We’ve all experienced bad days at work. From missing your train connection which results in being late to the office, to an unhappy customer, to running out of your favourite tea, experiencing even a slight misfortune at work can really put a damper on your entire day.

But what if someone told you that these bad days were something you had control over?

In this article, we’ll take a look at how science-based solutions can help you alter your approach and make decisions that can improve the quality of your work day, every day.

Having a bad day at work can impact every area of your life. Things like a slow computer or an unreasonable client are commonplace occurrences that can happen to anyone that has a regular 9 to 5. And the worst thing about these crummy experiences at work is that they don’t just stay there. They can build up and persist in your personal life.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had control over how your day pans out?

Well, according to Caroline Webb and her book, How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life, you do.

The Power You Possess to Have a Good Day

“If there are days when you are at your best, what would it take to recreate those days more often?”

Caroline Webb is an economist, former partner at management consultancy McKinsey, and author of How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life. Through her work, she’s helped companies increase employee productivity and welfare by showing them how their lives can be transformed for the better by applying insights from behavioural economics, psychology, and neuroscience.

In her book, she explains that we have more control than we think with shaping our day and that we possess the power to ensure that every day we have at work can be a good day. Webb highlights this belief with science-based solutions. Using research and real-life examples, she illustrates how you can develop certain routines and habits which you can implement when confronted with challenges during the working day, and which will help with reducing the chances of a bad day.

So, how can we exert this apparent power we have?

5 Tips on How to Have a Good Day at Work

1. Avoid Email Grazing

Emails can be a major distraction in the workplace. Even if you’ve switched off notifications, it can still be tempting to check your inbox every so often. Switching from one task to another can disrupt your concentration and diminish your focus which is why Webb advises avoiding email grazing.

Research has found that it can take up to 20 minutes to regain your focus, so to avoid aimlessly checking your inbox throughout the day, instead, what you can do is establish a time where you tackle all your emails in one go. Depending on the number of emails you receive, you could even do this twice a day. Not only can this stop you from task switching, but it also limits distractions which can ensure you get more tasks done so that you’re able to achieve your goals for the day.

2. Set Your Intentions

Defining your intentions for the day can play a huge role in how you can make yourself have a better day. It helps you decide where you want to focus your attention. Your intentions should be framed in positive language. For example, if your goal was to increase business revenue, opt for something like “make my product exciting” instead of “stop losing money”.

Setting intentions provides you with direction. For instance, one of Webb’s clients, a strategic director of an aircraft manufacturer realized the value of setting intentions. He explained that he manages to sit on the board of several technology companies alongside his role because he learned to be as strategic about his daily personal intentions as he is about his work. He used to suffer from a lack of concentration, but one day he wrote down why he was doing what he was doing, and how he wanted to do it. This gave him clarification and a sense of purpose which enabled him to establish an intention-setting routine and avoid the distractions that used to plague him.

Our attitude can also have an effect. A study on how mood affects person-perception judgements conducted by Joseph Forgas and Gordon Bower, professors at the University of New South Wales and Stanford, found that participants who were happier could perceive subjects in a more positive light compared to participants who were intentionally put into a funk. So, if we approach the day with good intentions and a positive attitude, then it can influence our day favourably.

3. Connect with Your Co-Workers

Another way to increase the likelihood of having a good day every day at work is to connect with your co-workers. Your co-workers are the people you spend the majority of your waking hours with, so it makes sense to know them beyond a superficial level. It can create a sense of collaboration and trust, which can also be economically beneficial.

Invest some time and make the effort to really get to know them. Ask about their weekend, their hobbies, and whether or not they have any vacations planned. By having a genuine interest in what they do and who they are as a person, you may find commonalities and shared interests, which can only elevate your relationship.

Building rapport between co-workers is an important part of having a good day. Not only does working in a comfortable environment make for a more pleasant day-to-day experience, but the nature of your relationships with the people around you can greatly affect your mood and overall happiness.

4. Have a Plan for Managing Challenges

No matter how much we plan and approach the day with good intentions, sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want them to. While we can’t control the subway system or a client’s mood, we can control our reaction towards them. Planning for challenges that may arise during the work day is another way to have a better quality day. Webb recommends recalling past problems that you overcame and assessing how you overcame them. Not only will the reminder of how you prevailed give you a confidence boost, but it can make any difficult or stressful situation seem like a piece of cake.

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Of course, situations will differ, but you can still create a basic structure of how to overcome common problems when confronted with them. Here are some examples of what can go into your plan for managing challenges:

• Co-worker/client challenge
  If it’s an issue with a co-worker or a client you’re facing, talk about it with them. Addressing the problem and resolving the tension is a far better solution than keeping quiet. When addressing the issue, you should be firm but also polite. Hear out their point of view as well, you may find something that you didn’t know before.
• Commute challenge
  While there isn’t much we can do when it comes to the public transport system, we can still find ways to get through our commutes. Find an alternative route to work or home should your initial transport option fail you. Download a podcast or bring along a book that you enjoy so that when you do experience delays, you have something pleasant to fill your time while you wait.
• Work challenge
  A work challenge can be anything from an undesired project outcome to being assigned a task that seems near impossible to complete. Chances are you would have experienced a similar issue in the past, even if it’s not within the same context, there can still be factors that parallel. Think about the resources you used to overcome the past issue and see if the same or similar things can be applied to your current one.

5. Take Breaks

Taking regular breaks at work is imperative for your health and general wellbeing. This is especially important for people who work in front of a computer as they are leading sedentary lifestyles. Not only is taking regular breaks crucial for maintaining health, but it plays an important part in keeping up energy and productivity levels.

As focus starts to waver after 90 minutes, it’s a good idea to take a small break every 90 minutes or so. You can get up to grab a beverage, take a bathroom break, or stretch your body. There are even plug-in apps that you can install into your browser so that you are reminded regularly to look away from your screen.

Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson studied elite performers in various fields such as music, sports, and chess, and found what they all had in common was that they practised in 90-minute intervals with short breaks in between. Doing so optimized their productivity and minimized fatigue levels.

Final Thoughts

Having a good day at work doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is going to be peachy from the moment you leave your house in the morning to the moment you step back inside at the end of the day. (I mean if it does then great, but let’s be a little realistic here). What it means is that you’re aware that you have some control of how things shape around you and that you know how to exert that control to have a better day.

From forming closer relationships with your co-workers to having a challenge-managing plan, Webb’s book provides examples of how your behaviour can alter situations that can impact the quality of your day. By making the right decisions and proceeding towards a positive outlook, you’ll realize that you have more control than you thought on how to have a good day.

How do you overcome challenges to have a good day at work? Share your experiences in the comment section below.

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post 5 Tips on How to Have a Good Day at Work appeared first on Zenkit.

Citizens of the 21st century live in a constant state of busyness. Immersed in a culture that places busyness on a pedestal, the more things we’re occupied with, the more effective it appears that we are. This results in having no time to do the things that matter to us, whether it’s spending time with our family or pursuing a personal hobby.

Authors of Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day, Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky offer up a solution in their book. Instead of ticking tasks off our to-do lists quicker or perfecting the art of time management, they propose we redesign our time so that we can spend a portion of it on the things we truly care about.

In this article, I’ll go through the Make Time approach, why it came about, and then attempt to redesign my day.

The way we lead our lives and the reason why it’s so consumed with so many tasks is that we are reacting to the standards set up by our society. That’s what the former designers and bestselling authors, Knapp and Zeratsky say. They use their experience and knowledge from their time at tech heavyweights Google, YouTube, and Microsoft, and writing their first book, Sprint, to come up with the Make Time method. 

As adamantly stated in the first few pages, Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day is not a productivity book. The advice and information featured are not groundbreaking and the authors themselves note this. What this book offers is a framework that can assist you in creating more time in your day through a set of tactics and a four-step system. A more realistic approach than the major life overhaul that’s typical in other self-help books, Knapp and Zeratsky’s methods highlight how you can adjust your current environment to make time.

If We’re Not Busy, We’re Distracted

Living in this digital world can be a double-edged sword. While we’re fortunate to have so many conveniences at our fingertips, it can also be detrimental as there are so many apps and services that absorb our time. Knapp and Zeratsky narrow down our lack of time to two things, things that keep us busy and things that keep us distracted. They are categorized into two groups; the “Busy Bandwagon” and the “Infinity Pools”.

The Busy Bandwagon category is made up of the things that keep you busy such as work commitments and life admin tasks. It also refers to the present-day attitude that tells us that the busier we are, the more productive we are and that if we’re not as busy as everyone else around us, we will fall behind.

The Infinity Pools describe the things that keep us distracted. This is the category which social media, apps, clickbait material, and other sources of limitless content fall under. The main attribute of an Infinity Pool is that it can always be refreshed, providing you with a never-ending source of distraction.

The reason we engage in these two forces is due to default. Default refers to the systems that are preselected, be it in our software or even in our society. Although settings can be changed, it usually requires some work which is why people are prone to leave things as they are.

These kinds of “defaults”, Knapp and Zeratsky suggest, are prevalent in all aspects of our lives and are the very reason we spend our time either busy or distracted. Things are preconditioned a certain way and our general first reaction is to accept them as they are instead of modifying them to what makes the most sense. For example, business meetings are usually scheduled 30 to 60 minutes long even if the matter can be resolved through a quick chat. Typically, instead of going our separate ways, we are inclined to sit through the entire 30 or 60 minutes because that’s how a business meeting should run.

How to Take Back Control of Your Time

With years of experience between them as designers in the tech industry, the authors knew that it would take more than willpower to escape the expertly-designed apps. So instead of trying to outsmart the software, Knapp and Zeratsky put their design thinking caps on and came up with an approach to how we should be spending our time.

“We don’t have limitless willpower, so every redesign had to be easy to use. We couldn’t erase every obligation, so we worked with constraints. We experimented, failed, and succeeded, and, over time, we learned.”

What they came up with was the idea of redesigning time. What if we adjust the default settings in our lives so we can have a say in how our day is spent? In order to do this, they’ve put forward more than 80 tactics and a four-step framework in their book that can help take readers there.

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The Four-Step Framework That Makes Time

Inspired by a combination of their experience with design sprints, their own experiments, and reader feedback, Knapp and Zeratsky created a four-step framework that can make time if repeated daily.

Step 1: Highlight

The first step is to select a highlight. This is a task that will be your top aim for the day and what your day will be organized around. Because most of us don’t have the luxury to ignore all the things on our to-do lists, including a highlight is a way to take control of how our time is spent. Ideally, it should take about 60 to 90 minutes to do.

Your highlight can be anything. It can be something you want to do or something you have to do. The important thing is that it has to be something that you’ve chosen to do and not something that you are doing as a result of a default reaction.

Step 2: Laser

The second step focuses on how to put an end to the things that cause a distraction so that you can achieve your highlight. Distractions include social media, emails, Netflix, and anything that falls under the Infinity Pool category. By being laser-focused, we are more likely to produce better work.

An important thing to note is that the Make Time method isn’t anti-technology. It just wants you to rethink the way you use them and not succumb to the predetermined defaults that result in wasted time.

Step 3: Energize

The next step is to ensure you are taking care of yourself. Knapp and Zeratsky place an emphasis on energy, as being low on energy can not only affect your health, but it can make you susceptible to distraction and obscure your focus from the task at hand. To keep your mind alert and focused you need to keep your body energized. This includes eating a balanced diet and engaging in regular physical exercise.

Step 4: Reflect

The last step of the Make Time method requires you to reflect. The purpose of this step is so you can evaluate your day, and the tactics used, and find out if there is room for improvement. Take a few moments every day to examine what worked, what didn’t, the challenges you had to overcome, and how you overcame them.

This gives you the opportunity to think about how you’ll approach things the following day and what changes you need to make. Once this is done a few times over, you’ll develop a daily system unique to your practices and habits that will help you achieve your highlight.

Implementing Tactics and Making Time

“We can’t get you out of every pointless meeting or magically set your inbox to zero, and we won’t try to turn you into a Zen master. But we can help you slow down a little, turn down the noise of the modern world, and find more joy in each day.”

Along with the four-step system, Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day features tactics that help you to redesign your time. With over 80 tactics in the book, Knapp and Zeratsky’s intention is not for you to take on board every single one but to test the ones that seem the most applicable to your situation. Through this trial and error, you will discover which tactics work best and which tactics can be left out.

When attempting the Make Time method, the authors recommend you try one tactic from each step on your first day. This means choosing a tactic that will help with your highlight, one that will enable you to respond to distractions, and another that will assist with keeping you energized.

So I did exactly that. Here are the three tactics I decided on to redesign my day:

Schedule Your Highlight (#8)

The Highlight tactic I chose was “schedule your highlight”. Pretty straightforward. My focal point for the day was to work on a visa application. This was something I both had to do and wanted to. It’s been placed on the back burner for a while, but with my current visa’s expiration date looming, it’s now become a matter of priority and something I needed to make time for.

I scheduled 90 minutes in the evening, after dinner time, to work on the application process on my wall calendar and on my Zenkit desktop calendar. 

Make a “Random Question” List (#55)

Applying the Laser tactic of making a “random question” list is great for someone like me who has countless questions running through her head all day, every day. Let’s face it, organizing a visa application isn’t the most exciting task and so it’s easy for your focus to start straying if you don’t develop a barrier against distraction.

Writing down the random questions that pop up in your head on a piece of paper will keep your attention directed on the task at hand. It will help you stay concentrated on your highlight and reassure you that the answer to “What is that actor who played Adam Banks in the Mighty Ducks movie franchise up to these days?” will be uncovered later. 

Pound the Pavement (#62)

I’m not the biggest exercise enthusiast, but I know being active is imperative to my general well-being. That’s why I selected the “pound the pavement” tactic for my Energize step. This tactic gets you to move your body without requiring too much strenuous movement. It encourages you to walk for a few minutes each day, as doing so can boost energy levels.

Applying for a visa requires diligence. There are strict requirements you have to meet and many documents to collate. Everything has to be down to a tee and keeping energized can ensure your concentration doesn’t drop. Plus, going for a walk can be a great stress alleviator that enables you to enjoy some fresh air and stretch your legs.

When it came to reflection time, I discovered the tactics that I chose were not a bad selection. Actually writing down my highlight and when I was going to do it enabled me to visualize when it was happening. Taking note of the random questions that appeared in my head kept my mind focused on what I was supposed to be doing instead of looking things up on Google every five minutes. And going for a walk earlier that day allowed me to stay alert.

Of course, there is room for improvement. In particular in the second step. Tomorrow when I repeat this system to work on completing the visa application I can add another Laser tactic. The random question list was great, but something like tactic #24, “Block Distraction Kryptonite” where I have to free myself from one Infinity Pool will probably do wonders to my concentration and enable me to complete the process in a more timely manner. And in the following days, I can add and remove as many tactics as I see fit to find the right groove for me.

Final Thoughts

If you’re someone who wishes there were more hours in the day, then Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky’s Make Time method is something worth looking into. With the aid of the four-step framework and the list of tactics, it gives you a practical and attainable way of developing a routine that enables you to make time for the things that matter to you.

What are the things you would make time for? Highlight them in the comment section below

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post J. Knapp and J. Zeratsky: How to Make Time appeared first on Zenkit.

If you’ve noticed that the people around you are suddenly obsessed with folding their shirts a certain way or are thanking their items before discarding them, then they’ve probably caught on to the latest cultural craze: Marie Kondo and her life-changing magic of tidying up.

While the importance of keeping things well-kept and organized has been ingrained in us since an early age, what Kondo has done has acquainted the world with how much pleasure tidying up can bring. Her objective is to show you how to declutter your home so that it becomes a place of perpetual joy.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what’s behind the magic of tidying up and how it can be applied to your digital presence.

Who Is Marie Kondo?

Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant, star of the Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, and author of several self-help books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”.

Listed as one of Time’s “100 most influential people” in 2015, Kondo is renowned for her particular system of tidying up, decluttering, and organizing known as the KonMari Method.

What Is the KonMari Method?

“The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don’t.”

Kondo’s technique of organizing advocates cutting down on excess and filling your home only with items that truly mean something to you. Described as a state of mind and a way of life, the KonMari Method encourages you to treasure possessions that “spark joy”.

The six canons of the KonMari Method are as follows:

1. Commit yourself to tidying up
2. Imagine your ideal life
3. Finish letting go first
4. Tidy by category, not location
5. Follow the right order
6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy

Although known to be a rigorous method, Kondo’s way of tidying up has amassed a host of fans and followers due to its emphasis on being “mindful, introspective, and optimistic”. She encourages you to find value in your belongings and to focus on the things you want to keep rather than the ones you want to throw away.

As part of her philosophy, Kondo asks that you thank your items that no longer spark joy before getting rid of them. Doing so will reveal how the item contributed to your life, that you’re grateful for it, and are ready to say goodbye.

A common cause of clutter is our inability to relinquish possessions due to the memory they hold. Following Kondo’s tidying-up method enables you to reflect and acknowledge the significance your items had in your life, making it easier to let them go.

The Significance of Tidying Up

Tidying up isn’t everyone’s favourite thing to do. Kondo’s concept of only holding onto the things that spark joy demonstrates a fresh approach to cleaning and organizing. It provides a guideline on how you should separate items by determining which still play an integral role in your everyday life and which are simply taking up space.

Keeping your space well-ordered and clutter-free is important for your performance and mental health. A study conducted by the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute found that the more clutter you have in your environment, the more it limits your ability to focus.

It also highlighted how your ability to process information declines when in an untidy area due to the fact that the clutter competes for your attention. As mentioned in her book, Kondo explains how visible mess can “distract us” and that decluttering is a great solution to obtaining clarity and focus.

How to Tackle a Digital Declutter

Just like a disorderly home or a messy office, an untidy digital presence can also have an impact on your everyday behaviour and productivity. Think about it, is there anything worse than having to spend more time than necessary rummaging through your folders to find a particular image?

Having your files organized for accessibility is just one benefit that a digital declutter can bring. It can also free up storage space, reduce your chances of receiving spam, and help strengthen privacy.

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Following the KonMari Method in its entirety may not be viable when it comes to your digital presence. However, there are still parts of the process that can be taken on. 

A great thing to adopt from KonMari is the concept of discarding things that no longer spark joy. Although the idea of what constitutes as “joy” may differ when it comes to work or school-related files, you have to shift your approach in order to make it feasible. For instance, while essay notes or sales reports won’t ignite the same kind of delight that photos from your holiday would, the fact that they contribute to your learning or commission salary still brings about a type of joy.

1. Put your inbox in order

Part of KonMari asks you to visualize your perfect home before getting started. So, before getting started, visualize what your perfect inbox would look like and keep that thought throughout the task.

Opening your inbox and being greeted with a barrage of emails is a definite joy dimmer. Nowadays, it’s a common requirement to sign up to a newsletter when registering for an online service and it can be easy to forget to unsubscribe to them which is why they’re piling up in your inbox. Now’s your time to unsubscribe to all the newsletters you don’t actually read. You can use an app like Unsubscriber to make the process easier.

Once that’s done, you can get onto deleting spam and emails you no longer need. For the emails that are worth archiving, separate them from your inbox by creating a new folder to store them in.

2. Switch off non-essential notifications

As well as smartphones, many of us own tablets, laptops, and other devices that alert us when we receive a message. It’s usually a notification for the latest app update, a reminder for what we did seven years ago on this day, or constant pings from that high school group chat we’re still a part of for some reason.

Most of the time, the alerts are trivial and do nothing but distract us from our work and daily to-do’s. So, if you want to maximize your productivity, it’s best to switch off notifications that don’t require your immediate attention. Not all messages are worth the same value and it’s time to set them apart.

3. Organize your files

Now’s the time to really employ the KonMari “spark joy” principle. When going through your files, truly ask yourself if they’re things that still resonate with some sort of jubilation whether in your work, school, or personal life. (No, that photo of your ex does not spark joy).

Once you’re done with your desktop, remember to do the same with the photos on your smartphone, tablet, iCloud, and any other digital platform where you have files stored.

4. …And give them a home

A point stressed in Kondo’s method is to ensure every item has its own special place as it makes it easy for you to locate things in the future. The same should be applied to your files. For files older than 12 months, pop them onto an external hard drive or a folder in your cloud-based storage. Chances are you aren’t likely to need them any time soon.

Whichever way you wish to categorize them—whether by type or date modified—make sure they are organized in a way that makes the most logical sense to you. But remember, you can only start tidying your files once you’ve let go of the ones that no longer trigger any type of happiness.

5. Get rid of apps you no longer use

Not only are unused apps a big drain on your battery, but they also take up storage space and can affect your device’s performance. If you can’t remember the last time you crushed candy or exchanged a word with a friend then it’s probably time to remove the software from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

While it may be tricky to get rid of apps that were once so fervently enjoyed—especially ones that you paid for—don’t forget to envision your perfect device. Adhere to that. If having rows and rows of little colorful boxes is what brings you joy, keep it that way. The KonMari Method wants you to be happy with your environment.

6. Close.Your.Tabs

Since the introduction of browser tabs, going online has never been the same. Whether it’s to save a page we want to read for later or for ease of access to pages we frequent often, their convenience is unmatchable.

There is a fine line, however, between having a reasonable amount of tabs to help you with your workload and disarray. Having numerous tabs open not only slows down your computer but also feeds into the habit of multitasking, which we know, isn’t the best way to combat distraction. For optimized productivity, it’s recommended to restrict your tabs to a maximum of nine as every modern browser supports the Ctrl+ 1-9 shortcut to open a tab.

7. Conduct a social media cleanse

Getting rid of social media may be a daunting prospect as they bring many of us a lot of joy. They’re great sources of information and our connection to the digital world. So, why the need to declutter?

However much happiness these apps may spark, social media does have its detriments. The overload of information can get distracting and divert us away from things that need our attention such as work, school, or connecting with people in real life.

Another issue is the ceaseless inclination of comparing yourself socially to your peers and the pressures that come with it. According to German researchers who studied people’s behaviour with the social platform Facebook, one in three people was discovered to have experienced a negative feeling after visiting the site.

Doing a cleanse—both with the apps you’re signed up to and the people within them that you follow—and minimizing your social media capacity will enable you to spend your time on things that are valuable and worthwhile, both online and offline.

If you appear to be struggling with this one, a good way to think about it is to compare it to something physical, like your wardrobe. Sure, a lot of shoes are great to have but how many of them truly spark joy? How many pairs do you really wear regularly? Apply these points when tidying up your social media presence. Do you really need Instagram and Snapchat? How often do you actually communicate with people from high school? If your immediate reaction isn’t total elation, then it’s time to bid adieu.

8. Tidy up your Zenkit account

If you’ve been using Zenkit for some time—whether for personal or professional use—you may notice that you’ve accumulated your fair share of untouched items and/or collections. Going through your account and doing a purge every once in a while is a great way to ensure you’ve got a clutter-free workspace.

Think about your objectives for using Zenkit and keep envisioning this thought as you work through your collections. This will make is easier to determine which items should stay and which should be removed. Once you’ve deleted the necessary tasks or collections, it’s time to tidy things up. Switch views if you feel data would benefit more in another form. What was once a task list could be more effective as a Kanban board.

Like many other productivity tools, Zenkit’s purpose is to facilitate productivity, however, it can only do so if you have the right system in place. By keeping your account organized to align with your goals you will have a much higher chance of accomplishing them.

Final Thoughts

With the average adult spending 5.9 hours a day online, that’s a whole lotta digital clutter that can be gathered. Doing a tidy-up à la Marie Kondo will not only set you up with a more practical way of navigating your digital presence but will also make it a more joyous experience.

Remember, the philosophy of KonMari is that we should cut down on excess and only hold on to things that we cherish and that truly means something to us.

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit team 

The post Tips to Tidy Up Your Online Presence Marie Kondo Style appeared first on Zenkit.

Managing multiple projects at once is an everyday reality for many project managers. From an organization’s attempt at improving efficiency levels or due to resource limitations, there are many reasons why companies feel it’s necessary.

In this article, I’ll discuss the common obstacles that are faced with working in a multi-project environment as well as how to overcome them.

The Challenges Faced in a Multi-Project Environment

Managing an individual project alone already comes with a plethora of challenges, so imagine what it’s like when your workload is increased! While different project managers will experience varying issues, there are two common obstacles most are likely to face. They are:

Resource Management

When working in a multi-project environment, the risk of resource conflict is all too real. Although there may be a bit of squabble over fancy new equipment, the resource most at risk is the employees, the very people who get the work done. In many cases, quality resources—including team members—are already scarce and the need to share them amongst a number of projects only adds to the equation.

Correct resource allocation then becomes imperative. Your job as the project manager is to ensure that the appropriate project resource management process is applied. That means taking into consideration that you are operating in a multi-project environment and a process fit for a single project simply won’t cut it. Incorrect process implementation is a leading cause of multi-project management failures.

Multi-Tasking

At first glance, the concept of multi-tasking gives the impression that you can accomplish more when doing several things at once. But as research shows, the opposite is true as it can actually reduce your productivity by 40 per cent. The reason for this is that juggling more than one task at a time requires you to constantly stop, start, and switch between tasks. Not only can this impede focus and concentration, but it can also add delays to the project you are working on.

However, managing multiple projects means you may find yourself multi-tasking at some point. If so, there are things you can do to lower the chances of interrupting focus such as limiting the number of tasks you do at once and allocating time blocks for each task. University of Michigan researcher David Meyer suggests designating about 20 minutes to each task and being fully devoted to that particular task during this time period before switching to another.

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How to Overcome the Obstacles of Working in a Multi-Project Environment

1. Prioritize properly

Whether you’re dealing with one project or one hundred, prioritization is a key skill that can determine the difference between a successful outcome from a failed one. It can help you meet deadlines and allow you to focus on one task at a time so that you are less likely to have to multitask.

Prioritize your projects by aligning them with your business strategy. The ones that will bring in the most benefit are the ones that you should pay attention to first. The projects that have tighter timelines should also take precedence over those that are more flexible. Once you’ve prioritized, communicate your reasoning to your team as this will help them understand which tasks to work on first and how to prioritize their own workloads.

2. Delegate Effectively

Delegating tasks means more than just reducing your workload. It allows you to concentrate on more strategic work. Assigning further responsibility to your subordinates signifies that you believe in their capacity to contribute further to the project’s success and are doing what you can to foster a collaborative work environment.

To delegate effectively, ensure you provide clarity, explanation, and accountability. The new task owner needs careful instructions in order to get the job done right and they also need to be aware of the responsibility that comes with their new task. Remember to avoid micromanaging as that will not only defeat the entire purpose of delegating tasks, but can also hinder project progress.

3. Track Progress

This refers to both yours and your team members. Tracking progress is a key way to ensure you don’t lose sight of your goals and are on course to accomplishing the project’s objectives. Juggling multiple projects at once can get chaotic and reviewing your own workload on a regular basis, it can help minimize unwanted surprises and ensures you are adhering to deadlines and requirements.

On top of your own workload, you are also responsible for the progress of your team members. Conducting regular status meetings is a great way to ensure things are up-to-date and running smoothly. It also ensures that you will always have information to report back to your clients and stakeholders, and it can also help with identifying any issues or bottlenecks before they get out of hand.

4. Manage Expectations

Managing multiple projects at once means having many people to answer to and many expectations to live up to. To make your job easier, be involved when deadlines and milestones are being established. Develop trust and form relationships with the powers-that-be so that you can have as much influence as possible when it comes to making important decisions on the projects.

Rarely do projects happen without any issues so be honest when things don’t go well. If certain expectations can’t be met or require changes, let the clients, customers, and/or stakeholders know as soon as possible. This can help rectify things quickly and ensure that you maintain the trust you’ve developed with them.

5. Use the Right Tools

Being prepared from the outset will give you a higher chance of succeeding, and using the right tools to manage your tasks and projects can do exactly that. What constitutes the “right tools” will depend on the nature of your projects, the teams, and the resources involved. Using a project management tool goes without saying. Because you’ll be managing several projects at once, you’ll want a tool that has enough capacity to hold all your data and is flexible enough to allow you to switch from one task to another.

When selecting your tools, keep in the mind the time and costs associated with implementing them. Going for a cheaper tool may cost less upfront but if it’s more difficult and time-consuming to properly implement than one that costs double, then it can cost you more in the long run.

Final Thoughts

Managing multiple projects at once successfully isn’t an inconceivable achievement. You need to communicate to everyone involved—that’s the stakeholders as well as the team members—that they need to shift from the idea of individual project success to organizational success. Everyone needs to be aware that the outcome of every project affects the company as a whole.

Of course, you also need to ensure that you do your part. Plan wisely and thoroughly, take precautions when implementing processes, and consider how to best deal with multi-tasking challenges. The support from your colleagues will also have an influence on how things go, so form good working relationships and always be transparent when things don’t go accordingly.

What obstacles did you have to overcome when managing multiple projects at once?

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post 5 Tips for Managing Multiple Projects at Once appeared first on Zenkit.

What do Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Arianna Huffington have in common? Apart from being considered influential people by Time magazine at one point in their lives, they all swear by a night routine. (Could be a correlation there perhaps?)

A few weeks ago, I spoke about how having a productive morning routine can impact your performance for the day. Well, now I’m here to tell you that having a night routine can also have a similar effect. In this article, I’ll talk about why having a night routine is important for not only well-rested sleep but for how you perform the following day too.

What is a Night Routine?

A night routine is the same as a morning routine, except done the opposite time of the day. It’s a repeated system of habits that helps you wind down and conclude your day, preparing you for some well deserved shut eye and for the following day ahead.

Why You Should Have One

1. To relax and unwind

For many of us, work can be stressful and after a long day’s worth of it, climbing into bed with lingering thoughts can make it difficult to fall asleep. Implementing a night routine can assist with de-stressing and ease you into bedtime.

This time of day is also ideal for reviewing the tasks you have achieved and writing down your to-do’s for the next day. Transferring your responsibilities from your thoughts into words can help to alleviate stress and the weight of it all.

2. For a better night’s sleep

As we all know, getting a sufficient amount of sleep plays a vital part in how we perform during the day. The average adult is recommended to have six to eight hours of sleep every night, however, this figure varies depending on factors such as lifestyle and age. A constant lack of sleep can also be detrimental to your health, with diseases such as obesity and diabetes at risk.

A good night’s sleep, however, isn’t just about the quantity. The quality of it also plays a huge part. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep quality refers to falling asleep in 30 minutes or less, sleeping soundly throughout the night with no more than one awakening, and drifting back to sleep within 20 minutes if you do wake up.

3. To get accustomed to habits

As explained by Professor Brian Martin of the University of Wollongong, “habits are something we do regularly without consciously thinking much about them.” They allow us to save brain power for more pressing matters and shape our everyday lives.

In his book “The Power of Habit”, Charles Duhigg asserts that being able to form habits and routine can have a positive effect on your life. If you feel like there is something lacking or you desire a change, being able to transform a habit is what can determine a successful or failed result. So in this instance, if you feel like your performance and productivity during the day can do with a bit of a boost, then it may be worth investing in a night routine.

What to Include in Your Night Routine

How you go about your night routine is entirely up to you. It can have as many or as little tasks as you want. Just remember that the aim of having one is to help you wind down and relax before you go to bed, so ensure the activities you include aid in doing just that.

To develop a habit, I find that creating a checklist and listing your activities in sequential order is best practice. This acts as a guide when you’re starting out, and once the list is followed a few times over, your routine will become second nature.

Tips on what to include in your night routine for a more productive morning:

1. Forgo the late afternoon coffee

The effects of caffeine can last up to four to six hours, so to ensure you have a good night’s sleep, waive the four o’clock coffee or energy drink. Instead, opt for a herbal tea or any decaffeinated drink.

2. Stop checking emails

While I understand that for many of us, work doesn’t stop once we leave the office, it is important to have a deadline on when to switch off from work mode entirely. Doing this enables you to enjoy your evening free from any distractions.

3. Block off time for family

Whether it’s dinner or an activity, spending time with family can be a great way to unwind. Dedicating time free from distractions allows you to be completely present in the moment and to truly enjoy time with your loved ones.

4. Prepare your meals

Putting together your breakfast and lunch in the evening reduces the time you’d otherwise have to spend in the morning. Planning your meals ahead will keep you organized and can ensure you maintain a healthy diet.

5. Lay out your clothes

Just like your meals, having your work and/or gym outfit ready for the following day will also give you more time in the morning and reduce the chances of decision fatigue.

6. Tidy up

Spending 10 minutes or so tidying up around the house will not only help with the general upkeep of your home, but it’ll also allow you to sleep more peacefully as you’ll be in a clutter-free environment.

7. Avoid alcohol and fatty foods

Consumption of fatty foods can make it harder to fall asleep as it takes longer to digest. Alcohol is also a no-go because it won’t give your body the deep sleep it needs. If you find that you do get peckish late at night, go for foods that release serotonin such as high-fiber cereal and milk or wholegrain crackers with cheese as they can help calm you down.

8. Assess your to-do list

Looking at your list and reviewing what you’ve achieved for the day will help you with planning out your priorities for the following day. Preparing your list the night before scales down decision making in the morning which leaves you ready to go once you wake up.

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9. Shut off screens an hour or so before bedtime

The blue light from our smartphones, tablets, and computers can affect our quality of sleep, so it’s best to avoid them at least an hour before bedtime. To go that extra mile, you could take cue from The Huffington Post’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington, and keep electronic devices out of your bedroom completely.

10. Start to unwind

Once you’ve completed all the other tasks, it’s time to indulge in an activity that will keep your mind at ease. Whether it’s reading for an hour like Bill Gates or meditating like Oprah Winfrey, remember that the purpose of your night routine is to help you relax, so find something that will enable you to do so.

Final Thoughts

Being well rested and ready to tackle the day ahead can be the result of a carefully crafted night routine. But just like any other routine, establishing and perfecting it will take some work (so don’t expect to be on that Time list straight off the bat).

Not only will you have to concoct the ideal list of tasks that will help you stay organized and relaxed, but you also have to take the necessary steps in order for the habits to form. Sure it may take a bit of time and effort, but all around, it is something worth investing in if it’s a better daytime performance you were after.

And finally, keep in mind that you may not get the perfect list at first go, so don’t fret at the thought of having to take out and add various tasks as you go long—”trial and error” as they say.

What does your night routine include? Don’t forget to share your insights in the comment section

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post How to Establish a Night Routine to Influence Your Daytime Performance appeared first on Zenkit.

Here at Zenkit, we’re all about minimal simplicity. Hiding away features till you need them. Smooth lines. Calm colours. Subtle animations. We love to think of your Zenkit workspace as the place you can go to simply focus and get stuff done without distraction.

However, there’s something to be said for a bright pop of colour or two. From creating a contrast to really bringing your attention to the things that need it, strong colours absolutely have their place in the productivity world. That’s why we’re super stoked to announce the release of the Coloured Items add-on for Plus users!

We get a lot of feedback from our users, and some of my personal favourites come in the form of feature requests. While we can’t always build everything you ask for, when you ask for it, we do collect all of this feedback and take time to figure out what we can feasibly create that will work for as many people as possible.

A lot of people have requested to be able to colour items. Whether it be through some sort of colour picker, an automated process, or matching an uploaded image, we’ve heard it all. In the end, we decided to go with a structure and palette we’ve already got: Labels! There’s no pleasing everyone (we’re not pizza!), but we hope that colouring items according to labels is a compromise that can work for everyone.

How to Enable Coloured Items

Like all collection-specific add-ons, you can find the Coloured Items settings in the ‘Add-ons’ section of your collection settings. To get there, click on the collection name, then on ‘Add-ons’. Click ‘Enable’ under Coloured Items, then in the small pop-up, choose the label field you want to colour the items by. That’s it!

The entire item will be coloured by the label it has applied to it. If you have multiple labels, the first label in the list will be the colour of the item. If there’s no label applied, the item will remain white or black (depending on your chosen Zenkit theme). It’s also important to note that the colour will change if you change the label / move it to a different Kanban list

To change the colour of a particular label, you need to go into your label field settings and change the colour there. This will also change the colour of items labelled with that label.

Ways to Use Coloured Items

Coloured items are like labels turned up to eleven. When an item is coloured, it’s hard to ignore! Just like labels, the best way to use them depends entirely on what you use Zenkit for. Since they make such a big impression, I like to use them when I need something really attention-grabbing:

• Marking bottlenecked tasks in red
• Highlighting high-priority customers with green
• If you view your kanban board by member, you can show progress with different coloured cards
• If multiple teams work on one collection, differentiate the teams with colours
• Use different colours to highlight task priority
• Etc, etc, etc…

There are as many ways to use this feature as there are to label, tag, and categorize items.

Final Thoughts

We’ve had lots of fun making our collections pop over the past couple of weeks, so we really hope you enjoy putting coloured items to use, too! How will you be using coloured items? Let us know in the comments below!

Cheers,

Siobhan and the Zenkit Team

The post Introducing Coloured Items! appeared first on Zenkit.

Skipping the rush hour commute, not having to fight anyone for the microwave at lunchtime, and the absence of a boss peering over your shoulder while you work are some of the perks to enjoy when working from home. But without co-workers to keep you motivated and no boss to keep you on your toes, it can be a haven for distraction.

In this article, we’ll share tips on how to be more effective at work for the lucky ones who get to work from home.

10 Tips on How to be Effective When Working Remotely

1. Get rid of distractions

To avoid distractions you have to do your very best to get rid of them. If people are at home, be it your housemate or children, ensure they know that you’re working so as not to disturb you. Make sure your children are looked after by someone else as trying to mix parenting with work will be highly distracting.

If social media is your undoing, then there are apps, like Anti-Social, and browser extensions that block social media websites. Also, productivity methods such as time blocking and David Allen’s Getting Things Done can be useful when it comes to focusing and, funnily enough, getting things done.

2. Plan a similar schedule to your day in the office

Routines create structure, and structure is key for improving productivity and effectiveness at work. The best practice would be to schedule your work day at home similar to what it is in the office.

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Have the same break times and make sure you have an end time. It may be tempting to work overtime seeing as you’re already at home, but once again, to help separate your work life from your personal life, it’s imperative to have clear-set times.

3. Dress for the office

While you may be tempted to work in pyjamas, keep in mind that what you wear can influence your performance. So, if you’re looking to boost your productivity, you may want to reconsider your snug PJs.

Wearing business attire or work-appropriate clothing can also help separate you from home mode to work mode. It can act as a visual reminder to anyone in your household that you’re still working and shouldn’t be disturbed.

4. Create a working space

Having a defined working space, whether it’s a complete room dedicated to your home office or the kitchen table, is part of the structure that can help to create a more effective working environment when you are not in the office.

Distinguishing your workspace from your personal space will help you to steer clear of distractions (falling asleep on your bed anyone?) and keep you focused on your tasks. It will also help you to disconnect from work-related things once it’s home time.

5. Change your scenery

It can be easy to get stuck in a rut and sometimes you just need a change of scenery to improve your productivity levels or to get your creative ideas flowing. Cafes, libraries, and co-working spaces are great alternatives as they often have the resources you need, such as an internet connection and coffee, to work.

6. Prepare your meals

Being in such close proximity to your very own kitchen, it can be enticing to cook up a storm when it comes to lunch. But remember, once again, you’re in ‘work mode’. In work mode, you don’t have time to prepare, cook, and then wash dishes. Stick to your regular lunch break time as if you were in the office.

Preparing your meals the night before will save you time and enable you to keep up the momentum of your routine. It’s a good idea to eat away from your laptop so you can take the time out to truly relax and lower stress levels.

7. Touch base often with people in the office

Working from home can leave you feeling a little lonely and isolated from everyone else in the office. After all, casual chats around the water cooler or at your desk with co-workers are no longer a possibility.

If possible, arrange face-to-face coffee meetings with colleagues and/or clients, or check-in regularly through instant messaging or video calls. Remember that you’re still part of a team even though you’re working remotely.

8. Utilize technology

The advancement of technology is what has made working from home more commonplace, and it’s also what can help you work more effectively and efficiently. On top of utilizing your company’s chosen software for video calls, instant messaging, CRMs, and task management, it wouldn’t hurt to invest in your own productivity tool.

There are many tools on the market that will suit anyone’s quirks and needs. However, the one that takes the cake for us is Zenkit (obvs). Not only can you use its calendar and Kanban board features to plan and track tasks and deadlines, but it’s also free to use forever for personal use.

9. Move your body

If you start feeling sluggish and find that your focus is declining, taking a break and moving your body is another trick that can help you get back on track.

Being active alerts your mind and helps with your memory and thinking. So if you notice that your mind is starting to slip, activate your body and go for a walk or a run or even schedule a class during your break. It’s fine to take advantage of your flexibility, especially if it contributes toward working more effectively and efficiently.

10. Steer clear of housework

The sight of last night’s dishes in the sink or the big pile of clothes in your laundry basket might be too big of a temptation for you to ignore—but don’t cave in!

Housework is something that should be avoided at all costs during work hours as it will be the end of your focus and productivity. If seeing an untidy house irks you, then why not include it in your morning routine? If you’re looking for one of the top tips on how to be more effective at work when you work from home, then stay away from housework!

Final Thoughts

While there are definite benefits to working out of the office, it isn’t a walk in the park (unless of course, you’ve chosen to work in a park, while walking). Adhering to routine and staying disciplined is key to working effectively and efficiently. But remote workers are merely human, keeping focused and staying productive when you’re surrounded by such comfort is an issue we can all understand whether we work at home, in the office, or elsewhere. It will just take a bit of practice to get into the habit of things and before you know it, you’ll be as productive as ever.

If you have any further tips, don’t forget to share them with us! And for those who manage a remote team, don’t forget to check out our article on the 10 mistakes to avoid when managing a geographically dispersed team.

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post How to Be More Productive When Working from Home appeared first on Zenkit.

When spreadsheet software was first introduced to personal computers in the 1980s, it was considered a ‘killer application’. It was a program that was so desirable that people would rush out to purchase computers just so that could use the app. Nowadays, although not a killer app, spreadsheets are still heavily used both in a business and personal context. As valuable as ever, they simplify processes that would otherwise have to have been figured out manually (who has the time for that?!) — here’s what else they offer.

First Thing’s First, What Is a Spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet is a file made out of rows and columns that simulates a paper worksheet. A useful way to store information, it is also ideal for data organization and analysis. Or as Technopedia defines it;

Spreadsheet Definition:

A ‘software application that enables a user to save, sort, and manage data in an arranged form of rows and columns. It stores data in a tabular format as an electronic document. An electronic spreadsheet is based on and is similar to a paper-based accounting worksheet. It may also be called a worksheet.’

Spreadsheets have come to replace paper-based systems, and although originally used for accounting and bookkeeping purposes, they are now widely used for many other reasons. Extensively used in day-to-day business operations, they can also be used for personal affairs or wherever there’s a need for tabular content to be created, stored, and shared.

A Brief History of Spreadsheets

Paper spreadsheets had been used by accountants for hundreds of years. According to industry jargon, the term ‘spreadsheet’ refers to a large sheet of paper with columns and rows that organize data about transactions for a business person to examine. It presents all of the costs, income, taxes, and other related data on a single sheet of paper for a manager to analyze when making a decision.

Electronic spreadsheets were first introduced to the world through software called VisiCalc in 1979. Daniel Bricklin, who is often referred to as the ‘Father of the Spreadsheet’, co-created VisiCalc with Bob Frankston, which was the first spreadsheet program available for personal computers. So successful was the software that it was not only considered Apple’s killer app — as it was originally released for the Apple II — but it sold as many as 1 million copies over its history.

In 1983, Lotus 1–2–3 was launched, and sales for VisiCalc went downhill. Lotus 1–2–3’s success is owed to its taking full advantage of the expanded memory and screen of the PC. It was marketed as a three-in-one integrated solution that managed spreadsheet calculations, database functionality, and graphical charts. Now discontinued, it was the most commonly used spreadsheet application throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Only until Microsoft Excel came into the picture in the early 1990s did sales for Lotus 1–2–3 start to decline and 2013 saw sales officially ending.

Since 1993 Microsoft Excel has been running the digital spreadsheet game. Part of Microsoft Office, the application features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications. It is used on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and has become the industry standard since its version 5 release in 1993.

Then in 2005, with the advancement of web technologies, online spreadsheets arrived. Also known as ‘Cloud Apps’, web-based spreadsheets have the same features as desktop applications and include multi-collaboration user and real-time update features on top of that.

Spreadsheet Features

Spreadsheet templates are available on software such as Microsoft Excel, Google Docs, and OpenOffice to both business and personal users. Although each application may have its distinct components, most share the following common features:

Basic Operation

• Cell: A single data point, individual box, in a spreadsheet.
• Column: The vertical set of cells on the spreadsheet that are labelled alphabetically.
• Formula: A sequence in a cell used to obtain a specific result. It can be a combination of functions, cells, rows, columns, and ranges.
• Function: A predefined formula that can calculate cell, row, column, or range values.
• Range: A group of cells extending across a row, column, or both.
• Row: The horizontal set of cells on the spreadsheet that are labelled numerically.
• Workbook: A collection of worksheets that stores all the data that you have entered. Saved together in one file, it can be viewed by multiple users on a network (this is also known as a Shared Workbook).
• Worksheet (sheet): A workbook is made up of a collection of documents known as worksheets. Saved together on a single file, one spreadsheet can have multiple worksheets.

Spreadsheet Graphics

One of the most revered elements of a spreadsheet is its ability to include graphics. Charts, graphs, and histograms are visual representations of the data you store, organize, or analyze. They are generated from specified groups of cells and can be either embedded within the content or added separately. The benefit of using graphics is that it summarizes your data and visually explains the content. If you were using a spreadsheet for a presentation, for example, adding a chart, graph or histogram can give your audience a better grasp of the information being presented (as opposed to just showing them row after row of ‘meaningless’ numbers).

Types of Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets weren’t always the same as what we know (and love) today. Here are the different kinds of spreadsheets that have existed:

Two-dimensional spreadsheets

In the early years of spreadsheets, cells were simply a two-dimensional grid. Which basically meant that each cell held a piece of data that was organized in rows and columns.

Three-dimensional spreadsheets

Spreadsheets then evolved to allow more than one two-dimensional worksheets that relate to stacking on top of each other. This is the type that we’ve become accustomed to.

Arithmetic spreadsheets

This type of spreadsheet is when arithmetic functions are utilized. Function examples include automatically finding the average of the cell values of one column, or adding the value of one column.

Logical spreadsheets

These refer to spreadsheets that have a formula language based on logical expressions instead of arithmetic expressions.

Desktop (Local) vs Online Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets that are used today are either from a desktop application or online. One relies on an operating system, while the other operates using a web browser. Which version is the better one highly depends on what your requirements are, and what it is you are looking to achieve from your spreadsheet.

Before comparing their pros and cons, let’s start off with the features that you’ll find in both the desktop version and its online counterpart.

• Instant complex calculations and adjustments
• Structured data can be stored, organized, analyzed, and filtered
• Generating code, keywords, and/or lists
• ‘Creating standard operating procedures’
• Both can be used on multiple platforms such as mobile, tablets, as well as computers

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Desktop Spreadsheets

Pros:
The most popular and commonly used desktop spreadsheet application is Excel. There are many things you can do with Excel, from automating workflows to creating charts, to even making art! Storage-wise, the desktop is the way to go if you are working on big projects that require 10,000+ lines. That’s because cloud-based applications aren’t able to process as large amounts of data as native applications can.

Cons:
Learning an application like Excel doesn’t happen instantly. Getting even the basics down will take a lot of practice and maybe even classes. Cost is also a factor as most desktop applications don’t usually come free.

Online Spreadsheets

Pros:
Cloud-based spreadsheets, such as Google Sheets, are often free to use and offer great collaboration features. Real-time collaboration features are so refined you can even decide the level of collaboration a user can have on a particular worksheet. Also simple to navigate, all it takes is clicking on ‘edit Google spreadsheet’ and you and your team can make changes to the work instantly.

Cons:
Storage-wise, online spreadsheets don’t offer as much space as desktop versions. They also lag in terms of versatility. While Google Sheets, for example, does have similar features as Excel, it doesn’t include everything that the latter offers, and not all formats are supported on the online version. Another downside is that, unlike Google Sheets, not all web-based spreadsheet tools can be used offline (the clue is in its name, obvs) which means you’ll need an internet connection to ensure that your work is being entered, edited, and synced with others’ properly.

Benefits of Using Spreadsheets

It’s a no-brainer that using a digitized version of a paper worksheet has its benefits. The thought of not having to constantly re-write edits and updates alone is reason enough. Here are some other perks:

Instant Calculations

One of the biggest advantages of using spreadsheets is the instant calculations made by formulas. Cells can be set up with formulas which can calculate the data based on the content of the other cells. Not only can this be a time-saver, but as long as the formulas are entered correctly, it can reduce the chances of error.

Easy Collaboration

Digital spreadsheets are great for teams who need to share data and collaborate on work. All file sharing entails is saving the spreadsheet, downloading and sending it via email or instant messaging. If you’re using an online spreadsheet app, then file sharing is made even easier through its real-time collaboration features where team members who have been invited to work on a document can make live edits.

Forecast Scenarios

Spreadsheets support data modelling which can help users forecast specific scenarios. For example, a personal user may use a spreadsheet’s basic data modelling to predict what may happen to their monthly budget if their rent was increased. A business user on the other hand would tap into more complex data modelling to analyze something like the company’s yearly expenditure to see if there was room for cost cuts.

Gives Meaning to Data

Using spreadsheets can unlock data potential. What this means is that the data you’ve entered can be organized, stored and/or presented in a way that’s more than just a bunch of numbers. Formatting and styling customization options give users the chance to improve the readability of their information, and to transform their data into visual presentations, using charts and graphics. This will give more meaning to the data as visualization gives us humans a better chance to respond to and process visual data better than any other type of data.

Ways to Use a Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are an essential asset in the everyday administration and operation of a business. They are also extensively used for personal purposes as well. Here are some spreadsheet examples of how they can be utilized:

Store and Organize Information

Whatever your data is, whether it’s telephone numbers, calculations, dates, or employee details, using a spreadsheet to hold information is one of its most common purposes. But the beauty of them is that they also allow you to organize your data as well as store it. For instance, let’s say you’ve decided to use a spreadsheet to store telephone numbers, it will give you the option to sort the details by alphabetical or even numerical order.

Presentation

Another common use of spreadsheets is to present data, especially for presentations in business meetings and university assignments. Once you’ve entered and organized your information, it gives you the ability to view the data in various graph and chart forms. Illustrating trends and percentages offer a better understanding than raw numbers. Bar graphs, pie charts, line and scatter charts, and surface and area graphs are just some examples of how your data can be presented on a spreadsheet.

Manage Finances

Since their main spiel is numbers, spreadsheets are a great tool to organize financial data. Many accounting and bookkeeping departments of businesses use electronic spreadsheets to manage their company’s income and expenses (after all, it was created for this exact purpose).

Finance management isn’t exclusive to businesses. Those looking for a way to manage their personal finances can also use spreadsheet templates from home versions of software apps such as spreadsheet Excel. It’s an ideal tool to use to keep track of your budget and to record transactions and receipts of your household.

Organization

With the way the rows and columns are set up, spreadsheets can also be used to manage data that isn’t numerical. A great way to stay organized, here are a few things you can create that will keep you on top of things:

• Tables: Create personalized timetables for study, fitness, activities, or dietary purposes. Businesses can also create tables to manage things such as inventory and timesheets.
• Lists: Nobody can live without lists, they’re a great way to help you keep things in check. Create to-do lists, checklists, grocery lists, or whatever kind of list your heart desires.
• Forms: Create forms to capture, organize, and edit data. Some form examples include evaluations, performance reviews, and timesheets at work, or creating quizzes and surveys for personal use at home.

Project Management

Spreadsheets are a great tool to use to track tasks within a project. Information associated with the tasks, such as the person responsible for them and the activities attached to them, can be recorded and then tracked throughout the project’s entirety.

Project managers looking to use a visual project management tool can use a spreadsheet to create a Gantt chart. A Gantt chart is a bar chart that visualizes your project schedule. It uses a vertical task list against a horizontal time scale design to highlight the structure of the project work (which is broken down) and the relationships between the activities. A great tool to have in your project management toolbox, this visual aid offers transparency, flexibility, and accountability, and makes your overall project more manageable.

Spreadsheets in Zenkit

Project managers or personal users who are already using Zenkit for their projects and task management will be happy to know that spreadsheets are also available in Zenkit. There are two ways to use them:

The first way allows you to easily import data from an existing CSV/spreadsheet file by creating a new Collection. This is handy for anyone who is looking to get started on things quickly. All it takes is a few steps, starting from the home page where you usually create a new Collection, choose which source you are importing from, upload or paste the data, rearrange how you want it to look, and then import the file. Click here for full instructions.

For those with data on an Excel or Google Sheets document, you can also import your existing data onto Zenkit. Download your spreadsheet onto your computer, and once it’s saved as a CSV file, you then follow the same steps as the instructions for importing data from a CSV spreadsheet. And click here for full instructions.

While Zenkit’s spreadsheets don’t yet have the full functionality of powerhouses like Excel, we’re working towards introducing more features all the time!

Final Thoughts

There is more to a spreadsheet than simply calculating numerical data — although, yes, that is a major plus of using one. For those who didn’t know prior to reading this article, we have shown you some different ways using a spreadsheet can help simplify processes at work or how it can add value at home. But the possibilities are actually endless, as proven by the genius who used it to create art.

From its emergence as a killer application and its two-dimensional grid to the feature-filled electronic and cloud-based software programs we know of — and love — today, spreadsheets have proven to be an integral tool for storing, sorting and analyzing our data. However and whatever it is you use it for, it’s safe to say that the evolution of the spreadsheet isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Let us know if there are ways you utilize a spreadsheet that we didn’t mention. Who knows, maybe we’ll discover a new innovative way!

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post Spreading the Spreadsheet Knowledge appeared first on Zenkit.

What swimlanes are to a Kanban board is the same as what guacamole is to a burrito. Burritos are scrumptious on their own, but adding guac to the mix gives it that added oomph. Using a Kanban board sans swimlanes is still going to get you organized, but really, would you pass up a chance for guac?

Kanban swimlanes belong to the world of Agile, so before splashing into what the Kanban swimlane definition is, I thought to dip into Agile Project Management for a little background info.

Agile Project Management

Created as a response to the glitches in the traditional, linear waterfall approach, the Agile methodology is key for any team who is looking to continuously improve their development process. It places a large emphasis on flexibility, collaboration, and high-quality results.

The Agile method aims to be clear and measurable. It does this by using six main deliverables to produce content and track progress and includes seven recurring events for product/service development. This type of process provides developers and their team the chance to improve their product/service before the final cut, making them less prone to client dissatisfaction and wasted effort. Kanban is an extended benefit of Agile development.

That all being said, Kanban can be used by anyone for any project they’re working on, not just for software development!

What Is a Kanban Swimlane?

With the objective to help the development of a product or service run as smoothly as possible, a Kanban board — just for a quick refresher — is a visual management tool that provides you with visualization of a work process. They can be used in a physical format (think post-it notes and a whiteboard) or digitally (like Zenkit’s project management tool).

The basic three-column structure, ‘To-Do, Doing, Done’, is a great tool to use when working in teams. Illustrating the work stream, using this shared visual management tool keeps everyone involved in the activity in the loop, allows them to track progress, and provides transparency. All necessary components of a quality organization.

Using Kanban swimlanes gives you that extra organization boost as it enables you to further distinguish tasks/items within the work process. A Kanban swimlane can be best described as the visual element on the board that categorizes tasks/matters. Flowing horizontally, its purpose is to offer distinction, and the group said tasks/items, throughout the stages in the process that require more flexibility. This provides a better overview of the tasks and the work process.

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There are various things that a Kanban swimlane can represent. But before you go dividing tasks, do keep in mind that swimlanes must represent parts of the process that run in parallel.

Examples of how swimlanes may be categorized are:

• Priority
• Date-driven requirement
• Teams/departments/individuals
• Blocked items

Priority

Priority-based swimlanes draw attention to the different levels of task urgency and put focus on the most urgent items. Having a visual representation paints a clearer picture, and highlights what tasks need attending to first.

Date-driven requirement

Using swimlanes to separate tasks based on date-driven requirements is another example of how this added feature can take task management to the next level. Having tasks organized this way allows the work process to be more measurable.

Teams/Departments/Individuals

Depending on the nature of your project, and the size of your team, allocating groups with their own swimlanes would prove to be useful. This gives teams a chance to take control of their own tasks while having an overview of the entire work process. Smaller teams may even choose to divide swimlanes between individuals. (Tip: you can do this by setting a member field to group your swimlanes in Zenkit)

Blocked Items

Another way to utilize Kanban swimlanes is to represent tasks/items that are awaiting further action to move forward. Having this extra step, where items can be placed on a wait queue, can prevent task overload, and make the process more manageable.

Final Thoughts

How you choose to implement swimlanes on your Kanban board is entirely up to you. A customizable feature, you can add them on as many, or as few columns as you see fit. Keep in mind that the beauty of Kanban is its simplicity, so adding swimlanes purely because they’re an added feature will go against what its initial intention was — effective task management. To utilize swimlanes to their full potential, just remember to only apply them when necessary for things to go swimmingly.

Has using Kanban swimlanes improved your team’s task management? Let us know how in the comment section below 

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit team

The post Dive into Better Task Management with Kanban Swimlanes appeared first on Zenkit.

My generation, millennials, receive a lot of flack for constantly having our noses stuck in a phone, tablet or computer. I mean, with almost every single daily activity available online, who can really blame us?

Whether it’s catching up on news and current events during breakfast, shopping for practically anything you want, or even navigating your way through an unfamiliar part of town — there is always an app for it. So, of course, when it comes to managing tasks and stepping up our organization game, it only makes sense to do it online.

Once upon a time, people used things such as diaries, calendars, post-it notes, whiteboards, bulletin boards, and the like, to keep their tasks in check. Nowadays, whether it’s for your personal task management or it’s one of your duties as a project manager to delegate tasks, you can use task management software.

Using Software to Manage Tasks Online

Switching from paper to online may seem a little daunting at first. Which tool should you get? Which will work best? How do you know that you’re getting the most value out of it? All common questions that will not go unanswered once you do a little bit of research (a simple search of “task management software review” should do the trick).

The best task management software for you truly depends on what exactly it is you want from it. There are endless products available on the market, so once you figure out the kind of things you need from a task management tool, you’ll be able to find one to suit your needs. Here are some essential features you should look out for:

• Calendar settings
• To-do list software
• Notification alerts
• Smartphone/tablet app versions
• Integration with other tools
• Custom views
• Real-time status view
• Collaboration
• Pricing to suit your budget

The overall purpose of task management software is to keep you organized and on top of your tasks. And while there are products designed solely for task management, there are other products such as project management tools that can also offer you this.

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Project management tools work a treat for task management, too. Not only does it have similar features to a task management tool that will structure, update, and track your task activity, but for those looking to manage more complex activities and projects, it includes features to cater to them as well. Even if you don’t need the extra bells and whistles, using it purely for personal productivity works too.

8 Reasons to Manage Tasks Online

If you haven’t yet stepped to the digital task management side, then perhaps the following reasons could sway you.

1. Important tasks won’t go amiss

A step up from the traditional to-do list method, checklist tools featured in task management software allow you to prioritize your tasks. Once a task is completed and crossed off, it should then move to the bottom of the list, keeping the most important/urgent task on top.

2. Information is accessible anywhere, anytime

The beauty of storing things online means that you are not restricted to when and where you access them. Your information is available on several devices as most task management software applications come in mobile versions too. Having your tasks stored on the cloud also means that it would be near impossible to lose any data because despite your device not working, your information is kept safe.

3. You’ll always know where you’re up to

A big part of managing tasks is keeping track of their progress and always knowing their status. A standard feature of task management software, the application you choose should allow you to do this. Knowing how things are coming along will prepare you to organize further action accordingly.

4. No more missing deadlines

Time management is one of the major benefits of using software to manage your tasks online. Not only do calendars and custom view features visualize your tasks, giving you a clearer outlook on due dates, and how long you’ve got to complete the task, but some products include notification tools that alert you of when and where a specific task is due.

5. The convenience on offer

A digitized organization tool offers a lot of conveniences. Just think about all those times when you were using a pen and paper and found yourself having to re-write your lists and plans because information changed. By managing tasks online, updating or changing details is much simpler. You just edit what needs to be changed, and then the automation does the updating for you.

6. It makes you a little greener

Imagine all the paper that you would have otherwise had to use if you weren’t using task management software. Doing things digitally not only offers you convenience and accessibility, but it also means that you don’t have to use large quantities of paper that will probably go missing afterwards.

7. You can share it with other

If you’re using task management software in a project setting, there should be tools that enable you to share your tasks with team members or with whoever else may need access to it. Sharing tasks with fellow team members gives transparency to the work, which will help with the project’s delivery.

8. It will boost productivity

Just think about how efficiently things will get done by managing tasks online! You will no longer have to worry about things such as where you can access the information, which task is due next, or even carrying around a diary planner (because it can all be accessed on your phone, obvs) — using a task management software does all the worrying for you, leaving you with more time to focus on critical matters such as completing the task itself!

Whether it’s for personal or work purposes, and even if you’ve decided to use a project management tool instead, managing tasks online no doubt has its benefits. But remember, you can only be as good as the software you use — and there is plenty out there — so ensure you’ve chosen one that is user-friendly, offers good customer support, and accommodates to your needs for effective results. The digital world isn’t just for millennials.

How many of you Zenkit users out there have used the project management tool for personal task management? Give me a shout in the comment section below! 

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

The post 8 Reasons You Need to Be Managing Your Tasks Online appeared first on Zenkit.