Welcome to The Age of Distraction, where we’re constantly bombarded by temptation. With all of the world’s information right there in our pockets, it’s impossible to stay focused on just one task at a time.

However, there are a few simple tweaks to your routine that can help you increase focus at work and enter a flow state more often.

In fact, these tweaks have helped me reliably increase my productivity by 30% and save at least seven hours every week.

#1 — Take Back Control of Your Devices

Doing LESS on your phone can make you MORE productive.

It’s common to be checking our phones frequently throughout the day. But do you really know how many times you’re picking up your phone? A 2018 study showed that over 25% of women checked their phones over 200 times per day. …

The tables had turned. Here I was sitting down as a customer at the coffee roaster I used to work at. Book in hand, coffee in the other. The smell of freshly roasted coffee filling the air. The continuous line of people moving throughout.

And yet, what would normally be a blissful experience for me, suddenly wasn’t.

For years I had an unexplained force pulling me towards being behind a coffee machine. And, for years, I answered the call, moving from coffee shop to coffee shop. New experiences, new customers, and a new variety of coffee beans to work with.

It brought me great joy to share a deliciously brewed coffee to brighten someone’s day. Time flew. It never felt like work. …

October 2019, my great uncle returned for a holiday in Italy, having reunited with friends and family. He was healthy, happy and good humored. Described as larger than life and helping out his family where he could. Two months later he had passed away

The rapid decline was due to a stealthy cancer that showed its signs when it was too late to treat.

Within a week he went from a cheeky and sarcastic 81 year old to laying in a hospital bed, unable to speak.

The decline in health surprised us all. What made it hit harder was that he wasn’t the eldest in our family. His older brother, 10 years his senior, was at his funeral saying his final farewells. …

I have struggled over the last two years to lose weight. It wasn’t until I reflected deeply that I identified what was causing me to stay at a constant number.

It was a combination of not clearly defining the goal I was after and a desire to bulk up that left me stuck in the middle of two competing goals. This combined with an office job and a lack of walking further compounded my resistance.

If I had to repeat last year again, here are the traps I should have avoided. …

For the last 30 minutes, I was dreading to have the conversation.

We had just spent the day, visiting a number of hospitality venues, this was the first opportunity I had getting out of the office.

And yet, all I could think about during the final minutes was how do I say thanks.

I remember saying: “Thanks for the opportunity today, I really appreciated it.”

And it got me thinking…

How could I have turned the compliment into something more memorable?

Be Authentic

There’s nothing worse than giving someone a fake compliment, just to butter them up so that you can influence them later on. …

Today was the day.

Sitting nervously in the car as I was taken to my destination.

A mixture of uncertainty, excitement and drive all mixed into one.

At 14 I had landed my first “real” job, outside of my family run businesses, and was on my way to start my first shift.

I had little idea as to what to expect. A passion for food from my Italian heritage and a desire to make some money on the weekends was all I had to rely on.

Here’s what I wish I had known before starting

1. Be part of the group

Back in ancient times, those that didn’t fit in the group were exiled. So over time, we’ve built up the need to be part of the group, doing whatever it takes to fit in. …

Want more output from your team? Higher employee productivity? And a Team that collaborates when times are challenging?

Then you’re in the right place.

Because today, I’m going to show you five of the best ways to have more engaged and productive team members.

Having engaged team members leads to higher service, quality, and employee productivity. This, in turn, leads to a better customer experience, which leads to increased revenue (repeat business and referrals), which leads to higher levels of profit.

To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.”- Doug Conant

So let’s get started

1. Understand their motivators — finding the key to employee productivity

Your employees will be motivated by different things. Some will be motivated by money, others by knowing they can take flexible working arrangements. It is up to you to understand each employees’ motives and how they change over time. …

WHO IS IT?

Eleanor Carey

Over the past 12 years, Eleanor Carey has gone from working the usual 9–5 to becoming a dual world record setting adventurer and entrepreneur. Her biggest journeys so far include a 5000 kilometre, 62 day ocean row across the Pacific and a 3000 kilometre solo, unsupported cycle across

Europe. She was never an adventurous child or physically gifted, however she went on to complete these epic feats of physical and mental endurance.

Eleanor goes out on these journeys, to come home and share the stories in their most honest, open and raw form to make these seemingly impossible feats accessible to everyday people. …