ll be grateful that you have a more manageable workload and inbox situation.

Don’t Just Sit in Sessions All Day

Don’t get me wrong; conference sessions can be super helpful and eye-opening. However, you can watch presentations at any time thanks to webinars and YouTube videos.

What you can’t do often is interact with a wide variety of people all at once. Take advantage of the opportunity to chat with people and build connections.

Add a few critical sessions to your itinerary and take good notes. Remember that some conferences will allow attendees to review recordings of the sessions so they won’t miss anything. Setting your schedule up to attend meetings and connect with more people in person will help you stay productive during a conference.

Meet People on the Way

Don’t underestimate the opportunity to meet people at every stage of the conference. You may want to introduce yourself when you’re volunteering, waiting at the elevator, or in line at the hotel restaurant.

Strike up a conversation with people and learn more about what they do and what they’re looking for at the event. Who knows, you may be able to work with them in some capacity in the future.

Also, if there is an expo hall, be sure to network with the vendors seeing as how they likely sponsored the event. It never hurts to know credit sponsors and build relationships there.

Set Up Meetings and Coffee Dates

If there’s someone that you want to meet at the conference, take advantage of the opportunity and set up a meeting or quick coffee date with them. You don’t have to sit together for hours, but just a 20-minute chat can make all the difference.

Sometimes conferences can be overwhelming and so busy that it’s hard to sit down with someone one-by-one. The best thing you can do is email people in advance to get on their calendar and meet up.

That way, you ensure that a connection is made and you can follow up after the event with the next steps.

Take Breaks When Needed to Stay Productive During a Conference

As an introvert, I often need time to take breaks and rest at long networking events like conferences. Don’t push yourself too hard, especially if you’re getting tired, overwhelmed, or groggy. Retreat to your hotel room for an hour or two and take a nap, check emails, or do something to revive your energy.

If you have light work to do, you may even find it helpful to check emails and complete short solo tasks. Taking time off to refuel will allow you to stay productive during a conference and avoid burning out too soon.

Realize that you can’t do everything and be everywhere during the experience and prioritize your time and energy.

Go to Bed at a Reasonable Time

Sure, some great connections can be made at night or during evening events, but you don’t want to overdo it. It’s essential to wake up at a decent time so you can start your day off strong and get enough sleep that you feel energized.

Try a Walking Meeting

Running around from one place to the next during the conference? It can be super busy but if you want to chat with someone, try a walking meeting or a quick catch up.

If the person you want to talk to is headed somewhere, offer to walk with them and strike up a meaningful conversation. A quick connection can be a great way to get questions quickly answered, get a new lead, or offer some help from your end.

Overall, conferences can be a great way to learn new things, catch up with old friends, and make new contacts. Being able to manage time well and stay productive during a conference is still vital. It’s not a vacation. Conferences can be quite expensive, so you want to make sure you get the most bang for your buck

7 Creative Ways Companies Are Making Meetings Less Boring and More Productive

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It’s common to find yourself trapped in a two-hour meeting, discussing irrelevant topics and losing sight of your day. However, if you do them correctly, meetings can be productive, to-the-point and engaging. While it can be a struggle to check off all three of these things, a number of companies are getting creative in the ways they approach making meetings less boring.

Ways to Make Meetings Less Boring

From Pixar’s “Note’s Day” to Buffer’s “Masterminds,” check out these seven out-there ways companies are revamping their meeting methods.

1. Note’s Day

It’s no surprise that one of the most creative companies in the world also has some of the most creative internal strategies as well. In order to keep employees engaged and create an open dialogue of idea-sharing at every level, Pixar created “Note’s Day.”

On Note’s Day, the entertainment company puts things on pause in order to facilitate company-wide brainstorming sessions. On this day, Pixar employees gather in small teams to share ideas and discuss relevant issues and company challenges. Leaders from various departments drop into other teams’ meetings to understand and hear the varying viewpoints.

2. Goalfest

When it comes to reaching goals and tracking performance, it can be tricky to find an effective method. However, cloud computing platform DigitalOcean discovered its own way of doing so: “Goalfest.” In an hour-long meeting once a week, the small team at DigitalOcean joins a shared Google Spreadsheet, where they each set and share their goals for the following week, and publicly score how well they did on achieving the previous week’s goals.

Not only is this a good way to keep employees accountable for their work, but it also opens up discussions for improvements, recognitions, and challenges.

3. Masterminds

At social media management company Buffer, their program “Masterminds” has been one of the forces behind their happy and effective workforce. Because the Buffer team works entirely remotely, the company came up with a creative way to connect employees.

Dubbed Masterminds, the internal program pairs up two team members who provide regular support and advice to each other. The pairs connect once a week and typically share their progress and achievements, as well as their top challenges and setbacks.

4. Talks at Google

It’s not always about bringing people together within a company—sometimes bringing influential figures and industry professionals in is also a surefire way to boost employee morale and engagement. At Google, the tech giant launched its own speaker series for employees called “Talks at Google,” where it invites a variety of guests to speak on a range of topics.

Whether you’re a Google, a million-dollar startup, or a six-person team, bringing in influential speakers and resources outside of the company is a great way to keep things fresh and innovative within the company. Suddenly, your team sees meetings as less boring.

5. Hackathons

Hackathons have become highly popular amongst today’s startups and tech companies. Now, they are a way to make meetings less boring, too. Businesses have started to organize company-wide hackathons where employees collaborate intensely on tech-related projects over a certain period of time. Facebook has become particularly famous for its hackathons.

In fact, they are basically a part of its DNA and one of the network’s oldest traditions. Facebook holds hackathons throughout the year, and they have not only become a great way for employees to interact and work together, but a plethora of beneficial things have been invented as a result of them like tagging friends in Facebook comments and “Liking” friends’ posts.

You don’t have to be Facebook to host a hackathon either. Today, a number of tech companies are hosting their own hackathons, discovering the abundance of benefits that come out of them, from teamwork and relationship-building to new products and innovations.

6. Moment of Zen

Amidst all the chaos, Poll Everywhere manages to find some balance in attempting to make meetings less boring. At the end of every internal meeting, the tech company has a “Moment of Zen” where they take time, as a group, to learn something new or reflect on their day. At this time, leaders will share inspiring quotes or stories and team members will discuss wins and highlights and give compliments to their co-workers.

7. The Swear Jar

No one likes a two-hour meeting that was scheduled to be 30 minutes. Lost time from meetings is a common phenomenon in the workplace. The team at Tripping.com found a fun a solution: using a stopwatch, anytime a meeting goes over 30 minutes, the person who called the meeting must put $5 into the company’s “Swear Jar” (AKA happy hour fund).

Are you ready to make meetings less boring? Grab one or more of these tools now!

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