A SlideShare offering 6 output-boosting productivity hacks. Always-on communication and collaboration have a dark side. Done the wrong way, they affect productivity. Taking part in every videoconference and whiteboarding session across the company might solve FOMO anxieties, but it won’t answer your company’s goals … or your personal ones. For starters, check out this video on productivity. Fortunately, deep work and collaborative work aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, a bit of critical thinking can make team communication add to the productivity metrics. So instead of the usual list of “best practices”, here are some worst practice tips - six big “don’ts” you can use as productivity hacks to drive up what you get done… without driving yourself up the walls.

1. The 6 worst habits
affecting your
productivity

2. PRODUCTIVITY PITS
and the
PRODUCTIVITY HACKS
that avoid them.

3. SIX BIG DON’Ts:
A guide to worst practice in the
connected workplace

4. WORST PRACTICE #1:
The Reply-All message confetti

5. “Cc” and “Bcc” are minefields.
Nine times out of ten, a Cc is
just backside-covering. And Bcc?
Sneaky subterfuge.
THE PROBLEM:

6. Most people spend 14 hours
a week in their Inbox!

7. So when you hit “Reply All”,
you’re keeping a bad practice in
play.
THE PROBLEM:

8. If you want someone to read
and/or respond, there’s one place
for his email address: the To:
field.
Never use Cc or Bcc unless
absolutely necessary.
THE HACK:

9. If you want someone to read
and/or respond, there’s one place
for his email address: the To:
field.
Never use Cc or Bcc unless
absolutely necessary.
(And if you’re not sure, a
one-minute teleconference
works.)
THE HACK:

10. DEEP-SIX THE CC.

11. WORST PRACTICE #2:
The phone tag whack-the-mole game

12. We’ve all had to chase people
by phone, then miss their
callback.
You called at 10am.
They called back in your meeting.
You returned their message.
They were out at lunch.
THE PROBLEM:

13. And then you forgot what it was
about anyway.

14. Promote presence across your
messaging apps.
PRESENCE = onscreen prompts
(like “Online”, “Away”)
Presence status tells you if
someone will answer… before
you call.
THE HACK:

15. Or you could just instant-message
them. It’s faster.

16. WORST PRACTICE #3:
The “voice novelist”.

17. Let’s face it, some people’s
voicemail messages make a “50
Shades of Grey” box set look like
an SMS.
(Albeit of greater literary merit.)
THE PROBLEM:

18. Let’s face it, some people’s
voicemail messages make a “50
Shades of Grey” box set look like
an SMS.
(Albeit of greater literary merit.)
INBOX
Chat…………...14m ago
Email…………..16.9Kb
Voice message…8min33sec
THE PROBLEM:

19. That 8min saved could be part
of the 17mins of rest you need
after a 52min stint.

20. But often, YOU DON’T KNOW
HOW LONG IT IS.
THE PROBLEM:

21. Unify that Inbox!
Bringing apps like email,
voicemail, and chat together
gives information cues that cut
down wasted time.
Today’s communications apps
give you the info you need to
prioritise.
THE HACK:

22. Turn your voice novelists into
masters of the short story.

23. WORST PRACTICE #4:
The omnidirectional echo chamber

24. We’ve all had this one...not so much
inside our walls, but from partners
and vendors.
Email: “here’s what we talked
about.”
Voicemail: “just checking you got
my email.”
Text: “hey, check your email inbox.
THE PROBLEM:

25. We’ve all had this one...not so much
inside our walls, but from partners
and vendors.
Email: “here’s what we talked
about.”
Voicemail: “just checking you got
my email.”
Text: “hey, check your email inbox.
And then comes the IM request…
THE PROBLEM:

26. Put the action back into inaction.
“Unless I hear different by 4pm,
here’s what I’ll do.”
“Any objections on the notes need
to be with me by Friday.”
“I’m happy for you to go ahead
without my sign-off at each stage.”
THE HACK:

27. Put the action back into inaction.
“Unless I hear different by 4pm,
here’s what I’ll do.”
“Any objections on the notes need
to be with me by Friday.”
“I’m happy for you to go ahead
without my sign-off at each stage.”
Instead of waiting for decisions,
pre-empt them.
THE HACK:

28. Control the conversation.

29. WORST PRACTICE #5:
The “Were we in the same meeting?”

30. How many meetings have you
been in where other people’s
recollections of what happened…
seem different to yours?
THE PROBLEM:

31. How many meetings have you
been in where other people’s
recollections of what happened…
seem different to yours?
We know. About 1,000, right?
THE PROBLEM:

32. 46% of workers use online tools
to avoid face-to-face hassles.

33. Record and annotate.
Videoconferencing and
whiteboarding let you
COLLABORATE across borders
COMMUNICATE across time zones
CONNECT without distractions
THE HACK:

34. But there’s a big benefit nobody
mentions -
Online collaboration doesn’t just
KICK ASS - it TAKES NAMES.
Record what was agreed with
annotation and archiving. It avoids
arguments later.
THE HACK:

35. WORST PRACTICE #6:
Never getting to yes.

36. “I’ll check with Tom’s team.”
“I’ll run it by Samantha.”
“I just need Ian’s sign-off.”
When everyone’s covering,
everyone’s COWERING.
THE PROBLEM:

37. The average worker spends
31 hours a month in useless
meetings.

38. Make it clear whose decisions
count.
Don’t aim for buy-in from
EVERYONE…
...just those who MATTER.
Be firm on who’s driving, and who’s
watching the race.
THE HACK:

39. THAT’S
PRODUCTIVITY
HACKING.
Replace these productivity pits
with productivity HACKS.

40. Discover how you can use technology
to make your people not only more
productive but also more engaged,
empowered and likely to stay.
Download our special eGuide bundle
for HR professionals like you, now.
HR’s Connected
Business Bundle
Download now

41. Collaboration is leadership.
Start leading with Arkadin
Collaboration Services.