Personal Productivity
Digital training courses from TAFE NSW
A range of good quality online digital courses are available from TAFE NSW. They include an introduction to AI and Generative AI and its business applications...
Advice from Atlassian on how to effectively manage your time. They suggest some good techniques...
New technology has resulted in there being no separation between work and leisure. But the only way to produce our best work is to take the requisite time away from it. It is only through a still and relaxed mind where we can think clearly and make the most of our talents and abilities...
A sensible article about the importance of 'being present' and advice on how to do this. This skill is very important to your success in work and in life...
The value of writing things down
Stressed About Forgetting Things? Neuroscience Says This Simple 5-Minute Routine Boosts Memory and Learning–and Helps You Fall Asleep Faster...
Robert Cialdini has written an excellent book on persuasion and negotiation. This summary outlines six principles of persuasion commonly used by compliance practitioners...
How to stop thinking about work all the time
Some practical suggestions on how to stop your mind ruminating on work and preventing you from getting to sleep...
Indian government asks public servants to practice yoga
The Indian government has asked public servants to take short breaks at their desk to practice yoga (stretches, breathing exercises and meditation). It is aimed at lifting productivity...
Walking is great for your body and your mind. You should do more of it...
How Generative AI Changes Productivity
This podcast covers initial productivity gains for individuals from AI, how that will scale across a workforce, and the pressing challenges facing organisational leaders...
Create a User Manual for your team
This is a good idea. The more that the members of a team know about how to get the most from each other the higher the better...
How To Start Journaling, Benefits of Journaling, and More
A comprehensive article which explains the benefits to be derived from journaling...
Is your life like that of a hamster on a wheel? Researcher Kathleen Montagu discovered something that explains a lot about you, and plenty about your friends too. The question is what are you going to do to take some breaks 'from the wheel'?..
The difference between average and exceptional performance is what you say no to...
Hybrid Ways of Working 2022 | Global Report
This study found that employees with greater autonomy about where they work are happier in their jobs. There are also interesting findings about the extent to which staff in different age groups value having a dedicated workspace rather than hot-desking...
Politics and the English language
Minister Plibersek has asked that the Secretary send this article to all staff in her department with a request that they read it. It provides advice about how to write clearly...
Evaluating Information: Find the Signal in the Noise
A large part of wisdom is knowing what to ignore. A large part of expertise is knowing where to place your attention. Here are seven suggestions to help you avoid a lot of errors...
Time is our most precious resource and we tend to waste it. Reduce your time on social media, reduce the notifications on your phone, make some blocks of time to allow you to do your best work...
Podcast - Brené Brown and James Clear on Atomic Habits
In this podcast James Clear explains why consistency is more important than intensity and the importance of your daily habits in shaping your future. The quote that sticks in my mind is "You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems” (your daily habits). Highly recommended...
Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking
A core component of making great decisions is understanding the rationale behind previous decisions. If we don’t understand how we got “here”, we run the risk of making things much worse...
The Spacing Effect: How to Improve Learning and Maximize Retention
We are not taught how to learn in school, we are taught how to pass tests. The spacing effect is a far more effective way to learn and retain information that works with our brain instead of against it. Find out how to use it here...
Our Workplaces Think We’re Computers. We’re Not.
The key takeaway for me was the value of walking each day. But there was much more - a radical critique of not just how we think about thinking, but how we’ve constructed much of our society. In this conversation, they discuss how the body can pick up on patterns before the conscious mind knows what it’s seen, why forcing kids (and adults) to “sit still” makes it harder for them to think clearly, the connection between physical movement and creativity, why efficiency is often the enemy of productivity, the restorative power of exposure to the natural world, and why open-plan offices were a terrible idea and much more...
How to Think: The Skill You’ve Never Been Taught
Good thinking is expensive but poor thinking costs a fortune...
Why Microsoft’s Steven Worrall runs analytics on his diary
The description of one CEO's daily routine. Great idea to run analytics on your diary. Are you using enough of your time on your priorities. If not, then start now...
Forty concepts that you should know
Here are 40 concepts which will help you to make sense of many things. There is a lot of distilled wisdom here...
The ‘neglected middle child’ of mental health can dull your motivation and focus - and it may be the dominant emotion of 2021...
Worker, Interrupted: The Cost of Task Switching
We switch between tasks every few minutes. When we know we will be interrupted we work faster to compensate, increase our stress levels and think less. There are some recommended solutions...
Why You May Feel Too Guilty to Rest, and Why You Should Stop
Resting revitalises you, allows you to think and increases your productivity. The culture of busyness is counterproductive...
How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains
A TedTalk on the four pillars of a healthy mind: awareness, connection with others, insight into ourselves and having a sense of purpose. Recommended...
Making space for incidental inspiration (also known as, why we all need to take more baths)
A very thoughtful article on how unstructured time increases your creativity, ability to innovate and ultimately, your productivity. This is the first blog post from Thea Snow a former SES officer and Learning Group member who is an expert on Government innovation...
What does procrastination tell us about ourselves?
We all suffer from procrastination. Why do we keep putting off doing important tasks and fill our time with less important things, despite our determination not to do that.
Thinking Of Skipping Vacation? Don't!
Executives who take regular holidays perform more highly at work and are more satisfied. Here are some suggestions of how to have a good holiday, even if you are unable to travel...
Have we just stumbled on the biggest productivity increase of the century?
John Quiggin, Professor of Economics at The University of Queensland, argues that working from home frees up the commuting time which is on average an hour per worker (and much longer for some) and that this would lead to a 13% increase in productivity, or a 6.5% increase if the improvement was shared between the worker and the employer. Could this be part of future workplace bargains?..
How to use others' feedback to learn and grow
Most efforts to improve individual and organisational learning focus on teaching people how to give feedback. This video argues that a far better investment for you and your people is to improve your ability to receive feedback...
The implications of working without an office
This is the best article that I have found which looks at the implications of bringing staff back to the office or allowing them to work from home...
To be or not be, in the office
The Australian Financial Review asks experts where staff will do their best work when the world returns to normal. The consensus seems to be that a mix of work in the office and work from home produces the best results...
An article and podcast about the value that CEO’s get from a Chief of Staff. Worth reading if you want to learn how to get the most from a Chief of Staff position...
Unlikely Optimism: The Conjunctive Events Bias
When certain events need to take place to achieve a desired outcome, we’re overly optimistic that those events will happen. Here’s why we should temper those expectations and consider worst case scenarios when we plan. This is very important for complex projects...
How Will You Measure Your Life?
A graduation address at Harvard Business School. It looks at how to find happiness in your career and how to have great relationships with your spouse and family and argues that 'management is the most noble of professions, if practiced well'. Recommended...
Psychology of Survival - A look at stress
An extract from the US Army field guide. Particularly interesting description of the importance of stress, natural reactions, how to prepare yourself for stress and the importance of learning stress management techniques including: time management skills, relaxation techniques, assertiveness skills and cognitive restructuring skills. You all need to develop these skills...
Using Models to Stay Calm in Charged Situations
Mental models can be used to navigate through challenging or confusing situations. This article gives a practical example of using mental models to enable you to remain calm in a situation where passions can run high and cloud your judgement. These skills are particularly useful in times of crisis...
The Secret to Achieving Peak Productivity
In a world full of digital diversions, how are some people able to achieve a higher level of productivity than others? Here is a case study. The basics are to batch work and to have periods of high focus...
Two mental models that many of us use are ‘opportunity cost’ and ‘trade offs’. These are both part of how people make decisions which allow them to play the long game. The compounding impact of playing the long game is very large...
Improving your productivity - a lifelong quest
The quality of our thinking is proportional to the ‘mental’ models in our head and their usefulness in the situation at hand. The more models you have - the bigger your toolbox - the more likely you are to have the right models to see reality. It turns out that when it comes to improving your ability to make decisions variety matters. Here are 109 mental models explained. The more that you master, the better decisions you will make..
Why Finland leads the world in flexible work
Finland has legislation which gives workers the right to work flexibly. Many do and there is evidence that it leads to greater productivity...
Happy ever after: 25 ways to live well into old age
A summary of actions that you can take which will improve your longevity and your quality of life...
Habits vs. Goals: A Look at the Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Life
Nothing will change your future trajectory like your habits...
This podcast from the Conversations series explains how to identify and manage the psychopaths in our midst...
Two-hour ‘dose’ of nature significantly boosts health - study
Two hours each week spent in the outdoors significantly boosts physical and mental health. Why not try it?..
How do you know when you are burnt out at work - ask yourself these four questions
It is your job to manage your energy. How do you know when you have pushed yourself or others too hard? If you or your people are burnt out you need to put boundaries on the number of hours that you work and schedule breaks...
The Dangers of Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparing yourself to others allows them to drive your behaviour. There is one thing that you are always better at than others - and that is being you. Back your strengths, the competition is with yourself, not with others. Focus on being the best you. It sounds easy, it is not...
Do you know who your iPhone talks to when you’re sleeping?
A startling revelation about the extent to which your iPhone transmits information about you while you sleep. There are also suggestions about what you can do about this...
Use Your Money to Buy Happier Time
A podcast (or you can read the transcript) which explains that we foolishly prioritise money over time. They argue that we should buy more help to do those things which we do not like doing and this would give us more time to do the things that we enjoy...
The best thing you can do for your health: sleep well
The importance of sleep. An interesting angle in this article is the link between not getting enough sleep and contracting Alzheimer’s disease...
‘You don't leave your depression at the door when you walk into work’
Georgie Harman, the CEO of Beyond Blue and a former senior executive in the public service talks about her personal battle with depression and suicidal thoughts at work...
If we see someone throwing money away, we call that person crazy. This bothers us, in part, because money has value. Wasting it seems nuts. And yet we see others - and ourselves - throw away something far more valuable every day: Time. Time is invisible, so it’s easy to spend. It’s only near the end of our life that most of us will realise the value of time. Make sure you’re not too busy to pay attention to life...
Study demonstrates the economic benefit of flexible work options
Victorian study into the economic benefits of offering flexible work options. The economic benefit far outweighs the extra administration. This quantifies what we already know. Does your organisation offer flexible work arrangements? If not, why not?..
Feeling flat? Research shows that happiness hits a low in your 40’s before rising again in your 50’s...
Weekend lie-ins could help you avoid an early death
There is hope for all you sleep deprived Executives. Research shows that you can burn the candle during the week as long as you get more sleep on the weekend...
The breathing trick that calms your nervous system in 5 minutes flat
Here is a proven breathing exercise that you can use at work to calm your nervous system and to improve your performance. This technique makes you 'deeply grounded, yet alert and focused'...
How to clear your history from Google
Simply deleting your browsing history does not delete all the information Google possesses relating to your search history. Learn how to protect your privacy...
Work less, not more is the tip from the CEO of BHP
Andrew McKenzie argues that "the more senior I've become, the more important it is that I work fewer hours. A rested Andrew can do more in four hours than a tired Andrew can do in eight," he said. Pretty good advice!..
Change Your Screen To Greyscale To Combat Phone Addiction
Tristan Harris, former ethicist at Google suggests that one way to combat phone addiction is to enable greyscale on your phone. Here is how to do that...
The average adult checks their phone 50-300 times a day
We are like Pavlov’s dog – trained to respond to any notification. Tips and tricks to wrest back control...
The Art of Letting Other People Have Your Way
This is an outstanding podcast about how to negotiate well. Chris Voss explains how most of us approach negotiations the wrong way. I think he is right and this is the best podcast I listened to over the Summer break...
How Smartphones Hijack Our Minds
Research suggests that as the brain grows dependent on phone technology, the intellect weakens. The division of attention impedes reasoning and performance. Research also shows that performance drops relative to the proximity of your smart phone. A good reason to leave all phones outside of any meeting...
How to Make Your Low Phone Battery Last Longer
Tips on stretching the battery life on your phone. I learnt that closing open apps does nothing towards extending your battery life...
How Self-Reflection Can Make You a Better Leader
Setting aside 15 minutes a day can help you prioritize, prepare, and build a stronger team...
I love this quote – In a little-known passage of The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith suggested, “It will be found, I believe, in every sort of trade, that the man who works so moderately as to be able to work constantly not only preserves his health the longest, but, in the course of the year, executes the greatest quantity of work"...
The paradox of our health and wellbeing
We often thrive with high levels of stress. It is when stress turns to distress that the trouble begins. What really matters is the quality of your relationships and connections with others...
For all iPhone users - how to reclaim your life
The release of iOS 10 has meant that those of you addicted to your phone will become more addicted. If you want to take back control then read this article...
The organizational cost of insufficient sleep
This article quantifies the cost of insufficient sleep and gives some examples of organisational policies and practical steps that individuals can take to improve their sleep...
'How meditation benefits CEOs'
A Harvard Business Review Article which details the improvements in performance achieved by CEOs who meditate. Note - I recommend that those of you who want to start meditating - subscribe to the 'Headspace' app...
The growing job skills gap that no-one is talking about
The importance of social media skills for the modern leader...
A great podcast about an Australian woman who was a pioneer of mindfulness and her journey to discovering how to manage the fear of fear (panic attacks)…
How your iPhone can help you get a better night's sleep
If you have an iPhone this is a must read. The latest software update has added new features which you probably do not know about…
There is more to life than being happy.
Meaning comes from the pursuit of more complex things than happiness. It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness...
An interesting reflection on why do we work so hard - is it because we enjoy being being at the centre of things, doing interesting work, being indispensable. Is it a conscious choice...
Recommended viewing. In this two minute video, Professor Gretchen Spreitzer gives practical tips on how to avoid hiring Jerks and how to deal with colleagues or bosses who are Jerks.
What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team
New research reveals the surprising truth about why some team thrive and others falter. There are two key elements - members of good teams speak in roughly the same proportion. That is, they take it in turns and they have strong social sensitivity (EQ).
Meaning as a motivator for staff
A TED talk by Dan Ariely on what makes us feel good about our work...
10 ways to shorten long meetings...
Nearly everyone needs 7 to 9 hours sleep a day. This podcast argues that it is a mistake to cut back on sleep in order to do more exercise...
This is an organisation that the Premier's departments in NSW and Victoria have used to help them improve the writing and the workflow underpinning the preparation of documents for Cabinet...