How many times do you get interrupted every day at work?  Whether it’s a big crisis or a simple relaxation break, chances are you don’t even realize how much time you’re losing to those interruptions.  Interestingly, Dr. Gloria Mark, associate professor at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, found that average information workers are interrupted every three minutes – nearly twenty times per hour!

Granted, many of those interruptions are miniscule and take just minutes of our time, but the sheer number of them points to a costly problem.  According to the same study referenced earlier, bigger and more important interruptions occur roughly four times per hour.

What’s worse, every one of those interruptions functions as a forced shift in gears.  Workflow is jarred and employees have to take time to “get back into the groove.”  How much time?  On average, 23 minutes.  That means, over the course of a day, the four “important” interruptions we face every hour can displace more than an hour’s worth of work!

Research shows that “when you’re interrupted, you don’t immediately go back to the task you were doing before you were interrupted.”  In fact, workers tend to take on two additional tasks in between the interruption and returning to whatever it was they were doing before.  Corroborating findings from Microsoft’s corporate office show that happens 40% of the time.

The overall time and cost consequences of an interruption depends on the original task’s complexity:  the more complex the task, the higher the cost. 

Where Do These Interruptions Come From?

You might be tempted to blame email, text messages, IMs and even other employees for the lion’s share of these costly interruptions – and you’d be right… but just barely.  While email was one of the biggest time killers (accounting for 23% of all distractions, according to Microsoft), Dr. Mark found that 44% of the time, the workers surveyed interrupted themselves.  They simply moved on to other tasks, whether the first one was finished or not.

The majority of the non-self-instigated interruptions come from electronic “notifications” (either email, IM or phone messages); the remainder are person-to-person or face-to-face in nature.  While in-person interruptions are in the minority, they tend to last longer and leave employees with a larger interruption-related workload (as in, the department chief dropping off a pile of expense reports to be completed).

And, unfortunately, we never procrastinate when it would do us good, as 73% of interruptions are generally handled immediately – whether they need to be or not.  Workers seem to get distracted by the interruptions and tend to finish the task created by the interruption, rather than continuing on point with what they were doing in the first place.

“The good news is,” Dr. Mark says, “that most interrupted work was resumed on the same day – 81.9 percent.”  But if the good news isn’t really that good – nearly 18% of tasks are pushed back to the next day – how good can the bad news be?

Intangible Costs of Interruptions

If you multiply the 23 minutes per major interruption times 4 interruptions per hour, you’re looking at over an hour of interruptions per hour of work.  So how is anything actually getting done?  Shouldn’t employees simply be hopping from one interruption to the next?

In a sense they do… and still manage to get things done by the end of the day.  How is that possible?

Another study by Dr. Mark shows that, in an effort to make up for distractions, individuals try to worker harder and faster at the expense of personal wellbeing and – to some extent – the quality of their work.  Trying to do the same amount of work in less time, while still dealing with distractions, gives rise to:

• Increased stress levels
• Increased feelings of frustration
• Increased effort (or at least perceived effort)

In short, all these distractions make work harder and less enjoyable for the people doing it.  This leads to cut corners, worker apathy and the use of slap-dash tactics that leave the final product less than perfect.

Balance all of that on top of the financial cost (estimated at $588 billion every year nationwide) and you can see we, as a workforce have a serious problem with interruptions.

What Can You Do to Cut the Cost of Interruptions?

Simply avoiding interruptions isn’t going to work – they find you, wherever you are…  Of course, closing the door and shutting off the email client will make a major difference, but these actions won’t solve the problem entirely.  Remember, 44% of interruptions are created by worker themselves.

Perhaps learning better time management skills is the best way to deal with these distractions.  The first step is knowing exactly how you and your employees are spending time.  Task tracking (made easy through low-cost applications like Yast) can help you immediately spot your business’s biggest time wasters.  Spend a day tracking your time and you might be surprised to find out how much time you waste responding to daily distractions!

Research by CubeSmart found that, generally, 26% of interruptions were classified as “organizational issues.” With that in mind, schedule yourself a little time each morning to put a plan in place.  Having your day plotted before it ever really begins can help you to avoid interruptions by honing in on the tasks that are most important.

Finally, prioritize your tasks in order to get your biggest projects done first.  This will help you to retain your focus in the face of constant interruptions.  Ultimately, knowing what you should be working on and learning to put nonessential tasks off until you’re finished with what you’re doing will save you tons of time in the long run.

To learn even more about what employees value in their positions, take a look at the following “What Makes an Employee Happy?” infographic.  Hopefully, this image will give your company plenty of ideas on improving worker satisfaction and managing employee retention.

<i>Click image to see a larger version</i></br><a href="http://www.yast.com/productivity/employee-happy-infographic/"><img src="http://www.yast.com/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/What-Makes-an-Employee-Happy2.0.png" alt="What Makes an Employee Happy?" width="600"></a></br><a href="http://www.yast.com/productivity/employee-happy-infographic/">What Makes an Employee Happy?</a> via <a href="http://www.yast.com/">Yast</a>

According to an article in Psychology Today, 20 percent of people chronically avoid putting their nose to the grindstone and actively look for distractions!  That seems incredible in a society that values efficiency and “multitasking” as much as ours does.  And yet, it’s true.  But the big question is, why?

Procrastinators are trained from birth… to some extent.  That’s the gist of psychological research into the art of stalling.  One increasingly popular theory is that procrastination has its roots in childhood, where it functioned as a sort of rebellion against authoritative parental figures or as a goalless apathy in the presence of an overwhelming pressure to perform.  But even that deep-seated basis can be reversed if you get to the heart of the matter.

Doctor Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, says that there are three types of procrastinators in the world:

1. The arousal types, who get a thrill from rushing through projects at the last minute – whether they come out on top or not.
2. The avoiders, who don’t want to get to the end of any given project because the fear of change keeps them paralyzed.
3. The decisional procrastinators, who simply cannot make any decisive choices because they can’t bear the results of their actions.

Interestingly, these three types of procrastinators use multiple “tools” of the trade to work their mischievous magic.  Understanding which type you are and recognizing which of the following methods you and those around you use to procrastinate will help you overcome your personal roadblocks and get things done.

You’re Stunned by the Big Picture

If you’re overwhelmed by goals (either the ones you’ve set for yourself or the ones you’ve been given by others), you’re may find yourself feeling unable to disassemble them into constituent components.  As a result, you feel that you don’t know where to start – or even how to figure out where to start.

This feeling of helplessness usually feeds upon itself until it eats away at your resolve, making workplace distractions a welcome escape.  One symptom of this type of procrastination is filling hours with “busy work” that’s not essential but merely keeps the procrastinator active.

You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

On the other hand, if your project is a multi-stage affair, the individual steps may seem legion!  Instead of seeing the goal and going for it, you see all the steps that lead up to it and either get discouraged or lose focus.  One key to overcoming this type of procrastination is to create a to-do list that’s prioritized in order to break overwhelmingly-large projects into smaller, more actionable chunks.

Your Inability to Prioritize is Killing You

But what do you do if you simply can’t prioritize?  Chances are you’ll spend your hours working on non-essential tasks and fooling yourself into thinking that everything is okay.

Unlike those who get overwhelmed, those who can’t prioritize correctly don’t see anything wrong.  These are the folks that spend an hour deciding which font to use on the quarterly report – but don’t leave time to get the actual writing done.  Often the excuse of “time flying” is pulled out of the hat, but really, this is just another form of procrastination.

Fear of Failure (or Success)

Failure and success are big deals.  Either one can have far-reaching implications for a how individuals perceive themselves and how they are perceived by others.  For instance, if a person drops the ball on a big marketing project, he may worry about being blacklisted as the fellow who lost the company X amount of dollars.

On the other hand, if this same person knocks the ball out of the park, all future projects will be held to a much higher standard.  Some people are willing to do anything – including nothing – in order to avoid being jarred out of their comfort zones.

You’re Too Comfortable Lying to Yourself

Procrastinators are constantly lying to themselves.  They lie to justify their failures (“The dog ate my homework”).  They lie to justify their successes (“Bill did most of the work”).  They lie to justify their justifications (“It’s okay to blame the inventory debacle on the warehouse they screwed up last quarter”).

Some procrastinators just don’t know how to not lie.  Learning responsibility is the key to beating back the lies and overcoming procrastination.  Take ownership and live up to your actions.

You’ve Given In to Perfectionism

You don’t always have to do things exceptionally well – often, “good enough” is more than sufficient.  The ingrained desire to get everything 100% correct every time can lead to the paralyzing fear of failure and multiple revisions and delays that waste time.

As John Henry Newman, Anglican Deacon and noted author, once said, “A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.”  Let’s face it, good enough is always good enough.

Poorly Chosen Goals (Lack of Motivation)

Goals have to be worthwhile or you’re likely going to give up on them.  If the end result isn’t interesting enough, emotionally rewarding enough or simply challenging enough, your passion for the project is going to flag and you’ll find yourself looking for ways to get out of work.  Suddenly the sunshine pouring through the window becomes irresistible and you find yourself getting sucked into a vigorous round of Angry Birds.

If you find this happening a lot, restructure your goals so that they excite you or add a personal reward to the end of every project.  For example, give yourself the okay to have a sundae in the afternoon if you get the expense report finished by noon.

Just as procrastination is learned, so too can it be unlearned.  By recognizing procrastination while it’s happening, you can proactively combat it by restructuring your work habits, adding motivation and ignoring distractions.  But “insight alone does not cure.”  You have to work toward the cure to your unique type of procrastination!

But don’t expect to succeed overnight.  Lifelong habits are difficult to overcome, so cut yourself some slack – just not too much!  As Dr. Ferrari says in his book Still Procrastinating:  The No Regrets Guide to Getting Things Done, “Eliminating procrastination from our lives is like trying to stop a moving train; it’s not easy.”  Don’t worry.  Even if you fail to curb procrastination immediately, there will always be a next time to hone your skills and improve your ability to get things done.

Finding the right time-tracking software has, for the most part, been a complete pain in the neck.  There are tons out there to choose from (most of which are free) but none seem to have “gotten it right.”  They’re either far too complicated to use, too detailed for most individuals, or simplistic to the point of being a glorified stopwatch.  And while we might be a bit biased, we think that Yast is a comfortable middle ground.

Yast was designed to be sleek, responsive, and just complex enough to do everything you need it to without drowning you in functionality that’s above and beyond.  It’s a web-based time tracking application we designed with the end-user in mind—it’s easily customizable and, as one reviewer called it, “painfully” easy to use.

But even tried and true Yast believers don’t know everything this little piece of software has to offer.  Even though it’s extremely simple to manipulate (drag and drop, click and edit, etc.) there are a number of “Ninja tricks” you can use to make Yast work better for you.

1. Private Projects

Yast allows you to easily segment your time between “Projects” and “Folders.”  You can stack and nest these ‘til your heart’s content simply by dragging and dropping.  While the free version only supports one user, the subscription software allows users to create a “Business”—meaning multiple users from the same organization can have access to the same data.  (This is excellent for those managing freelancers or small, mobile-oriented service providers.)  But how do you manage all of those overlapping users without confusion?

Yast also allows for the creation of personal folders.  That means that every individual user has his or her own personal folder.  You can use this folder to track time on any of their individual projects and, as the supervisor, keep an eye on it from on high.  Not too shabby for a deceptively simple little user interface.  This allows you to keep multiple projects and employees straight without all of the hoop-jumping other time-trackers make you do.

For more tips on how to structure your folders and projects, check out our training video on how to build your project structure.

2. Yast Mobile App

Time-tracking has, for years, been something of a headache.  Until recently, it involved collecting data, entering it into a central computer system, and then running your reports from there.  In essence, payroll individuals were handling the tracked hours more often than they needed to.  Yast and other time trackers cut out the middle man, allowing individuals to track their own time while supervisors retain total control.  But what if you’re not in the office?

That’s okay!  Yast is mobile-minded:  you can download the app for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone as well as your iPad (with Yast’s new customized iPad app).  You can share data across all of these platforms in addition to your desktop or laptop PC or Mac without having to collect or copy any files.  There’s no need to download any sort of remote desktop control program or invest in expensive licensed software that sits on your servers.

(Been burned by supposedly functional mobile apps before?  Try the Yast live browser-based demo!)

3. Use Yast to Project Staffing Needs

Yes, Yast is a time-tracking application.  So what does that have to do with staffing forecasts?  Perhaps nothing . . . or maybe everything!

Yast power user Glenn Murray came up with a unique idea:  create projects in Yast to track non-billable time.  This is useful because it allows business owners and individuals to understand where all of their time is going—most likely Facebook or Angry Birds.  However, this isn’t just a novelty.  From there you can extrapolate whether or not you need to hire more staff to pick up the slack or even cut back if there’s more you can take on yourself.

4. Share Online Time-Tracking

If you’re a web-based or mobile worker (such as a freelancer, writer, or designer), Yast’s ability to allow sharing of data across multiple platforms is a huge bonus.  And, because Yast is built with simplicity in mind, it’s extremely easy to do.

Unlike other software trackers out there, you don’t need to export your data, transfer it, and then convert it before you can show you’re clients how much you worked and when.  It’s a web based applications so there’s no need for software synchronization.

Also, you don’t have to spend hours creating reports and deleting or hiding non-project related time so your clients don’t see that you were working on multiple projects at once.  Yast’s reporting allows you to share on a project by project basis—so those you share with see only what you want them to see.

5. Contractors Can Work for Multiple Companies

Again, this is a natural “must” for web workers who market their services to multiple clients or for clients who use freelancers.  How does it work?

The company you’re working for can add you to their Yast data easily and it won’t affect any other users out there.  However, if another company hires you at the same time and decides to add you to their Yast tracking, all of your data (from both companies) will show on your user interface!  There’s “no more cumbersome, logging in and out to view your different projects.”

Bonus Tip:  Yast Calls

For those who want even more functionality but love the simplistic Yast interface, take a look at Yast Calls.  The free Yast Calls Android and Windows Phone applications allow you to unobtrusively track your phone time and report it automatically to your Yast time-tracking software.  Simply download the app, configure it to connect with your Yast data, and talk away.

Yast is Always Improving

With an estimated 1,000 new users every month, Yast is certainly a popular program.  And thanks to that popularity, we’ve been able to create a vibrant support forum in which questions are asked and answered by both users and our Yast staffers.  That forum is also home to a lot of free thinkers who are always coming up with great new ideas and addition for the core Yast application (many of which have already been added into our programs).  In short, Yast has been evolving based on user feedback since day one and continues to do so today.  As your business grows, so will Yast (even though we’ll always keep things painfully easy to use!).

To find out how you compare to the average worker in terms of socializing, social networking, surfing the net, job hunting, dealing with personal distractions and more while on the clock, take a look at our latest “Biggest Workplace Time Wasters” infographic:

<i>Click image to see a larger version</i></br><a href="http://www.yast.com/productivity/biggest-workplace-time-wasters-infographic/"><img src="http://www.yast.com/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Biggest-Workplace-Time-Wasters-Infographic.jpg" alt="Biggest Workplace Time Wasters" width="600"></a></br><a href="http://www.yast.com/productivity/biggest-workplace-time-wasters-infographic/">Biggest Workplace Time Wasters</a> via <a href="http://www.yast.com">Yast</a>

Time is money and there never seems to be enough of either.  But, unfortunately, that’s often our own fault.  “Lost” time is all too often caused by working inefficiently and procrastinating.

Sometimes we “spend” time on things that we think are important only to find that time could have been better used elsewhere.  Sometimes we get wrapped up doing one thing and forget about another.  Sometimes we just underestimate how long a task will take.

We ultimately need to learn good time management skills.  Thankfully, time management is an easily learned skill (and there are plenty of tools out there to help!)  Learning to manage your time more effectively will mean less stress, more productivity, higher profits, more satisfaction, and (believe it or not) more free time!

Here are 15 of the biggest time management mistakes that people make (and how to fix them).

1. Failing to Keep a To-Do List

Failing to keep a written to-do list is the number one time management mistake that people make.  With everything you have to do on a daily basis you can’t afford to rely on it.  Write things down.  It’s as simple as that.

Mashable has created a wonderfully concise list of some of the best to-do apps you can use to stay on top of your list.  A few are basic and easy to use (Todoist), some are a bit more involved (Wunderlist), and one (Tooledo) even allows you to share a to-do list across multiple users—perfect for small businesses or remote workers.

2.   Failing to Prioritize

Do you know how to use your new to-do list?  Most people don’t.  Even these lists need to be prioritized.  Not everything you have to do today is as important as the next thing.  And, let’s face it, there probably isn’t enough time to get all of it done.  So what do you do?  Make sure essential things are getting done by putting them at the top of your list.  It can be hard to do—especially in the face of multiple business “emergencies”—but it’s a skill that will serve you well

3. Failing to Accurately Track Your Time

Understanding the value of your time is important but so isn’t knowing where all of your time is going.  Simple-to-use and customizable time-tracking applications like Yast make understanding your workflow easy.  Yast is great because it offers a full-featured free version which is great for individuals but also has an affordable ($6 per month) “pro” version which allows business users to set-up “companies” which allow multiple users access to the same data.

While the most obvious benefit of tracking your time is ensuring that you’re getting paid for everything you do, there are several added benefits.  Yast can be used to track non-productive or non-billable time to help you see where you’re “losing” time.  And it can also be used to help you prioritize future tasks by giving you an accurate estimate of project duration.

4. Failing to Manage Distractions

Distractions are the bane of the productive mind.  From the incessant call of Farmville and Facebook to the simple warmth of the sun shining through the window distractions come in all shapes and sizes.  Some distractions are worth it (calls from the spouse, random office-wide Nerf battles) but most are not—you don’t really need to check your Twitter feed again.

The best way to avoid distractions is to work in a “closed” environment.  And it takes more than simply shutting the door.  Shut off unnecessary devices and applications, stay off the Internet, and let co-workers and family know that productive time is your time—only interrupt if it’s life and death . . . or time for cake.

5. Procrastinating

Putting off what we should be doing until tomorrow is a seemingly universal human trait.  Somewhere along the way we’ve learned to associate “work” with “suffering” but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Instead of focusing on the drudgery of the actual tasks at hand, focus on the outcomes, the long term goals, or the reward you’re offering for finishing up on time.

6. Taking On Too Much

We’ve all forgotten how to say “no.”  It’s okay to say it, really.  Especially when you know you don’t have enough time to complete everything you already have on your plate.  By piling on more work, you’re just adding unnecessary stress . . . which leads to procrastination and distraction.  Deep down we all know when we simply can’t add another straw to the camel’s back—just say no.

7. Skipping to Breaks

There really is some wisdom to the old axiom of telling someone to “sleep on it.”  Your brain needs time off in order to refresh itself.  But you don’t have to take a nap (unless you want to).  Even a short walk around the block may be enough “downtime” to put a little pep in your step and restart your creative functionality.  Stay away from the brain-sucking activities though—keep the T.V. turned off and don’t tempt yourself by opening up that web browser!

8. Bearing the Burden

Modern business people have heroic images of themselves—or at least they try to portray themselves heroic to others.  But businesses are essentially teams—you probably don’t have to do all the work yourself.  Delegation is a key time management skill.  If somebody can do it better, quicker, or at the same time as you, let them.  You’ll be more efficient and happier that way.

9. Planning Too Much

There’s definite value in planning.  Without it things get pear shaped quickly.  However, there’s no sense in over planning anything.  Why?  No plan is foolproof and eventualities always arise that force you to adapt anyway.  It’s enough to know where you are, where you want to be, and how you think you’ll get there.

10. Failing to Account for Aforementioned Eventualities

Life can get complicated—business even more so.  Always account for, or attempt to, unforeseen events.  Traffic, flat tires, connectivity issues, payroll problems can all mire a project quickly.  But if you’ve allotted a little extra time, resources, and funding you can respond to those sidesteps quickly.

11. Not Planning Enough

Planning too much is procrastination.  Not planning at all is ludicrous.  Everything you do, from dressing in the morning to hiring new employees should be planned in some way or another.  Take time to think things through even if you don’t write out an action plan.

12. Working Against the Grain

Just because everybody conducts “business” in a certain way doesn’t mean you have to.  There is no right or wrong way—it’s all a matter of personal taste (just ask Hoodie-wearing billionaire Zuckerberg).  Understanding how you work best is important because if you try to force yourself to work against your natural tendencies you’ll end up wasting time and being miserable.

13. Juggling Multiple Calendars/Day Planners/To-Do Lists

If you looked in your briefcase, purse, or desk right now would you see a digital planner, a paper calendar, and a handful of scribbled notes?  That’s a recipe for disaster.  Keep everything simple and organized.  Find one solution that allows you to plan your day so you don’t have to flip between applications, notebooks, and day planners.

14. Being Busy

“Busy” doesn’t always mean effective.  In fact, being “busy” often entails doing non-essential things just to feel like you’re doing something.  By keeping ourselves active with low-priority we’re neglecting the important tasks.  But you may not even know you’re doing it.  Using a time-tracker like Yast can help you see where your time goes and where it should be going.

15. Succumbing to the Clutter

Clutter is the enemy of a productive business.  Some people say they revel in it—every one of them has a “system!”  They’re really just lying to themselves.  Clutter inevitably means you’re spending valuable time looking for things that you’ve misplaced.  From financial documents to your car keys, everything should have a place and, ideally, be in it.  Take (or make) the time to de-clutter your workplace.  It’ll save you headaches in the future.

It’s Easier Than You Think

No matter how disorganized or “scatterbrained” you are, time management is a learnable skill.  By putting simple, repeatable systems into play, you can set yourself up for success and quit spinning your wheels.  But nobody can tell you the secret formula that will work for you and your business.  Take bits and pieces from the tips above (or create your own) in order to find that one-size-fits-me solution to your time management issues.

The morning cup of Joe, the mid-day pick-me-up and the afternoon latte – caffeine in all of its glorious forms has weaseled its way into our lives in more ways than we can count.  It’s become that little shot in the arm that we all rely on to get us over the hump and keep our minds and bodies sharp.  But, honestly, it doesn’t work as well as people claim and over-reliance can lead to headaches, irritability, jitters and more without the added energy boost we’re looking for.

So, is there a way to break the cycle and still be at peak performance throughout the day?  Can we really boost our energy for work, play and everyday life without relying on the all-mighty java?

Of course we can!  With a little training and some habit changes, you can easily boost your energy level throughout the day without relying on caffeine.  I’m not saying you have to give up the coffee or the cola – but wouldn’t it be nice to finish a day without feeling like you need a nap or to wake up in the morning without having to crawl to the carafe?

If you’re ready to break free from caffeine, the following are 20 different ways you can boost your energy and take on the work week (and your daily life), without relying on the cuppa.

Scheduling, Habits and Routines

Sleep Enough – Eight hours doesn’t always cut it.  Studies have shown in the absence of specific clues (such as sunshine and clocks), humans will actually sleep longer than eight hours per day.  In fact, a study reported in the New York Times shows that nine hours may be more “average” than the eight we’ve all been led to believe.

Sleep Correctly – Your basal sleep need isn’t only a function of the duration of your slumber, but of its quality as well.  For this reason, seven hours of solid sleep is often much better than eight or even nine hours of fitful rest.  Keep in mind that every person collects a “sleep debt” as time goes by.  It’s cumulative, and you have no choice but to give in to it – sometime.  For instance, if you only get seven hours of sleep per night Monday through Friday, you’re going to need to make up those five “lost” hours of sleep on the weekend – and you’re going to feel pretty terrible throughout the week as your debt builds.

Schedule Work When You’re Productive – Most people experience naturally higher focus levels in the morning (though this isn’t true of everyone).  This allows you to productively “bang out” all of the important stuff you have to do without the need for caffeine, before your mind slips off into that hazy/daze-y area between alertness and sleep that hits around 2:00pm.

Nap – Contrary to popular Western beliefs, napping is actually an excellent productivity tool.  Several major companies around the world have instituted nap policies based on studies that have found that employees are more responsive, more productive and more energetic after a 20 minute nap.  Just don’t sleep too much longer or you’ll pass the “sweet spot” and your body will think it’s bedtime.

Activities

Exercise – While the immediate result of exercise is usually the polar opposite of an energy boost, the long term results will be just that.  When you exercise regularly, you’ll be able to retain an alert and energetic state for a lot longer, as you’ve essentially trained your body to utilize what you’re feeding it for energy.

Be Afraid of the Dark – Okay, you don’t really have to be afraid, but do make it a priority to stay in the light – even if it’s artificial.  Your body naturally responds to light (it’s how our circadian rhythms are regulated,) so if you’re sitting around in the dark, your body is going to think it’s nap time – even if it’s only noon.

Walk – Or jump rope, or do jumping jacks, or undertake any other type of physical activity.  If you feel yourself starting to slide down that slippery slope into drowsiness, a short, vigorous burst of exercise can be a great way to revive yourself, as this exercise will get your blood pumping – boosting everything from your bodily tasks to your brain’s functionality.

Listen to Up-tempo Music – Ambient noise has a huge effect on the human psyche.  Studies have shown that students do much better on tests when listening to classical music and that rock anthems really do boost heart rates.  So to avoid the inevitable lull in your energy flow, keep the upbeat tunes pumping.

Practice Your Posture – I know, this sounds like something your mother would tell you.  But proper posture actually allows for proper blood flow throughout the body, which is linked to everything from digestion to mental alertness.  So stop slouching and feel more energetic now!

Drop the Temperature in the Room – Warm temperatures inspire lethargy.  Cold temperatures force your body to burn more calories, pump more blood and generally be more active and energetic.  This effect is so noticeable that multiple studies (including one by CareerBuilder.com) have actually shown that workers are significantly more productive when the temperature of offices are lowered to roughly 76 degrees in the summer and 72 degrees in the winter.

Exercise Your Mind – Tasks that require brainpower actually train your mind to be more active and alert.  To maximize this effect, try word puzzles or Sudoku during your breaks to stay sharp without resorting to caffeine.

Moderate Your Mood – Mood plays a tremendous role in regulating our energy flows.  Staying positive and excited are excellent ways to boost your natural energy without artificial stimulants.  Those inevitable “gray clouds” that hover over everyone once in a while do just the opposite.

Hang Around Like-Minded People – If you’re hanging around energetic people, you’ll be more apt to “absorb” some of their enthusiasm.  On the other hand, if you’re hanging around Eeyore and his pals, all you’re going to want to do is crawl into a cozy spot and sleep an otherwise productive day away.

Diet

Eat Correctly – Sugars and artificial stimulants can actually keep you running on “overdrive.”  And while this may sound like a good idea, crashing from one of these artificial highs hits you hard – ultimately tanking your overall energy levels.

Stay Hydrated – Your body and your brain are mostly water.  So when you get dehydrated, everything slows down – including your mind.  Staying hydrated will allow you to stay on track and keep up the pace in a natural, healthy way.

Eat Smaller Meals – It’s no secret that eating a large meal makes us sleepy.  That’s because a lot of the blood and energy in the body is transferred to the digestive system to aid in the assimilation of nutrients.  However, if you eat smaller, lighter meals during the day, you’ll avoid the hunger pains and find yourself able to keep your eyes open throughout the afternoon.

Take Your Vitamins – Vitamins such as B and D play an integral role in the body’s metabolism.  Ensuring that you have the right balance of vitamins and minerals will help your body function properly and help you maintain a high energy level throughout the day.

Snack Right – Instead of going for the sugary treats, opt for a protein-filled snack like peanut butter or nuts.  Protein also has the added effect of “sticking around” in your stomach longer to help you avoid those distracting hunger pains later on in the day, allowing you to remain focused and productive – not worrying about your next snack!

Investigate Herbal Supplements – I’m not talking about the guarana in your energy drinks (it’s essentially the same as caffeine).  Ginseng, kelp, licorice root and even cinnamon have all been found to boost energy when used correctly.

Eat Breakfast – It’s tempting to skip the morning meal (or to call a cup of coffee and a slice of toast “good enough”), but having a well-rounded meal in the morning actually tells your body to “wake up” and start the day.  It also ensures that you have the nutrients you need to stay strong all morning long and avoid the productivity-killing mid-morning crash.

Follow Your Own Plan

Keep in mind that everyone is different, and that mixing and matching these top 20 tips to find the balance that works best for you is the key to success.

Maybe you’re one of those lucky people that functions best on seven hours of sleep a night or one of the few who never got hooked on the java bean in the first place – if so, lucky for you!  But chances are you’re not.  If so, you might be able to feel better, be more productive and unlock your energy potential using some or all of the tips described above – but you’ll never know until you try them out!

The 80/20 rule (also known as the “Pareto Principle”) was “discovered” by Italian sociologist, economist and engineer Vilfredo Pareto, when he stumbled upon the fact that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by a mere 20% of the population, and that just 20% of his pea plants bore 80% of his pea pods.

Decades later, American management consultant Joseph Juran applied the principle to business on a much wider scale.  He examined the mysterious 80/20 relationship in multiple aspects of business and from there the “80/20 rule” – or “Law” it’s sometimes called—took on a life of its own.

While the exact figures in 80/20 calculations rarely ever match the famous 80/20 ratio, the principle underlying the equation usually proves sound:

• The majority of profit comes from a minority of sales.
• The majority of work is performed by a minority of employees.
• The majority of consumer complaints come from a minority of the total customer base.

Knowing this, how can you apply the 80/20 rule to your business in order to boost your productivity, effectiveness and bottom line?  Consider it a litmus test you can use to prioritize tasks, examine current systems and pare down your business operations as needed.

As Brett Fox of EDN Networks notes, companies like Touchstone Semiconductors have been successfully using the magical power of the 80/20 rule for years to streamline their operations and provide a better user experience for their customers.

Below you’ll find several ways you can use the 80/20 rule in your business to make the most of your time, money and effort.

Controlling Expenses

Expenses can easily get out of hand – especially if you don’t know much about the in-depth financial operations of your business.  In these cases, the 80/20 rule can help you to curtail unnecessary expenses.

How?  Interestingly enough, around 80 percent (or so) of all the expenses accrued by any business are typically related to just 20 percent (or so) of the line items.  By focusing on this “Top 20” and finding ways to effectively manage or even reduce these expenses, you can make a tremendous impact on your overall bottom line – with a minimal investment of time and effort.

Forecasting Business

Plotting the future of your business is another time-consuming area of vagaries that can easily lead unsuspecting business owners down a slippery slope.  Most plot future sales with years’ worth of historical data, predictions for industry-wide business trends and possibly even nationwide or global trends thrown in for good measure.

But while you can’t throw out all of that data and expect to get an accurate forecast, you can cut down on your overall inputs by keeping in mind that – in general – 20% of your business activities, inventory and marketing are responsible for 80% of your past, current and future revenue.

By zeroing in on the factors that might affect your core 20%, you can get a general picture of your business’s outlook that may even be detailed enough to carry you through to a complete forecast.

Managing Employees

Managing employees is incredibly time consuming.  In fact, one study found that 57 percent of all managerial hours are dedicated to dealing with “difficult” staff members.  Using the 80/20 rule to evaluate your team can significantly improve the company’s efficiency, as well as your own personal time management.  As Steve Strauss says, “if 20% of your employees produce 80% of your results, you need to figure out who those 20% are and reward them appropriately.”

However, that’s only one side of the coin.  That underperforming 80 percent needs some attention as well, given that efficient teams (such as the one at Touchstone) will have a much more agreeable percentage.  In fact, a representative for the company claims that they have “over 80 percent of the employees producing close to 100 percent of the output.”  Some of your 80% can be trained, educated or reformed – though some, unfortunately, are just dead weight that need to be trimmed.

Sales

If 20% of your products or services are responsible for 80% of your sales, then those 20% should be given priority – both in marketing and in-store placement – above the others.  This will only increase their movement further, padding your company’s profit margins.

Be aware, though, that your top 20% products may already be at peak performance.  If this is the case, the remaining 80% of your products and services may need a little updating.  Perhaps they just need to be marketed more using better strategies, or maybe they need to be redesigned or even replaced in order to join your collection of top earners.

Customer Relations

Following the 80/20 rule, your top 20% of customers are going to be responsible for the vast majority of your sales.  You should reward that select group and make the most of your networking/marketing time/money by targeting those few aggressively.

However, as Anne Parys of Law Practice Today says:  groom tomorrow’s top 20 percent for future profits.  You can’t afford to completely ignore the lower 80% of your customers – that’s a recipe for disaster.  However, you should constantly be looking for those specific individuals or companies that you think can be brought into your elite “20%.”

On the other hand, if some of your customers are becoming more trouble than they’re worth, it might be time to trim the dead wood.  The 80/20 rule applies here as well.  In general, 80% of your total complaints come from just 20% of you customer base (usually even less than that).  If you’re spending all of your time and effort addressing concerns raised by these few customers, you’re wasting resources.  You could instead be grooming your other 80% of customers to make their company interactions much more positive.  Cut the cord – if you can.

Focusing Your Efforts with the 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule isn’t a hard and fast business law – there’s a lot of leeway there and your exact percentages will vary greatly.  However, as a general rule of thumb, the 80/20 principle can be extremely effective – and it isn’t just about the “meta” operations at your business.  You can apply it to daily business tasks or to the following personal behavior as well:

• Email
• Media consumption
• Office “gossip”
• Telephone calls
• Task scheduling
• Commuting
• And much more!

The premise behind the 80/20 rule is that you should spend the most time, effort and resources on the activities, products and services that will bear the most fruit.  By identifying instances of this rule at play in your life, you’ll be better prepared to eliminate waste and, therefore, increase your efficiency and profitability in the future.

Email is a wonderful tool that has allowed the speed of business to grow exponentially.  However, it can also be a colossal time suck that keeps us from being productive if we let it!

It’s easy to get sucked in and side-tracked when you open your inbox and see something that looks important (or just interesting).   The next thing you know, half the morning is gone and you haven’t actually accomplished any of the tasks you set out to do.

Fortunately, there are easy solutions that allow you to enjoy the power of email without all of the headaches.  Below, you’ll find seven “email hacks” that will put you back on the productive track and reign in the distraction factor that this type of technology inherently creates.

7 Email Hacks for Increased Productivity

Check Email Only Twice a Day

If possible, log in once in the morning – in order to see if there are any crises you need to respond to – and once in the afternoon.  There’s no need to keep your email client open, to have push notifications on your phone or to repeatedly stop what you’re doing in order to send and receive messages.  Really, there are very few emergencies that will ever be communicated to you via email!

OHIO

Noted productivity expert Bob Pozen came up with this acronym, which stands for “Only Handle It Once.”  That means that you don’t put off dealing with emails until later—you deal with them when you receive them.  That way, you’re not constantly reminding yourself to remember a certain email message all day or forgetting about it until after hours.  You’re also not wasting time re-reading and rethinking what’s been sent to you.

Use Dropbox for Large Files

Dropbox is a cloud-based application that allows users to share files that are too large to fit in emails.  Nobody wants to have his inbox plugged with huge data files, videos or other piles of ones and zeroes.  Worse yet, sending and receiving such files may cause your server connection to time out – meaning that you have to try sending/receiving again, wasting even more time.

By using a dedicated file sharing system – rather than trying to shoehorn that functionality into your email account – you’re not only saving yourself tons of time and hassle, you’re saving your recipient time as well.

Set Up Filters

In order to keep your inbox clear and save yourself some time, set up a filing and filter system that automatically sorts your emails for you.  That way, you’re not reading, analyzing and sorting messages yourself.  Desktop clients like Outlook and Windows Live mail, as well as web-based applications like Google’s Gmail, all support this functionality – so make use of it!

Use Mobile Email to its Fullest Potential

After reading the first hack in this list, you might be thinking that I’m contradicting myself right now (and, really, I am a bit).  However, mobile access to email – either via smartphone or tablet – can turn downtime into productive time.  If you’re commuting, stuck in an airport or just waiting in line at Starbucks, you can access your email then – rather than during “business hours.”  This ensures you’re your work hours are left open for more important endeavors.

Set Up Canned Responses

Chances are a lot of the emails you’re receiving are very similar in nature.  But there’s no need to type the same response over and over again when you use a template message tool like Google’s Canned Responses.  This program allows you to create message templates or entire messages that can be sent out with a click of a button or two.  Adding this hack to your day saves a whole lot of typing time and allows you to quickly get back to business at hand.

Create Team Member or Project-Specific Inboxes

Use the folder system and sorting filters to create “inboxes” for every member of your team or for every project you’re involved in.  This allows you to easily keep track of all of your relevant messages at a glance.  In most cases, if you CC yourself on outgoing emails, these will automatically be sorted into the correct folder for you as well, saving even more time when it comes to tracking down past messages.

Free Email Tools

Implementing the hacks described above can go a long way towards minimizing the amount of time you spend managing email messages.  However, if you’re ready to take your productivity to the next level, looking into any of the following productivity apps:

Boomerang Gmail Extension, which allows you to schedule messages to be sent later and automatically sends you copies of emails you’ve sent that haven’t yet received responses.

Alto, which creates message groups (referred to as “stacks”) automatically so that you can bulk sort and respond without all the headaches and hassle.  This is a free, browser-based interface that works with Gmail, iCloud and Yahoo in order to present messages in a more visually intuitive way.

Mailbox, which was recently acquired by Dropbox, is a portable web app that’s essentially a re-skinning of Google’s popular Gmail system.  However, Mailbox offers more functionality, is better organized and gives users more control over their inbox than other email systems out there.

By adding these tools to your email arsenal and utilizing the productivity habits described above, you’ll cut the amount of time needed to manage your inbound and outbound messages significantly.  If you’ve always dreamed of reaching “Inbox Zero,” these tips will help you get there!

Time is money.  No doubt you’ve heard that expression once or twice before.  The good news is that technology has finally reached a point where businesses – even small or medium sized ones – can automate a great deal of their daily operations.  Not only does this save you time, it allows you to spend that time on other money-making improvements, leading to even faster business growth overall.

Ready to take advantage of these technological improvements?  The following are a few ideas to get you started…

Common Business Tasks to Automate

Posting to Social Networking Sites

Social networking is an essential brand-building and marketing technique that every business should be engaged in.  But doing it right takes time.  Fortunately, the most popular social sites out there allow you to automate a great deal of the actual work.  By frontloading content and scheduling it to go live on a regular basis, you can keep a steady flow of shareable goodies flowing to your followers without having to deal with it every day.

Consolidating Social Networking

Tools like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Buzzom allow you to sync multiple social accounts – including Twitter, Facebook and more – so that you can view and manage all of your different profiles from one handy user interface.

Website Login Automation

Many businesses rely on members-only websites for a great everything from webhosting to ordering inventory and even bookkeeping.  But logging in to these sites can be an annoying and repetitive task – especially if you forget your password or user name!

Automated login software can save you a ton of hassle by storing all of your login data for you.  The Windows platform offers basic login storage, as do some security software programs like Norton 360.  You can also find standalone products like HandyPassword and RoboForm that will automatically manage the login process for you.

Filling Online Forms

Software programs like Roboform also allow you to automatically fill in forms using any of your stored information, including your name, address, billing info and so on.  This data is secured on your computer and can be called up whenever prompted, saving you time when it comes to subscribing to emails, downloading freebies and signing up for new services.

Email Templates

Having email templates handy can also save you a ton of typing time.  You can create form letters or just partial forms (in which you’d fill in message specifics) in order to make emailing a one or two-click affair – rather than a five-minute ordeal.  One way to do this is through Google’s free Canned Responses service, which automatically creates email templates without you having to lift a finger.  All you have to do is set up the templates to begin with and set up your automation rules.

Email Signatures

Every email client (whether desktop or web based) offers users the ability to create customized signatures.  It may not seem like typing your name takes up too much time in your day, but having this information entered into your messages automatically can be a godsend (especially if you’re prone to typos!).

Reporting

Every business has to deal with reporting.  Whether you’re concerned with sales, inventory or leads, creating a form template – or even a form that auto-fills fields from another software program—can be a huge time saver, whether you’re dealing with accounting software, Excel spreadsheets or mailing lists.  Depending on the program you’re currently using, the automation process will be slightly different, but taking the time to learn how to use your technology effectively will definitely pay off.

Computer Back-Ups

Whether you back-up data locally or use a cloud-based service like Carbonite, scheduling your back-up automatically ensures that 1) you won’t forget to do it, and 2) the process won’t interrupt your daily routine.  Schedule back-ups when users are away from work stations in order to preserve server resources and avoid the inevitable slowdown that occurs while backing up your company’s files.

Computer and Browser Maintenance

Similar to back-ups, background activities like drive defragmentation and cookie clearing take time and slow down computer performance.  But you can’t just forget about them, as they’re essential for data security and computer performance.  Instead, schedule them to run automatically while your staff is out of the office.

Media Collection

Taking time out of your day to read the morning paper (or multiple papers) may be a nice escape, but it’s not really productive.  Instead of scanning through piles of articles that are of no interest to you, wouldn’t it be easier to have everything you wanted to know delivered to you?  That’s what the Zeit app does.  This third-party app acts as a media collection system that learns your reading habits and then only collects the newspaper, magazine and blog articles that you’ll want to read – saving you serious time when it comes to media consumption.

Keeping in Touch with Customers and Clients

Email is a wonderful data collection and customer retention tool, but unless you automate your system, chances are your customer relations are going to fall by the wayside.  Instead of reminding yourself to write email follow ups all the time, use an autoresponder service like Constant Contact to frontload any email communications you have and schedule them to deliver automatically.

Best of all, many of these services are so specific that you can customize lists within lists.  For instance, if you wanted to send out a happy birthday notice to everyone on your sales list that has a birthday in the coming month, you can do that, using the power of list filtering and autoresponder management.

Syndicating Web Content

No matter what analysts say about the demise of Google Reader, RSS is not dead.  RSS tools like FeedBurner allow you to syndicate your web content easily.  Additionally, those feeds can be used by third-party applications like TwitterFeed to post links to that content automatically on various social networking sites the instant it goes live.

Macros and Scripts Make Life Easier

Learning how to use macro commands can be a bit tricky but once you do, they’re indispensable.  Macros can be used to do pretty much anything you need to do on your computer with the click of a single button.  From calculating complex bookkeeping equations to dropping your company’s boiler plate into the end of every press release, you can create macros that make your life a whole lot simpler – no matter what industry you’re in.

Outsource Your Research

Services like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and outsourcing sites like Elance allow you to quickly and easily access individuals who can handle any tasks you don’t absolutely need to do yourself (for example, market research, writing press release writing and so on).  These services allow you to save time by outsourcing small tasks to contract workers, freeing up your time and energy for more mission-critical objectives.

Accounting and Invoicing

Services like Outright and Freshbooks (two alternatives to Quickbooks) automatically store receipts, payment information and more in your bookkeeping software so you don’t have to enter the data manually every time you update your financial accounts.  However, more full-featured software programs like Quickbooks and BillingOrchard also offer automated invoicing services that send reminders until the bills are paid, so consider all of these different options when choosing the best solution to automate your accounting and invoicing needs.

Clearly, these aren’t the only 15 business tasks you can automate now.  If you have any other recommendations for techniques you’ve used to free up time and resources, share them in the comments section below!