One item of conversation that crops up time and time again is that of wanting a boost in productivity. Projects get delayed and don't seem to move, let alone the piles of paperwork on your desk that seem to build up from normal working; these all detract from our ability to be productive. Well, there is a simple approach to improving productivity. It can give a one time boost, or can be used on an ongoing basis to maintain higher levels of productivity. It's quite simple and all to do with 'keeping your house in order'. Write a list of everything that you think you need to do to get all of your tasks / projects back on track. Resolve to sort out this list and focus on clearing as many items as possible. In fact don't stop until you do clear the list. When you have finished you will be in a position to tackle new jobs and hence become truly productive. The list that was holding you back was stuff that should have been done already and therefore a case of obliga

Many people spend their days working without truly appreciating what their job really entails. I'm sure that you have seen other people work really hard at what they are given (or have chosen) to do, and yet aren't producing results of any real merit. Most jobs are designed for a purpose - to add value to a specific process or client, they are there to make the process or client experience better. If you are familiar with Parkinson's Law (that effort expands to fit the time available) you will see the countless unnecessary tasks that fill the days of many working people. Jobs that do not fit with the value that the organisation is trying to generate, and do not help anyone to deliver meaningful results. Not understanding current work content and how this generates value to the end client is crucial if we are to spend our days doing something that is useful, profitable and enjoyable. Does your day-to-day work deliver the results? Smartspeed Consulting Limited &#

We all know that our projects and our tasks are a collection of steps. We take time to map our work (looking for improvements) and then find that productivity does not increase as a result. Could it be that we are reviewing the wrong areas? Could we be better off by doing something different that just mapping what we think we do? Sometimes the improvement that we need is at a very lowest level within the organisation's efforts - in the day to day activities, not necessarily the strategic ones. How we file our work, how we decide when to give the information to the next stage of the process and the format of the information can all have big impacts in the productivity of our work area. When we don't understand what the best sequence is for our work we find ourselves not being as efficient as we could be. What is the right sequence for the work in your business? Can you engineer the handovers and sequences of work so that you can become more productive in your work? H

Busy busy busy are our days and yet there is always the opportunity to get more done if that is required. There are many tasks that can be run at the same time as others, effectively getting two things done at once. Looking for these opportunities to piggy back other activities can add a further degree of productivity to your day. Of course, you also have the opportunity of jettisoning tasks that yield little value to your cause (or your stakeholder's) and have less to contend with in the first place. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk