Productivity

On this episode, we chat about how “SMART” goals might not be all they’re cracked up to me—and a few ways to set smarter goals. Topics covered include: Characteristics of “SMART” goals; The research on how effective SMART goals really are; Performance vs. process vs. learning goals; The different time frames we set intentions over;

The bad news is that overall, HR is already behind. The good news is that there are plenty of pioneers to emulate. In our brand-new study exploring AI’s impact on HR, our research analysts uncovered a group of leading-edge organizations we’ve labeled AI Innovators. The HR teams in these companies are already successfully integrating AI

Takeaway: The cognitive tasks you do throughout the day fall into four categories, depending on how complex they are: drudgery work, low-skilled work, high-skilled work, and a fourth category called superskilled work. Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 55s. Lately, like many people, I’ve been thinking about the technological changes happening, especially around AI. One way

On this episode, we chat about the pomodoro technique and how (and whether!) we use it in our own work. Topics covered include: What the “pomodoro technique” is; The rigidity of the technique; Whether 25 minutes of focus time is a good amount; The Resistance List; How the pomodoro technique fits with the idea of

On this episode, we chat about stimulation fasting. Topics covered include: What stimulation fasting is; Why an overstimulated mind can be counterproductive; “Altitudes” of mental stimulation; How to conduct a fast of your own; What Chris and Ardyn are fasting from right now. Links mentioned in this episode: You can listen (and subscribe) to the

This week’s podcast episode is a replay—a Golden Oldie from the vaults. Hope you enjoy! The original show notes are below. This week I interview Oliver Burkeman for the podcast. Oliver is the author of the fantastic new book, Four Thousand Weeks. In the episode, we have a fun, wide-ranging conversation about a bunch of

The prestigious Inc. 5000 rankings provide a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy’s top dynamic segment—its independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Among this year’s top 500 companies, the average median three-year revenue growth rate ticked up to an astonishing 2,238%. In all, this year’s Inc. 5000 companies have added 1,187,266 jobs to the

On this episode, we chat about subscription overload—and which ones we think are worth the money. Topics covered include: The productivity apps we subscribe to; How basically everything is a subscription service; Opt-in versus opt-in commitments; How subscriptions have changed over time; Apps that take the subscription thing too far; How to do a subscription

This article is on the longer side, but I wrote it for those who won’t mind—and it’s extra skimmable if you do! Takeaway: Smartphones are the ultimate modern necessity—unfortunately! Five takeaways that I learned switching from a smartphone to a flip phone for a month: the more screen time we get, the worse our mental

Forced return-to-office made workers less productive Remote working arrangements induced “quiet quitting” Employees are burnt out Constant job churn has increased ramp-up time Retirements have increased and there’s not enough replacement workers Immigration has become more strict Inflation and interest rate hikes are to blame It’s cyclical—ups and downs in productivity are normal A new

On this episode, we chat about lessons learned from Chris’s experiment to switch to a flip phone for a month. Topics covered include: The impetus for the experiment; How smartphones are not meant to see switched away from; The phenomenon of zombiefication; The correlation between screen time and mental health; Reflecting on why the smartphone

I say this because while different roles in L&D (trainer/facilitator, producers, L&D technologist, and more) will be affected to varying degrees by the rapidly evolving technology, the role of instructional designer (ID) will see significant, permanent alteration by generative AI. I feel confident in making this assertion about instructional design and generative AI because I

Written by Chris Bailey Chris Bailey has written hundreds of articles on the subject of productivity and is the author of three books: How to Calm Your Mind, Hyperfocus, and The Productivity Project. His books have been published in 35 languages. Chris writes about productivity on this site and speaks to organizations around the globe on how they can become

How is generative AI (i.e. ChatGPT and other content-generating tools) used within large organizations—and specifically within HR—and what are the implications for the future of the function? i4cp recently hosted more than 70 senior HR leaders—members of our six Board groups, from CHROs to heads of DE&I—for an exciting conversation on the topic. Top of

On this episode, we chat about multitasking—including where it does and doesn’t work. Topics covered include: The different levels of multitasking; Where multitasking does and doesn’t work; Why “conscious intervention” matters with multitasking; Why “attention residue” makes us less efficient as we multitask; The flip book effect; The cognitive costs of switching between tasks; How

Most (72%) of the 320 HR and talent leaders surveyed last week by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) reported that their companies openly support the LGBTQ+ community. About one in five (22%) said that their organizations have chosen neutrality with no stated position on LGBTQ+ issues. Only 2% of respondents reported that their organizations