Blog
If it wasn’t for deadlines, nothing would get done
Deadlines can help you increase your overall productivity. In the comic series “Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Watterson, Calvin once says “You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet, you have to be in the right mood.” When asked what this magic mood is that facilitates creativity he replies “last minute panic!” Now to be clear, Calvin is not exactly the epitome of productivity--and procrastination is never a wise choice. However, there is something [...]
How identifying Opportunities, Dangers, and Interesting Points will help you succeed with change
Every change, large or small, presents known and unknown opportunities and dangers. If you’re currently leading an organization or team through a change, being able to identify and articulate these opportunities and dangers is essential. How do you go about identifying these? By working with your group on an ODI list. With an ODI list, you can make the ambiguity of change less vague, and to help your group to move forward without knowing all [...]
Clear the clutter
Some of the most popular shows on TV are cooking shows. Have you ever watched a real chef prepare a meal? A big part of a chef’s success is because they’re extremely organized. In the kitchen—and even out of the kitchen—chefs have a place for everything. In fact, they’re trained to organize their work space well so that their every move is conserved and they know exactly where all the ingredients are. This organization allows [...]
What’s a Process Culture, why you need it, how to get it
What happens when everyday, every employee’s behavior, attitude, and practices bring you closer to your strategic objectives? Then you have a “Process Culture.” Here are the 5 ways you can develop your Process Culture. What's a Process Culture? If you’ve ever had a Big Mac at McDonald's, you’ve probably noticed it tastes the same whether you’re in Atlanta or Anchorage. The layout of your local Walmart is probably the same whether you live in New [...]
How to discover your priorities
You always have time for the things you put first--but how do you know which things to put first? You need to discover your priorities. Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and wondered, “Where did all the time go?” I know I have! When people say that they don’t have enough time, it says more about how they spend their time than the actual quantity. After all, no one really has [...]
4 Key Steps to Change Management
Good business process management involves ensuring that the good idea behind a change initiative or improvement is translated to employees, and their work, once the change is in place. Let’s try an experiment: Pick up a pen or pencil with your dominant hand—for example, if you’re right-handed, use your right hand. For the next 10 seconds write your name as many times as you can. Ready, go! Now, switch hands, and do the same for [...]
Productivity Tip: Why plan at all?
Have you ever planned a vacation, or a move, or a party, or some other event? Then you know how much work is involved! Planning, checking, adjusting, and planning again is all part of the process of creating the result you want. Most events would be a disaster without planning! When it comes to planning your life however, people are less committed to planning. In reality, you have a choice to either make things happen, [...]
How to create concise and clear process instructions
Over the past few years, we’ve purchased furniture from various retailers. I mean the type of furniture that comes in boxes with nuts and bolts and tools—and if you’re lucky—with instructions. We’ve had wonderful experiences where it comes out right, and horrible ones when it takes much longer than it’s supposed to—often requiring reassembly at some point. What process instructions! When it comes to improving your business, business process management requires creating those valuable instructions [...]
Ideas to help your kids gain more personal productivity during the countdown to school
During these last weeks of summer, consider how you’d like to take advantage of the upcoming opportunity to teach personal productivity skills. Getting ready for back to school A new school year is the perfect time to pause, reconsider, and set up new routines. For parents, any shift in the family schedule is a great time to consider what you’d like to do differently. Transitions create an opportunity for change Some kids rely heavily on parents [...]
From Brian Garstka, Director of Product
PlanPlus Online has seen a lot of changes over the past 18 months. From a refreshed look and feel introduced in Aurora and Vector, to new sync methods and ways to access your data across platforms...its been an exciting time! While innovation in the technology space is necessary to the vitality of a technology company, innovation in the productivity space is fundamental to individual personal growth. 2017 kicked off a handful of new product initiatives [...]