By Barbara Bartlein

We receive frequent calls from employers who want to increase productivity.  But what does that really mean?  My definition is that Productivity = Value/Time. That is, productivity equals value divided by time.

It is relatively easy to make gains in productivity on the time side, yet, many people do not do this.  For example, consider your typing speed.  If you invest the time to get your typing speed up to 90 words per minute or faster, you will save massive amounts of time over your lifetime.  The hours invested in learning and practice will pay off in time saved typing emails, letters, blogs, etc.

Optimizing time is one of the easiest ways to be more productive.  Organizing your closet by color, computerizing your finances, and systemizing your morning routine will all pay big dividends.  So why don't people do this?

The problem is that it takes time to save time. You have to invest time and effort to make your life more productive. In our time management course, we teach people how to create systems to produce more time.  And isn't that what it is all about?  Working smart so you have time for the things in life you really enjoy.