Productivity for the Holidays

It’s September. You’ve seen them. The fluorescent green skeletons, jack-o-laterns, goblins, sequined Superman costumes mixed with the smell of chocolate and Christmas craft kits. The holidays are here.

The first sensation you may feel is your heart leaping—a leap of anxiety. Share-a-thons, Radio Specials, Promos, Remotes, Social Media, Decorations, Office Parties, Donor Gifts … so much to do. And do you have a plan for all such festivities?

That’s okay. Take a deep breath and get ready for a little advice on how to increase your productivity during the holidays – without adding stress. We’re taking on the lie of multitasking.

Let’s back up just a bit. In 2008, before the lie of multitasking was common knowledge, David Crenshaw had written a book called “The Myth of Multitasking.” Mr. Crenshaw was a torch bearer, illuminating truth to those who believed that multitasking was key to efficiency. Slowly but surely his book proved correct.

Fast forward to today. Despite all the research, statistics and proof, employers and employees still cling to the lie of multitasking.

Why? Because modern office workers equate overstimulation with purpose. As workload increases, they feel a sense of self-importance … navigating through multiple programs at once … hitting every ball pitched with Mickey Mantle swagger. But the truth is, if you’re expecting multi-tasking to improve anything, you’re wasting time and money.

TOO BUSY TO GET BUSY
One specific research piece by the American Psychological Association shows that multitasking is neither effective nor efficient. Their findings are in agreement with many others – that shifting focus from one task to another is not a fast or smooth process. First, there is a lag time that your brain uses to switch from the first task to the second. It takes at least a few seconds for your brain to then fully engage on the second task. Though it may feel like a split second, research has proven that this shift takes up to 40 percent more time than single tasking. When you multitask, you really aren’t doing two things at once. You’re switching from one thing to another, albeit quickly.

Let’s run the numbers. For each task an employee is required to do in a single transaction, tack on 40% switch time. Even if we’re only talking five seconds, multiply that per task, per transaction, per hour, per number of employees, per day, per year … you get the picture.

DECENTLY AND IN ORDER
Bottom line: By our very nature, human beings are already distracted on many levels. If you really want to maximize productivity during the upcoming holiday season, try the hardline approach of single tasking. Not only will your productivity increase, employee “twitchiness” and distractedness will decrease.

The Bible tells us to do things decently and in order in church. Why not carry that to the workplace?

Here’s a few specific suggestions. After a read, you may feel a sense of stress relief.

1. Set aside specific times for each task. If your task or project has a lot of moving parts, SCHEDULE and SEGMENT each one so that you’re performing only one segment at a time. An effective program for this is Microsoft Project. Project allows you to segment each task into steps, view each step one-by-one, mark each with the time/date allotted to complete the task and assign subtasks.
2. Check your email at planned times. DESIGNATE the times on your daily calendar.
3. Work on only one task or one project at a time. That means one screen, one train of thought, one single goal, one single purpose. If your work requires computer rendering time, use this time to take a scheduled break. DO NOT check your email or work on a second task.
4. Take a SCHEDULED break five minutes per hour.
5. Create a focused workspace and schedule the rules/hours for that space. If you are blessed enough to have your own office, you are way ahead. Communication Professor Clifford Nass, one of the researchers whose findings are published in the Aug. 24th edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says that heavy multitaskers are “suckers for irrelevancy” because “everything distracts them.”

PEACE OF MIND
The Ghost of Christmas Unplanned is upon us. Be ye not frightened. Instead, make a list of upcoming events, tasks, subtasks, time allotments, due dates, materials and human capital resources. Schedule everything. Arrange your workspace for maximum efficiency and minimal distraction. Work on only one subtask at a time. With a diligent effort to maximize your focus, peace of mind will surely follow. The fall and winter holidays are a joyful time, and what a joy it is to know that you can do one thing at a time (breaks included) and still come out ahead. Click here to read our next blog

What does your listener really think about you and what’s on your station?

In 2016, Finney Media set out to answer that question and with the help of numerous radio stations, networks and program ministries, found more than 23,000 people willing to candidly share.

The result? Here’s a typical comment from a ministry partner. “I have reviewed the Why Listen™ research. I am incredibly pleased. We are now making some adjustments and have a much stronger strategy going forward.”*

Today, as you work to expand and deepen your ministry impact, you have another opportunity to listen to your listener—and at a low cost, now even more affordable with a limited time special offer! Right now, the first 25 to sign up to participate in the 2018 Why Listen™ Survey will receive a $100 rebate on top of the already discounted special price for CMB and NRB members; Advocace and Finney Media clients.

We listened to your requests for even more listener insight. The result—deeper questioning in areas of high interest. You should know that the 2018 Why Listen™ Survey will delve deep into the mind of your listener and will explore:

• NEW questions on your listener’s spiritual growth
• Trends comparing new “Main Reasons to Listen” to our 2016 Survey
• Trends on the Net Promoter Score, a measure of positive passion for your radio station, network or program among your listeners
• NEW questions on the content in your podcasts, streaming and social media
• Trends on giving to your ministry and our formats
• NEW questions on topics of highest interest to your listener

We suggest that now is the time to look over the form on finneymedia.com/whylisten, to pray and to sign up.

The survey distribution begins on a set schedule in January 2018. The first 25 sign up spots, however, will be taken in the next days. For more information, contact Chuck Finney at chuck@finneymedia.com or Jan Shober at jan@finneymedia.com.

*Compiled from several feedback statements in 2017.

The Tomato Meter continues to stress film studios, critics and sometimes even moviegoers.

A recent news piece caught our attention because of its strong message for communicators. (Hey, that’s us.)

The news piece reported that studios were now fiddling with movie release times and the locations of review posts and whether to show those reviews to counter poor Rotten Tomatoes scores. Some studies indicate that the scores influence attendance or may shut down conversation on a movie, which then impacts attendance.

What’s up? We have three observations:

• The consumer, ever more educated about product, including movies, decides. Not the studios.
• Apparently Fandango includes the Tomatometer scores on their ticket-buying site. This would indicate a customer focus—whether it helps the specific movie in question to boost sales or not.
• The news piece we’ve linked to has a quote we agree with: “The best way for studios to combat the ‘Rotten Tomatoes Effect’ is to make better movies, plain and simple.” You can like it or not but digital has enabled customers to bypass both studios and critics—and converse with other consumers, people like themselves. Here’s the bottom line: More choice means if you are not relentlessly focused on the viewer or listener, you could be hurt, bypassed or even forgotten.

Keep your consumer in your sight and you will not only survive but thrive.

What’s on your mind?

Michael Stanier, in his popular book The Coaching Habit, suggests that questions, more than information, more than telling, more than directives, may take you further, faster and with more impact.

And, according to A More Beautiful Question, Einstein, who began asking questions early and often, reckoned that if he had an hour to solve a problem and his life depended on it, he’d use 55 of those minutes making sure he was asking the right question.

Questions. Good ones can open up a conversation and take it to important places; the long term view or toward a powerful resolution.

And, a question can keep a conversation open in someone’s heart all day long.

So, what’s your favorite heart or future or thought question? What questions might serve us well as we seek to lead, coach or guide those we are in contact with? Whether that be in person, on air or over the phone?

Here’s a starter list.

How can we make it better?

What is possible?

How can we make the best use of …?

What brought you the greatest satisfaction afterward?

Is there a pattern?

If you only had to do one thing, what would that be?

What would the question be if I were someone younger/older/richer/poorer?

How do you move from the asking to the doing?

And finally, why does it matter?

Now, start your own collection…and discover for yourself what a difference an inquiring spirit brings to the conversation. Click here to read our next blog