On Friday, February 11, Leadership Resources was joined by guest facilitator Nick Bock, CEO of Five Nines Technology Group. Nick shared his expertise with a room full of 3% Club attendees on the topic of “Time & Technology.”
Technology can either be your friend or your foe, depending on how you use it. It’s important to be aware of how technology effects what we do in our daily lives. To start with the positives, technology helps us by allowing for quick access to information. This information is readily available to us wherever we go, whether it be from a computer or a mobile device. Time management using prioritized lists are easier than ever because of the integration of apps. But technology can also be a hindrance. Facebook, continuous email alerts, and information overload are distractions that cause people to wonder of track!
When it comes to managing your email account, perhaps the most important thing it turning off those instant notifications. Nick says this is a productivity killer because it interrupts whatever you were working on. Don’t be afraid to close your inbox altogether for a couple hours. If you allocate a few half hour periods a day for email, you will save a lot of time. Other tips: unsubscribe from things you don’t read, filter “annoying” emails, flag high priority items, and utilize the search feature rather than throwing emails into layers of sub folders.
It’s important to find tools that work for you. If you are going to implement a system, stick with it and don’t hop from one platform to the next. Identify what works, implement it, and use it. If you’re constantly trying to find newer and better technology you’re wasting your time. Every month there will be something new and more innovative, but Nick recommends when you find something that works for you, stick with it for 12 months. Be disciplined!
“This was a great opportunity to self reflect on how much time is wasted checking emails and imagine how much more could get accomplished,” said John Oestreich, Managing Principal of Waddell & Reed. “I really enjoy the idea of shutting off email and only checking it a few times a day. What a great time saver!”
