An overview of ways to improve productivity, to do efficient goal-setting and have a better work-life balance overall.

2. Productivity and
work-life balance
10-8-2015, LaunchBase, Maastricht
Benno Groosman MScBA, www.groosman.info

3. Define your goals
The garden of success
• The law of weeds: what are you planting exactly?
• A half-grown garden: you are going to have to prep the soil, get your hands
dirty, etc. Put results before comfort!
• Don’t keep digging up your seeds: when you plant a flower, you believe and
trust that it will grow. You don’t dig it up every day.
• Every flower is different: you cannot separate who you are from the success
you achieve and you need to give yourself permission to do it ‘your way’.
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5. Define your goals
Brian Tracy assessments
• Take an hour to do this assessment:
• http://www.groosman.info/#!work-life/c1tou (Tracy.pdf)
• And if you feel committed, follow up with this one:
• http://www.groosman.info/#!work-life/c1tou (Goals.docx)
I worked with these assessments with 35 entrepreneurs and students, and 34 found the
assessments useful. I still update it every 4 months.
Thanks, Brian Tracy!
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6. Define your goals
… and accomplish them (1)
1. Utilize the SMART Goal Approach
2. Write your goals down and display them
3. Break big goals into smaller ones
4. Make an action plan and follow it
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7. Define your goals
… and accomplish them (2)
5. Do your goals as early in the day as possible
6. Tell others your goals to keep you accountable
7. Make sure your goals excite you
8. Use positive language in your goals
Read the source http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-set-goals-10-steps-stay-focused.html and see that I skipped the last two of the
original 10.
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8. Productivity tips
Day to day (1)
• Delegation doesn’t equal laziness
• Share the load with your team
• Share the load with freelancers
• Lists are your best friend, paper or:
• My favorite: www.asana.com
• http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
• Try and keep using the one you prefer
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9. Productivity tips
Day to day (2)
• Manage your emails, don’t let them manage you
• Organise your mail with folders
• Flag things that can wait: use this technique with important emails rather than
urgent ones, because there is a distinction between ‘important’ and ‘urgent’
• Process your emails in 20 – 40 minute bursts around 2 – 3 times per day, and
keep your email client closed the rest of the time
• I use YesWare to track and remind emails and ScheduleOnce for planning
meetings: both save time and the reduce amount of emails.
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11. Productivity tips
Create time to do more
1. Know what you want and do everything possible at any moment to get
there.
2. Make a clear plan and start working consciously.
3. Learn smart working techniques (next sheet).
4. Avoid multitasking.
5. Analyze your working day and remove all that is not helping you
(outsource, eliminate, etc.).
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12. Productivity tips
Smart techniques (1)
• Plan your own time: many people let others dictate their
schedule; find out your own productive times and do
what you do best during those hours.
• Interruptions: make sure you don’t just outline your day
with the things you can plan, also schedule time for
interruptions.
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13. Productivity tips
Smart techniques (2)
• Educate people: be the change, live the change, and
change will occur!
• Meetings: don’t take part if it is not really needed to be
there, or change the agenda in such a way that your
sections are at the beginning.
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14. Productivity tips
Pick the right task to do (1)
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15. Productivity tips
Pick the right task to do (2)
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16. Productivity tips
Plan your distractions
And see
http://www.life
hack.org/article
s/productivity/r
ecognising-
distractions-
and-how-
prevent-
them.html to
prevent all type
of distractions.
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17. Productivity tips
Top 8
• Focus on your top 3 daily priorities.
• Stop checking your email.
• Set limits for everything.
• Apply the 80/20 rule.
• Stop multitasking.
• Attend fewer meetings.
• Start an information diet.
• Create thinking time.
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19. Organize your life
Simplify your life (1)
• Give up material items: having so many items not only
clogs up space in your home, it creates more distractions
for you.
• Minimize responsibilities: you’ll need to clear out the
responsibilities that are causing your life to be
complicated.
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20. Organize your life
Simplify your life (2)
• Sleep: sacrifice is necessary sometimes, but when it comes
to sleep, never sacrifice what’s needed.
• Organize your life: cleaning that desk can get rid of many
distractions.
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22. Work-life balance
Are you a workaholic?
1. You work longer than others
2. You can’t turn off
3. Your body feels unwell
4. Your relationships are strained
5. You tie your worth to your work success
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23. Work-life balance
Tips for better balance (1)
1. Let go of perfectionism
• Good is better than perfect
2. Unplug
• Detach from electronic devices and other work distractions
3. Exercise and meditate
• Running and mindfulness are helpful for me
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24. Work-life balance
Tips for better balance (2)1. .
2. .
3. .
4. Limit time-wasting activities and people
• First identify your goals and then trime time-wasters
5. Change the structure of your life
• What changes could make your life easier?
6. Start small and build from there
• You cannot change habits overnight
• Act step by step and be kind for yourself
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26. Thanks for your attention!
Feel free to contact me 
Benno Groosman MScBA
Email: benno@groosman.info
Website: www.groosman.info
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Benno_Groosman
Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/benno_groosman
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27. Credits
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/4-things-that-hold-you-back-from-success.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/5-ways-simplify-your-life-right-now.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/actionable-productivity-tips-streamline-your-working-day-and-lower-stress.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/saving-2-hours-per-work-day-easy.html
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/stop-working-long-hours-10-simple-ways-to-maximize-your-
productivity/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pickthebrain%2FLYVv+%28PickTheBrain%29
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-get-more-done-day-7-ideas-that-really-work.html
http://www.hrdaily.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?selkey=2625
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-set-goals-10-steps-stay-focused.html
http://olivergearing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Importance-Vs-Urgency.gif
http://zestebiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-30-at-2.18.43-PM.png
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/5-signs-you-might-be-a-workaholic/2/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahlee/2014/10/20/6-tips-for-better-work-life-balance/
And the sources named in the sheets.
All photo pictures are taken from www.lifehack.org.
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