For the next few weeks, we?ll be breaking this subject down into its various parts. We?ll begin by taking a deep dive into the concept of procrastination itself and its numerous causes. What is Procrastination, Exactly? Generally speaking, procrastination is typically defined as any unnecessary postponing of a task?despite expected negative consequences for doing so. We?ve all done it at some point, even though we all know better and have likely been warned about the aforementioned consequences. There are various reasons that people are susceptible to procrastinating. Some are active?which is what people do when they ?work better under pressure,? and therefore intentionally wait until the last minute to work on something. More prevalent, however, are the passive forms of procrastination, which is what we?ll be examining today. Procrastination Comes in Many Forms Let?s explore what some of the most widely accepted reasons are for procrastinating so that we can better address how to fix them. Malicious Perfectionism Fairly often, the tendency to only accept the best is seen as a positive thing, but if it prevents someone from successfully completing their tasks, it can quickly become a detriment. This tendency is known as the Nirvana Fallacy?the idea that the only way to make a task worthwhile is to perform it perfectly. This need to have control over, well, everything, in order to obtain this impossible perfection, is pervasive throughout our culture. It makes us afraid to fail. This fear is what really brings about the procrastination of it all. After all, we can?t fail if the task isn?t done yet. Putting off the task at hand is a last-ditch way for us to maintain control, despite the fact that it just makes life more difficult for us later (and as a result, making failure more likely). French philosopher Voltaire perhaps said it best: ?Perfect is the enemy of the good.? Disorganization and Distraction Unsurprisingly, time management skills?or the lack thereof?are a big contributor to procrastinative tendencies. Not being able to effectively break down larger responsibilities into specific tasks and schedule these tasks out appropriately can create significant issues that snowball into major problems. There?s also issues that can arise if you misunderstand or underestimate the time it will require for different tasks to be completed effectively, or if your priorities aren?t laid out in a way that aligns with your situation. It also doesn?t help that distractions are everywhere, trying to draw your attention away from these priorities. Fear and Overwhelm Finally, we have to address the fact that procrastination is often a direct result of stress, either coming from a perception of too many tasks (refer back to the disorganization we discussed above) or from a fear of failure (refer back to the aforementioned malicious perfectionism). Avoiding tasks for these reasons is prevalent in many, many businesses, creating problems at every level. In Short, Procrastination Tends to Be a Symptom of Systemic Problems Next, we?ll address how procrastination doesn?t manifest the same way in everyone, and how it can present itself differently amongst different people, so make sure you keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, don?t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about the tools we can help you implement to help keep everyone on task and productive. Give us a call […]

Relationships Fuel Everything For most businesses that have a workforce, working together is a key part of business success and if those relationships sour, costs tend to increase and the efficiency that marks a productive and efficient business begins to erode. So it?s important to invest in the relationships that make your business a success.  Some are easier than others to manage. Let?s take a look at three relationships people in business need to cultivate: Relationship with Your Employees Obviously, your business wouldn?t be very successful without the efforts of your employees, and they don?t always have it easy. They work for you?and if you are like any other business owner, that can sometimes come with some pretty hefty demands. That?s why it is important to treat your employees right. This means helping in the ways you can. Firstly, presenting a supportive and positive work environment can work wonders for employee retention. Treating people like human beings, when so much is being done with technology to analyze worker and staff performance, is a big deal. Companies that help people cultivate skills that may be of use on the open market is also important. You want your staff to want to come to work and the more you can do to make that a reality, the better off your relationship with your staff is going to be.  Relationship with Your Vendors The thought of many business owners is that money talks; and for the most part it does. If you hire people to work on your business, you expect that the work will get done to your specifications. Well, that doesn?t always happen. That?s why it is important to forge positive relationships with the vendors that make your business possible.  Nowadays, a business outsources at least a couple of things that older businesses could afford to do in-house. That?s just the reality of business today. Unfortunately, there simply isn?t enough revenue to support the growing demands of your workforce and still move the needle in the positive direction. If you don?t extend your hand out to your vendors, you will likely have problems and have to search for new vendors before long.  Relationship with Your Customers Without your customers, your business is make-believe so you better believe they are important. They can also be the most difficult people to sustain long-term relationships with. Your customers are always searching for ways to get the same products or services for less, so even if you take time to build a rapport with your customers, they may just leave anyway should they find a better deal.  That?s not to say that solid relationships with customers have no value. If you are able to get in a position where you can meet the customers? needs and do it in a way where they want to come back and spend more money with your business, that?s great. You need to listen to what your customers say. One of the best ways to do that is to use business analytics to identify popular products and services and then do what you can to get those items in front of like-minded prospects.  Two Good Tips While Dealing with People Regardless of who you are dealing with, business can get in the way of a good relationship. This is […]

Today, let?s shift our attention to you and your team members and focus on how getting in the habit of stretching at the desk can benefit everyone. Simply Put, We Aren?t Built to Stay in Place for So Long When looked at in the context of human history, office work as we know it today is a very recent development. Most of our time as a species has been spent moving around and staying active in some form or another. Compare this history to how many of us spend at least eight hours each day, and suddenly all the health risks that are associated with a sedentary lifestyle make a lot of sense. While it may not be realistic that everyone would be able to get up and move about the office freely as they please throughout the day, it is important that you and your team members are moving somewhat regularly. One way this can be accomplished is through some basic stretches that can easily be practiced at a desk. Basic Stretches that Can Be Done in the Office Let?s go through some of the basic stretches that can easily be done throughout the workday. Chest Stretch It can be too easy to slip into the habit of slouching forward at your desk, putting strain on your upper back. Provided that you don?t have any shoulder issues to preclude you from doing so, a simple stretch can help to open up your chest. Sit straight up in your chair, and move your arms behind you. If possible, interlock your fingers. Straighten out your arms and lift your hands until you feel the muscles in your chest resist. Once you feel this pull, hold it anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat five to ten times. Upper Back Stretch This stretch is good for keeping the upper back loose and the blood flowing. While standing or seated, extend your arms straight forward and rotate your arms so your palms face opposite directions. Cross your arms so your palms press together, or interlace your fingers. Push your arms forward, curling your stomach and stretching out your back. Hold this position anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. Spinal Twist Extended time while seated can create tension and soreness in the lower back. This stretch helps to relieve this stress, and it doesn?t take much to feel its benefits. While seated, keep your feet flat on the floor and contract your stomach muscles to turn your torso, bracing your arms on the armrest or back of your seat to help deepen the stretch. Twist as far as you comfortably are able, keeping your hips squarely forward and your back straight. Repeat this five to ten times on each side, holding up to 30 seconds each time. Torso Stretch Poor posture can have a detrimental impact on your employees, especially over time. This stretch can help relieve some of these effects. Interlace your fingers and extend your hands toward the ceiling, reaching as high up as you can. Take a deep breath in as you do so, and feel free to lean left and right to also stretch your sides. Slowly exhale as you release your hands and allow your arms to return to your sides in a controlled, sweeping motion. Repeat this process […]

It should be noted, however, that this feature is absent from personal Google accounts, so users might have to wait and see if they will get to take advantage of custom building blocks in the future. That said, the feature is still pretty neat for businesses and educational institutions who utilize Google Workspace. Building blocks essentially allow users to save bits of text, tables, and other assets to reuse easily in the future. These ?blocks? can be inserted into documents as needed. While templates make it easy to build out entire documents, the blocks are more for smaller sections of the document. Some of the built-in building blocks that users can take advantage of include assets like meeting notes, email drafts, code blocks, product roadmaps, review trackers, project assets, and launch content trackers. These are the default, out-of-the-box solutions, but users who fall into the above categories will be able to save and utilize their own custom building blocks, making the feature much more dynamic and customizable to your business? specific needs. It?s easy enough to use, according to Google. All you will have to do is select the portion of a document or asset that you want to include, right-click it, and select Save as custom building block. The building blocks will then be stored in a special folder in your Google Drive. Adding building blocks is easy, too. To do so, you just type the @ symbol with the name of your block. Will you try to use this feature? Do you need additional features that can help you get more out of your productivity suite? White Mountain IT Services can help you stay ahead of the competition with our technology solutions. To learn more, call us today at (603) 889-0800.