Psychological barriers routinely put chains around workplace creativity, stalling both projects and careers. To unlock your innovation, recognise these three most common hurdles and apply the easy fixes.
conformity
If you’re a conformist at work, you say and do what you think others expect you to do and say, aligning your beliefs, attitudes and behaviours with current norms. Honesty is difficult and, subsequently, so is building the trust you need to share your original ideas.
Fixes:
Ask your boss for some independent projects.
Ask questions, especially “Why…?”
Use phrases such as “I think…”, “In my opinion…” and “I would…” to remind yourself to speak with independence.
Spend time with those from other cultures to see what others do and believe.
fear of judgement/looking like a fool
Lower-level workers often fear being judged during the creative process because they don’t want to lose the chance for perks or promotions; upper-level workers don’t want to destroy the reputation they’ve built. If you fear being judged, you probably feel nervous when you have to show your work or are asked for your opinion. You also might think things like “If I do X, they’ll…” or “I don’t want them to…”
Fixes:Tell yourself “They’re on my side.”Make a list of your well-received ideas or products to remind yourself others have judged you positively and that rejection isn’t guaranteed.If you have a negative reaction to others’ work, challenge yourself to identify the root of that reaction. Then come up with something positive about the concept. The less you judge others negatively, the less you’ll expect others to judge you negatively, too.
ready acceptance of the obvious
Obvious solutions usually are easy to come up with, but they tend to be creative wastelands. Acceptance of the obvious likely is a problem for you if don’t come up with multiple options or jump to get to work without questioning what you were told to do.
Fixes:Set aside your initial idea for 24 hours to give yourself time to think of other options and avoid selection based on hot emotional reaction.Practise combining opposites.Take classes, research and read so you’re more aware of alternatives.
the creativity is there — claim it!
Most employees–including you–have creativity inside. They just need to free it. Doing this involves changing habits, which can take time and get you out of your comfort zone. The good news is, anybody can use the strategies outlined here. Recruit your coworkers and even your boss to support you, and encourage them to challenge conformity, fear of judgement and ready acceptance of the obvious, too!
Different social networks have different user bases — even the major ones. For example, 72% of adult internet users are on Facebook, while only 25% are on LinkedIn, according to Pew Research Center. Each of those networks attract users for different reasons, and cater to different user behaviour.Just because a network is hot right now, doesn’t mean you should be using it. The key is to figure out where your personas are engaging on social media and figure out a strategy for connecting with them there. (Don’t have personas yet? Check out our persona templates to get started.)Note: Keep in mind that the personas you’re targeting might differ between departments. For example, your recruiting department may be looking to engage with different folks than your marketing department.
2. will this account fill a need that is different from one of my other accounts?
If you have a social channel for your company already, you likely already have an audience that’s interested in receiving your content and updates. Congrats, that’s hard work.When you start a new account, you are building that audience all over. Don’t do the work for nothing. Unless there is specific content that your audience cannot receive in the original area, or there is a need to serve a new user base, there might not be reason enough to create another account.In other words, don’t create a need for a new segment if it isn’t already there. Creating a new account should be to drive a business need, not to create one from scratch.
3. do i have the time required to build an account
If you are going to have a handle represent your brand it is important for that handle to be meeting the expectations of the customers. Most commonly that means building a sizeable following and consistently posting to the account. Otherwise, the handle can look inconsistent with your other handles — or worse, dormant.That being said, it takes time to build and publish to a new account (multiple hours a week for several weeks). This is a laborious process that requires a big time commitment in order to be successful. Before committing to your new account, take a look at the calendar and see what your team can realistically handle.
4. do i have the time required to monitor the account?
This is the one that surprises most people. When you open up a direct channel of communication, your audience will use it. Being able to monitor an account is imperative for a good brand experience. This expectation of service can be great if you’re looking to start a support account, but trickier if your account has primarily a marketing function.Keep in mind that expectations will be different depending on the network you’re considering. On Twitter, 70% of surveyed users expect a response from brands, and 53% want that response in under an hour. Brands that don’t respond actually hurt their brand reputation. Facebook is also encouraging faster responses by giving brands who respond to 90% of messages within 5 minutes a “very responsive” icon on their pages.While you may have a slightly longer grace period for brand comments (like on Facebook or Instagram), when people are reaching out to you directly on an account, they are doing it because they want a rapid response.Check out this handy guide to learn how to monitor your social media effectively.
5. what is the plan for content planning/creating?
This may be the most time-consuming part of your social strategy, but some (myself included) would say it’s the most important. Content is what will keep your social channel front of mind, and it’s also what will bring in the views, interactions, and leads. Suffice to say, when creating a channel you should have a plan for sustained content creation.When thinking about your new social channel, consider where you will be getting the material and how you’ll be able to sustain this to create multiple posts a week. Remember, this content should also serve a unique function from your existing accounts.
6. how many posts/week am i able to commit to this account?
Posting consistency is key. Once you have a content plan, be sure that you’re able to keep up a consistent posting schedule as well. After all, your accounts aren’t doing much for you if you’re not posting from them. Dormant accounts also can give off the impression that you don’t care, or can’t commit to brand followers.Exactly how often you post is dependent on network and industry, but you should plan to have at least 1-2 Facebook posts a week, and 4-5 on Twitter (if not more). For some of the quieter networks with less links to click (think: Snapchat, Instagram, etc.), you can manage posting a couple of times a month, rather than weekly.Need help figuring out a posting schedule? Check out our templates.
7. do i have budget to help build/scale this account?
Money talks on social media. This is an unfortunate truth we are seeing more and more often. While you don’t really need budget to build out an account, a little spend can go a long way for boosting posts or putting yourself in front of new followers — especially on algorithm-dependent networks such as Facebook.If you choose to put your money behind advertising in social, watch it carefully. Define goals beforehand, and put it into a network that is really worthwhile for you. Each network has a slightly different way of handling paid advertising. For more on how to navigate paid social advertising, check out this free guide or click on any of the respective links below:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Snapchat
(Note: Snapchat ads can be quite expensive. You may want to consider an on-demandgeofilter instead).
8. what is the goal of this account? how will i know if it’s successful?
When you’re launching any initiative it’s important to know what value it will bring you, how you know you should double down on your efforts, or when you may want to cut and run.Whether your success is measured in leads, applicants, or share of voice, knowing your goals can help you prioritize your time and report your wins back to your team more effectively.
9. why is time spent on this social account more valuable than time spent doing other marketing activities?
If you’re feeling good about the questions above, you’ve hopefully determined that creating a new social account will take you a healthy (but totally worthwhile) amount of time. Now you have to ask yourself: Am I best spending my time creating content for this specific channel, or should I consider other marketing tactics (running experiments, optimizing emails, hosting events, etc.)?At the end of the day, it comes down to you and your team. Specifically, to whether or not you can create and sustain a new account to a degree that feels worthwhile to your company. If these questions have you planning a run for the hills, perhaps a new account is not the right fit. At least not right now. On the other hand, if they have you feeling excited about the content you’ll post with this account, or the goals you’ll be trying to hit, sounds like you have some creating to do.
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How you start your day makes a huge difference. Twenty minutes of exercise first thing can help you be in a better mood all day. Repeating a few positive affirmations can help you focus on what is most important.
And so can a few specific — and very personal — questions you can ask yourself.
What is the best way to get what you want? Ask for it.
And if you want to get better — at anything — ask yourself to be better. Here are some great ways to do just that. Ask yourself:
1. “do i show enough gratitude?”
Gratitude is the key to unlocking happiness. Happiness helps drive performance, fulfilment, and success. Are you writing down ten things you are grateful for everyday?
Do you show people how much you care?
2. “what does my ‘gut’ tell me?”
You you know that gut feeling you have? Trust it. Trust your intuition. Then question the reason you have that gut feeling. You will learn tons about yourself. You have had immense experience and your subconscious processes it all.
Your “gut” is a driving force curating your emotions, knowledge, and experiences. Use it and learn from it.
3. “why do i do what i do?”
Why are you doing what you are doing right now? What makes you want to do it? How does what you are doing help you realise your ultimate goals? Do your actions help others? What can I learn?
Focus on learning. Focus on experiences. The more experiences you have to learn from, the stronger your ability to help others becomes.
4. “is this the best i can do?”
Ask yourself: Am I doing my best? Can I do more?
If you can’t, awesome, keep going. If you can… get better. Do more. Try harder. Work smarter. Ask others to help you do better.
Master your skill. Master your craft.
5. “am i using my mentor or coach effectively?”
Mentors and coaches are not always the same person, even though they can be. You might need both, but always have at least one.
Help them help you by actually listening and applying what they teach you. Ask them deeper questions. Ask them to help you stretch yourself. Ask them, “Why?”
6. “do i love myself?”
This question is hard to answer.
Answer it anyway.
Check your self talk. Am I negative about my actions or thoughts? Do I give others more credit than I give myself? Do I treat my mental and physical self with respect? Am I truly loving myself?
When you love yourself, you can better love other people.
7. “am i helping enough people?”
At the end of our lives our relationships are the things that matter. The people who we have helped, and who have helped us, build our lives. The more we help others the more fulfilment and satisfaction we will feel.
While success as a destination is hard to find, success as a journey can be experienced every day.
Help more. Make your journey better and bring others with you.
The bottom line: Questions help us think more deeply. They help us understand where we are, find the gaps, fill the gaps, and increase our performance. As we question ourselves we can get stronger because we better understand our motivations… and by taking positive action, we can get a tiny bit stronger everyday.
It’s the end of the month, and you’re just one deal away from hitting your number. You have the contract out … but the prospect hasn’t signed it yet.
With just that one signature, your month is made. Without it, you’re in the red.
In this scenario, the urge to become a high-pressure sales jerk is overwhelming. Believe me, I’ve been there. But if you’re truly committed to serving your buyers, it’s never acceptable to be a jerk. Don’t turn into a jerk just because you are almost at the finish line — after all, this is when your buyer might need your help the most.
Obviously, yelling and making threatening demands is jerk-y behavior. But I find that many reps kill their deal with rudeness at the finish line without even realizing it. All it takes is 10 short words:
“Why haven’t you been able to get this finished yet?”
Translation: “What is wrong with you that you haven’t signed the contract?” That’s what your prospect hears when you ask this passive-aggressive question. Time of death of your deal: The moment this awful phrase is uttered.
This question makes your prospect feel like they aren’t doing a good job getting this done. If you have capably helped your prospect and shown value up until this point and they are ready to buy, don’t screw up your hard work at the last minute because you’ve gotten nervous.
Tell your nerves to calm down. Things will work out the way they will work out, but you being annoying and rudely questioning your prospect’s process is not going to help them or you.
Modern sales reps never, ever pressure their buyer. Sales is about helping the buyer buy on their timeline, not forcing them to fork over the money when it’s convenient for you.
The next time you inevitably find yourself in this situation, take it as an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to helping your prospect. Instead of demanding why the buyer hasn’t gotten the contract back to you, ask open-ended questions to uncover the obstacles they’re facing, and learn how you can best help.
Here are some examples:
How can I help you to get started using our product or service?
What things need to happen from here to get this approved?
What are the next steps you have to take to get approval on this?
Who do you work with internally on this and what kinds of things do you think they would have questions on?
What kinds of content will help you internally in getting this done?
There’s a line between being assertive and aggressive in sales. Don’t ever — for any reason — cross over that boundary. You might think that pushing is the best way to close a deal, but I can guarantee you that the only thing aggression will do is kill a sale — in record time.
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Call me crazy, but I’ve always preferred sleep to caffeine. But with erratic schedules and tight deadlines, getting six or more hours of sleep per night is no easy task for a coach—just ask any diet soda and coffee-addicted friends. I’ve spent a lot of time trying various productivity hacks to squeeze as much as I can out of each day.
My favourite tool for getting things done? The 10-minute timer on my phone.
My “10-minute rule” is pretty straightforward: Every task on your to-do list should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, then you should have broken it down into smaller tasks or delegated it to someone else. The key to this rule is in enforcing it, which means setting the timer on your phone to go off at the 10-minute mark. The level of speed and focus that this brings to your day is nothing short of astounding.
Want to give it a try? Here are three tips for making the 10-minute rule work for you.
1. delegate
Delegating is not as easy as it sounds. It can be difficult to let go of a task when you fear that another person’s work won’t be as good as your own. It’s helpful to remember that “done is better than perfect,” and the only way you are going to move ahead in your career is if you let go of the things you’ve mastered and take on new challenges. Another mindset shift that helped me was realizing that delegating creates opportunities for others. Now I actively think about what tasks and projects I can create for my team that will help them learn, grow, and advance their careers (which conveniently helps clear up my plate as well).
One of the challenges I see most with people who have trouble delegating—especially those in entry-level positions—is that they forget that they can and should delegate up. If you feel uncomfortable asking a supervisor or superior to do something, try this: Start by pointing out what you are doing, and position your “ask” as a request for help. For example, instead of, “I need you to call the team leads,” you could say “I’m working on pulling the data for this analysis—would it be possible for you to help me by calling the other team leads?”
2. find the easy, 10-minute task
You may be sceptical at first, but by simply changing how you frame your tasks, you will see that just about everything can be broken down into 10-minute tasks. Do you need to research a new topic? Start with 10 minutes on Google scanning news articles, followed by 10 minutes of jotting down everything you know and the top few questions you still need to answer, and then 10 minutes each calling people to get advice on answering your open questions (bonus points if you were savvy enough to notice that the phone call is a form of delegation!).
Voilà! You have just squeezed a task that may have otherwise lingered on into hours into 30 minutes.
3. use that timer
Using your timer is a critical part of the rule, so don’t forget it. As everyone in the business world knows, “we do what we measure.”
This is true of the 10-minute rule as well—you must use a timer or clock to keep track of how long you are spending on things. Smartphones make this easier with their built-in timer apps, but any clock with a minute hand will do. Whatever you do, don’t guess—because if your approximately 10 minutes always becomes 20, you’re not maximizing your productivity.
Sometimes, you’ll spend less than 10 minutes on a task (more time back—yay!), and sometimes that alarm will ring and you’ll still be on the phone (no, I’m not suggesting that you just hang up when the alarm goes off). Don’t feel badly about running over—just make note of it for next time.
For example, if one co-worker tends to ramble, preface your next conversation by telling her you have 10 minutes to brainstorm. What if you really need more time? That’s fine too: Tracking your time spent will provide insight into how you work, so you can plan your day better next time.
the 10-minute rule in action
One of my favourite examples of this rule in action occurred a few years ago when a team I was working on received the dreaded 4 PM phone call from a client redirecting the work that we would be presenting the following morning. Ugh, so much for a relaxing evening!
There were two big pieces of work involved, so we split our team of four in half. Each of our two sub-teams had about the same number of PowerPoint slides to revamp, with similar amounts of analysis, so it should have taken us about the same amount of time to complete.
I said to my team-mate that I really wanted to finish by 6 PM so we could go get dinner, and he agreed but was doubtful about our ability to get it done. So, we tallied up the pages, divided by the two hours left in the day, and found that if we could achieve a rate of 10 minutes per page, we would have enough time to complete it—plus a buffer for anything that proved to be particularly tricky. Re energized, we split up the pages, set the timer, and started cranking. To make a game out of it, we kept a tally on the whiteboard of how many pages each of us completed under or over the 10-minute mark.
By 6 PM, we were finished—and feeling really good about it. The other team who didn’t use the 10-minute rule? They finished around 9.
The challenge is on. For your next task today, get out your timer and try it for yourself. The clock is ticking!
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You know the feeling when you search for something on the internet, then click on a “related article” or other link … and before you know it, you’ve charted the entire Russian Revolution?
Yeah … I’ll be the first to admit it: I do this a lot. It’s a dangerous side effect of having a job that requires internet research. It’s one thing to mindlessly browse the web outside of work or when you’re on a break. (In fact, I have a great list of the best sites for wasting time on the internet for times like those.) But it’s another entirely when you’re supposed to be doing actual work.
You might feel like getting lost in the black hole is inevitable, but there are tools out there that can help you prevent it from happening. For example, StayFocusd is a Google Chrome extension that breaks the black hole browsing cycle by blocking distracting websites after a set amount of time. You have a set amount of time to browse a certain website per day, and after that time expires, you’ll get this message in your browser:
8. working through your lunch break
Eating at your desk doesn’t just make you antisocial. According to NPR, it’s also “bad for thinking, bad for creativity, bad for productivity, [and] bad for your body.” Sadly, though,only one in five people actually leave their desks or the office for a lunch break.
To be fair, if you’re among those people who take lunch at your desk instead of taking a break, it may not be your fault. Perhaps it’s not built into your office culture, or maybe you have a deadline that’s pressuring you to squeeze every waking moment out of your day.
But research shows taking the midday break can be mentally rejuvenating — and, in many ways, more productive than plugging away at your desk between mouthfuls. The best way to take a lunch break is to remove yourself from your desk or workspace and eat somewhere else — like a cafeteria, restaurant, or public park. Better yet, build your network at work by eating with a colleague. (Here are some more ideas for what to do during your lunch break. My favorite is probably “build a helicopter obstacle course.”)
9. not listening. (like, really listening.)
One of the sad consequences of being constantly distracted is the epidemic of only halfpaying attention — and thinking that’s OK. You might think that any time someone else is talking and you’re not, that means you’re listening.
That, or you’re reading that email that just came in. Or checking to see why your phone buzzed. When you’re in a meeting, how much can you really be paying attention when your laptop is open?
Not only can not listening carefully cost you relationships, it can also cost you in the time it takes to make up for whatever information you missed. Becoming an active listener is a critical part of becoming more emotionally intelligent. This mean really, truly paying attention to what people are saying — and it’s a skill that’ll set you apart in both your professional and personal life.
10. saying “yes” to every meeting
Being “in the zone” is when you lose yourself in whatever you’re doing — so much so that you lose track of time. It’s one of the keys to both happiness and productivity at work.
… And nothing disrupts that flow like a meeting. Especially an unnecessary one. It turns out that the average person wastes 31 hours in meetings per month. These unnecessary meetings are ones where you or the organizer isn’t prepared, you didn’t really need to be there, and so on.
Want to get those 31 hours back? Here are a few suggestions:
Be sure you’re only attending meetings you actually need to attend. If you don’t see yourself actively contributing to the group, politely let the meeting requester know that you won’t be able to attend.
If you’re the one calling the meeting, send invitees a note, description, or some sort of heads up along with your calendar invitations. This’ll give them an idea of why they were invited or need to be there. Try an app like Do or Solid to help keep your meetings organized and actionable.
Schedule meetings in bulk if you can. This is a strategic way to ensure the time youdo have outside of meetings is spent as productively as possible, since it takes peoplean average of 25 minutes to refocus after switching tasks.
Speaking of which …
11. multitasking
Multitasking can seem inevitable in our modern, ever-connected lifestyles. But research shows it can make us less effective, increase mistakes and stress, and costs the global economy.
Think you’re an exception? Consider this: Only2% of the population is capable of effectively multitasking. For the other 98%, all it does is cause us to be 40% less productive and make 50% more mistakes than non-multitaskers.
Remember that bad habit of not listening? People do that a lot during meetings when they try to multitask — whether it’s reading and responding to emails and messages, scrolling through their Twitter feeds, or something else. In fact, 92% of professionals admit to multitasking during meetings, and 41% admitted to doing it often or all the time.
Getting out of the habit of multitasking is difficult, but certainly doable. Removing notifications from your work computer (see #5) and putting away your cell phone (see #6) are two great ways to start. Other ideas include establishing a no-laptop rule for meetings, using the Pomodoro Technique (where you work in sprints in a way that complements the body’s natural ultradian rhythm), and planning your day in blocks that include built-in breaks.
12. playing with your phone before bed
Have you ever lay in bed with the lights off and spent a few minutes scrolling through your phone to respond to last-minute texts and emails, check your Twitter feed, or scroll through Instagram? Now, raise your hand if those few minutes have ever turned into half an hour, forty-five minutes, or even an hour.
Imagine how much more sleep you could’ve gotten that night if you’d simply gone to bed when you first turned the lights off.
But it’s not just about the amount of sleep — it’s also about quality of sleep. Studies have shown that people who gaze at a backlit screen right before bed actually report having lower-quality sleep — even when they get just as much sleep as someone who didn’t look at their electronics before bed. This is because presence and absence of light tell our brains whether or not they should release the sleep hormone melatonin that makes you tired. Because the LED lighting emitted by the screens on our electronic devices is so similar to daylight, it can trick our brains into thinking it’s daytime, causing us to stay awake for longer.
The best way to break this habit? Buy an alarm clock that’s not your phone, and charge your phone in a separate room so you avoid the temptation of checking it altogether. If you’re worried about missing an emergency call, then try sending those last-minute texts 30-60 minutes before you hit the hay. It’ll mean you get more sleep and higher quality sleep, leading you to operate at peak productivity the following day.
Biting your nails. Chewing with your mouth open. Speaking before you think. This is the kind of stuff we usually think about when we think of “bad habits.”
But what about the bad habits that are hurting your performance at work?
There’s a whole host of things many of us are guilty of doing every single day that research shows ends up really hurting our productivity. And the more aware you are of how these things are affecting your productivity, the more proactive you can be at taking responsibility for your choices.
So, ask yourself: Are you guilty of any of these bad habits? If so, it may be time to cut it out.
12 bad habits that are making you less productive
1. rushing in the morning
We all have those mornings where you’re rushing your morning routine and barely have time to brush your teeth before running out the door to make it to the office on time. It’s when the morning rush becomes a habit that there can be negative consequences to your sense of well being and your overall productivity.
When you start off your day in a frenzied state of mind, you’re not giving your brain any time to decompress, reset, and prepare for the day. Instead, you’re pumping it with adrenaline first thing in the morning, which can cause you to crash later on.
If your mornings lack time and space to breathe, try waking up 10–30 minutes earlier and starting off with a quick meditation session. According to a 2012 study, people who mediated “stayed on tasks longer and made fewer task switches, as well as reporting less negative feedback after task performance.” Try the free app Headspace to start: It gives you 10 free guided meditation sessions, with the option of signing up for a monthly subscription.
2. skipping breakfast
I’ve never been able to skip breakfast, but I know plenty of people who do. Whether you blame it on being too rushed (see #1) or just not feeling hungry, eating a well-rounded breakfast just isn’t a priority for a lot of people.
But it should be. Why? Because, technically, when you’re sleeping, you’re fasting — meaning you wake up with low blood sugar. That low blood sugar is exactly why many of us feel tired, apathetic, and even a little irritable first thing in the morning. It’s not you; it’s your inherent need for the sustenance that, you know, keeps you up and running as a human.
What about replacing food with coffee? Sure, the caffeine rush from your morning coffee can help hide the symptoms of low blood sugar — but it won’t satisfy your need for food. In fact, it’ll likely cause you to crash later in the day, which can really harm your productivity.
Prioritizing a healthy breakfast is a key to boosting productivity for the rest of your day. Try healthy breakfast foods that have the fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals that’ll give you energy. Foods rich in vitamin B — like oatmeal, bananas, pineapple, and avocados — can help improve your concentration. Avoid breakfast foods with added sugar like sugary cereal, donuts, Pop Tarts, and even bagels.
3. tackling the easy stuff first
It can be very tempting to get all the easy tasks out of the way first before tackling the tough stuff. This is especially true when you’re dreading that challenging task. You push it further and further down your to-do list … until you’ve left it untouched for days or even weeks.
But tackling the most difficult tasks on your to-do list early on in the day is actually better for your overall productivity. Researchers have found that willpower is a finite resource that steadily decreases throughout the day, according to the book The Willpower Instinct.So your brain is much better at handling the hardest tasks at the beginning of the day when you’re more focused.
Mornings also tend to lend fewer distractions, making it easier for you to get things done. My colleague James Gilbert suggests that folks “take advantage of morning hours to crank through meaty projects without distractions, and save any calls or virtual meetings for the afternoon.”
4. checking and responding to emails as they come in
Email is supposed to help us do our work, not distract us from our work. So why does it always feel like a productivity suck?
In an effort to stay on top of a constantly overflowing inbox, it can be tempting to check and respond to every email as soon as it comes in. Receiving email notifications in real time certainly doesn’t help. But constantly switching tasks between work and email can really hurt your productivity.
To help you focus in chunks of time, turn off those pesky email alerts and limit checking your email to specified breaks.
To turn off notifications in Gmail: Click the gear icon and choose “Settings. In the “General” tab, scroll down to the “Desktop Notifications” section. From there, select “Mail notifications off” and click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page.
If you’re worried about missing an important email, try selecting “Important mail notifications on” and Gmail will notify you for emails it thinks are important to you based on past activity.
To turn off alerts in Outlook: On the “Tools” menu, click “Options.” Open the “Preferences” tab and click “E-mail Options,” then “Advanced E-mail Options.” Under “When new items arrive in my Inbox,” clear the “Display a New Mail Desktop Alert (default Inbox only) check box.
Pro tip: Even when you’re checking email, you don’t have to respond to every single one right away. If you’re worried about forgetting about email, I highly recommend using Andreas Klinger’s method for triaging email in Gmail, which you can read about here.
The premise behind his method is to triage emails by urgent emails that need action/reply, not-so-urgent emails that eventually need action/reply, emails that are awaiting reply, and emails you delegate to someone else.
5. checking twitter, facebook, and your other social feeds
The whole “easily distracted” thing goes for social media notifications, too. Turns out we actually have a psychological urge to check for social media notifications, which makes it hard to check our News Feeds “just this once” — and usually ends up in a lot of mindless browsing.
To turn off notifications in Google Chrome: Open Chrome, click “Chrome” in the menu bar on the top left of your screen, and choose “Preferences” from the dropdown menu. In the n ew browser window that appears, choose “Settings” from the menu on the left-hand side of your screen, and click “Show Advanced Settings” at the bottom. In the “Privacy” section, click on “Content Settings.” Scroll down to the “Notifications” section.
From here, you can either choose “Do not allow any site to show notifications” if you want to turn them off altogether. Otherwise, click “Manage Exceptions” and see what Chrome currently allows notifications for — and then alter that list as you see fit.
To turn off Twitter notifications on desktop: Click on your profile picture in the top right-hand corner and select “Settings” from the dropdown menu. From the sidebar on the left-hand side of your screen, choose “Web notifications,” and uncheck every box. Click “Save Changes.”
6. keeping your phone with you at work
Raise your hand if you have a small panic attack when you realize you don’t have your phone with you — whether you’re sitting at your desk, attending a meeting, grabbing coffee … heck, even going to the bathroom. (I’m guilty of this, too.)
There’s a reason Blackberries were nicknamed “Crackberries” back when they were popular: It’s because smartphones are probably the easiest distraction on the planet. And when you keep your phone with you at work, you’re putting your productivity levels at risk.
A 2015 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance found that when people who were performing a task that required intense focus received a text or call on their phone, they had more incorrect answers and were more likely to make quick guesses. People who received notification of a call — even if they didn’t pick it up — were 3X more likely to make mistakes. In fact, error rates were about the same whether or not people answered that call or text.
Why does receiving that text or call hurt our productivity so much? Researchers from that study say that, although the actually moment of interruption is short-lived, our thoughts are disrupted for a considerably longer period, making it tough to refocus.
There are a lot of different ways to curb your phone addiction. The simplest is to turn your phone on silent and put it away while you’re at work. If that isn’t cutting it, try an app likeForest. This app will prompt you to plant a virtual tree when you start working, which “grows” over the course of 30 minutes. The more 30-minute periods you don’t use your phone, the larger your forest will grow; but if you leave the app, you’ll have to start all over again.
Next week we will follow on with 6 more bad habits that make us less productive.
Getting new customers for your business is hard work, but it’s necessary if you want to be successful. Here are 10 ways you can get the attention of new prospects and turn them into loyal customers.
Your business needs a steady influx of new prospects in order to be successful. Whether you’re in sales and looking for new customers or you’re a freelancer looking for new clients, you need to know how to attract prospects to your business. While the rise of the Internet over the last couple of decades has forever changed the way that business is done, the top professionals know that getting new prospects and retaining clients requires a mix of old and new techniques. If you’re looking for a leg up as you prospect for new customers, here are ten helpful tips to get you started.
make use of social media
The first step to acquiring new prospects is to use social media to your advantage. Creating Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts for your business is free and can exponentially increase the exposure of your company. More importantly, since these platforms have become ubiquitous, prospective clients may be turned off if your business doesn’t have a social media presence.
keep content fresh
Consistently updating your website and social media accounts with new content is a great way to stay relevant and show prospects that you’re actively engaged with your industry. Find articles, infographics or studies that are related to your business and post links on your social media accounts. Additionally, it can be helpful to maintain a weekly blog to showcase your own opinions and personality.
use testimonials
One of the best ways to attract new prospects is to show off your existing ones. If you know that you’ve provided a customer with a particularly positive experience, ask them for a testimonial. These testimonials don’t have to be elaborate or embellished. Simply providing proof that you can deliver on your promises will help to give faith to prospective customers.
network
Making use of the Internet can go a long way towards attracting new prospects, but personal connects are the lifeblood of business. Whenever possible, engage with prospects and clients face-to-face in order to give them a personalized experience. By making an effort to get to know everyone you work with individually, you can create a stronger bond, increasing the likelihood that they decide to do business with you.
expect resistance
It’s human nature to follow a set routine. As you prospect for new clients, don’t be surprised if you encounter resistance from people who feel set in their ways. If you sense that a prospective client is hesitant about doing business with you, listen to his or her concerns and do your best to address each of them accordingly.
get referrals from existing customers
One of the easiest techniques for finding new prospects is to make use of your existing customer pool. Talk to your clients and see if they know of anyone who could also benefit from your services or expertise. Remember that word of mouth can be incredibly powerful, and by having an existing client refer you to a prospect, you can greatly increase the likelihood that you land the new customer.
You could have a presence on every social media site out there if you had unlimited time – but you don’t. Here’s how you can figure out which social media platforms are the best for your business.
Social media is big, right? There’s no denying that you could put a lot of time into trying to have a presence on all of the major networks but there’s a problem—you don’t have that kind of time. Instead of trying to have a presence on all of them, the better strategy is to pick one or two and concentrate your efforts there. The question becomes, which networks fit your business the best?
facebook
Facebook is, by far, the largest social network on the planet. With 1.04 billion daily active users,
Facebook would be the third largest country in the world if it had a physical presence.According to the company, about 84% of its users are outside of the United States and Canada but even if you aren’t a multinational company, there’s still plenty of reasons to use Facebook.
You might have heard that Facebook has become the network for the older audience. Although it’s true that teens are flocking toward other networks like Instagram and Snapchat, Facebook still has as its largest audience the 18-29 crowd.
If you can only pick one social network, it would be Facebook. Because Facebook has a strong user base of adults, the ones that have money to spend, spending time on Facebook is a no-brainer if you’re looking for an all-purpose social network. Even if your business caters largely to the teenage crowd, you still want to reach their parents.
Don’t listen to the people who say that Facebook is dying. The network continues to grow and shows no signs of letting up.
instagram
First, let’s set some context. Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, there are a lot of similarities between the platforms although loyal users say that they’re on Instagram because they dislike Facebook. In fact, if you use Facebook advertising, you now have the option to advertise on Instagram as well.
With 300 million users and still growing, Instagram is worth your time, especially if your business caters to the younger audience. 32% of teens identify Instagram as their most important social network but the platform is gaining popularity with adults as well.
Because Instagram doesn’t allow links, business pages, or other features specifically catered to businesses, your presence will feel very personal, even if you advertise. If you use Instagram, you’ll want somebody with an eye for photography because the platform is designed to be highly visual. If you’re an accounting firm, for example, Instagram probably isn’t going to be the network of choice for you. On the flipside, if you’re a clothing retailer, it’s perfect.
twitter
Twitter is widely known as an influencer’s network. You’ll find high profile people on Twitter. People with celebrity status, yes, but more important, well-respected people in their fields. If you’re an architect, you’re likely to find the leaders in the architecture industry on Twitter.
You probably don’t need to use it to advertise your retail store but as a well-known consultant in your field, you’ll probably find it worth your time.
periscope
Recently, Twitter’s COO, Adam Bain said that the company’s focus is largely on the live experience. Periscope is how the company will do that. Periscope allows you to create live broadcasts from your phone or tablet and broadcast them to all of your followers. Periscope is an up-and-comer in the social space but is rapidly gaining traction.
Don’t forget that statistics show that people like text but they love video and pictures. Any business can benefit from using Periscope. Broadcast from your factory, broadcast a weekly podcast-style session as a thought leader in your field, or just have some fun and give your business a human side.
snapchat
If you’re over 30, you probably don’t use Snapchat. In fact, more than 70% of Snapchat’s users are between the ages of 18 and 34. If you don’t know about Snapchat, users can send pictures to a list of followers but the image only lasts for a few seconds. Some major brands now have Snapchat including the NBA, McDonalds, Taco Bell, and many more. Brands often use Snapchat to set up an air of secrecy taking their followers behind the scenes of their business. There are probably better ways to use to your social media time than Snapchat but if your business caters to younger people and it’s fun and media friendly, (you have something interesting to share) Snapchat might present some opportunities.
pinterest
Yes, everything you have heard about Pinterest is true. It’s all about the ladies. Nearly 70% of its users are female and yes, you’ll find more about interior design than you will about fishing. If you run a bait and tackle business, Pinterest is probably a waste of your time but if you’re a fashion blog, or a graphic designer, Pinterest is a great way to establish authority in your market. If your business appeals to females, Pinterest is worth consideration especially since it’s users spend more time on it than Facebook.
linkedIn
You probably won’t use LinkedIn to advertise your next storewide sale but if you’re a consultant, content marketer, PR person, or own a business that is largely about connecting with others, you want to be on LinkedIn. Don’t think of LinkedIn as a way to advertise your business to customers; instead, use it to connect with other professionals in your industry and gain exposure.
For example, you might look for journalists who cover topics that fit your business. If you own a personal training business, you might look for sports journalists or if you’re a financial advisor, look for financial journalists. Or look for people who own businesses that would compliment yours. A personal trainer might look for people working in the sports equipment or apparel industry.
Networking is what often gives a small business the momentum to become larger. That’s the strength of LinkedIn.
bottom line
Whatever you do, the modern social media landscape requires a go-big-or-go-home mentality. You can’t dip your toe in the water; you have to fully immerse yourself to make it worth your while. For that reason, find one or two networks that fit your customer and concentrate your efforts. That’s the best way to find the success you’re looking for.
Social media is ever evolving. Starting out originally as a way for the Internet savvy to stay in touch online, over the years it has grown to infiltrate nearly every aspect of our lives. Now it is a fundamental part of marketing for brands both big and small. A properly maintained social media page can actually make or break your business!
This isn’t a surprising development. Back in the early days of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg was obsessed with his mission to convert his social platform into a viable business advertising tool. Today, using social media for brand engagement and awareness is so natural that we would never question its importance.
Keeping an Eye on the Other Guys
Social media isn’t only about keeping up with your customers–it is about keeping an eye on the competition. Other brands in your industry are launching their own social media campaigns every day, and they are reaping the results. You need to be aware of the progress, their campaigns, and especially their attempts to poach your business and profits.
Social pages make it easier to do this than in the past. Here are eight social analysis tools that let you analyze and learn from competitors’ social media tactics:
Facebook Page Analyzers
BuzzSumo–I can’t say enough about BuzzSumo and its list of both free and paid tools. One such feature is the Facebook Page Analysis. Use it to get a direct comparison between your Facebook page and that of your major competitors. Add a whole list of pages to analyze side by side, making it a quick and simple tool to use.
The graph shown in the “8 Free Tools To Analyze and Track Your Competition On Social Media” graphic near the top of this post is only one of the many views the BuzzSumo Facebook analysis feature provides. Another one of my favorites shows top engagement by time of day.
Use it to search for influencers by keyword, filter them by location, and then save them to lists. Find out which influencers are promoting which competitors. Spot trending stories about to go viral. Use searches by keyword to know what to create to best reach your target audience. This is by far the most popular social analysis tool used by serious content marketers.
Fanpage Karma–Don’t be fooled by the plans listed on the website, Fanpage Karma also offers a free version of its services. The free version is very basic, but it includes a few features that allow you to monitor your social media page and those of other brands.
You can monitor only one fan page at a time on the free plan; you can monitor unlimited pages with a paid subscription. From using the tool, here are some of my favorite insights:
Learn who your most engaged page supporters were over the last 30 days. Find out who spreads your competitors’ messages and brands to their followers.
Posts per day: When does a fan page usually post? What about the weekend?
Engagement per day: Which time slots work best for fans’ posts?
Ad cost: What would the cost have been to reach the same number of people with paid ads in other marketing channels as a fan page reached with its posts.
LikeAlyzer–I love this tool because it offers something a lot of tools don’t: real explanations. If your page is weak in an area, LikeAlyzer lays out exactly what that area is and how you can fix it. To compare your site to other pages, just have a fan page of a competitor’s brand analyzed.
The above graphic gives you an idea of how the tool works–showing which areas of a page are working and what needs to be worked on. The only downside is that you have to search each page separately, save the results, then manually go over them. There is no comparison feature built into the app.
Tools for Analyzing Twitter
Twitonomy–Easy to use, very detailed, and visually stunning, Twitonomy combines all the analytical data you need into one single, multi-widgeted report dashboard.
You can track both your competitors and influencers, so you always have your finger on the pulse of your industry’s social activity. Plus, you get actionable insights on everything from your followers’ interests and needs to your own growth over time.
Tweetdeck–Tweetdeck is free, and is still one of the best Twitter listening dashboards around. You can monitor a number of accounts, keywords, and locations through customized columns.
Power users tend to set up one column per major competitor to listen to fans and customers. If you add “-filter:links” to your search, you’ll listen to tweets that contain no links (these tend to be real people’s conversation).
If you are not a fan of using a desktop app, here is a list of tools you can browse to find an alternative.
Comprehensive Analysis Tools
Cyfe–This is a multipurpose marketing dashboard which is one of the most used social analysis tools. With Cyfe you can set up a separate dashboard to listen to your competitors using the following widgets and so many more:
Twitter search
Google Plus search
Google alerts
With Cyfe’s inexpensive paid version, you can add an unlimited number of widgets for multiple competitors and different search queries. Hopefully by now you’ve heard of Cyfe and set up your business or social dashboard with at least the five free widgets they provide. You can evenaggregate all your SEO data into one dashboard.
Klear–Part competitive analysis tool, part listening software, Klear is one of the more thorough of tools on this list. The app is geared to provide information on influencer marketing which is great for Twitter users in particular. Unlike many other free plans, Klear offers its primary features for you without having to upgrade.
Klear also has a nice list of free tools for you to utilize that are compatible with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sadly, Klear has not moved on to platforms like Pinterest.
SEMRush–SEMrush recently added a Social Analysis Tools feature that allows you to compare your social media pages with the pages of your major competitors.
The best part: you can set up weekly reports to be emailed to you for you to track your progress versus your competitors’.
More Tools for Discovering Your Competitors
WhoICompete: A free tool that finds competitors that rank for two or more of your target keywords.
SiteGeek: You can easily locate additional sites your competitors own; analyze how they are using extra sites for marketing and beyond.
Followerwonk: Find Twitter users who work for your competitors; limit your search to bios and search for your competitors’ brand name.
SimilarWeb: Expand your list of competitors by finding “similar” sites to yours or your current competitors.
Are You Using Any of These Social Analysis Tools?
Do you have a social analysis tool that helps you track and analyze your competition on social media? We would love to hear about it! Let us know via a tweet to @GrowMap or comments on Facebook (just search for GrowMap) or discuss this post with us on Inbound or GrowthHackers. Send us your case studies, anecdotes, and tips and you may see them in a future post.