Productivity Expert Laura Stack Tells How to Look Like a Workaholic in a 40-Hour Work Week

March 12, 2012 - PRLog -- DENVER, Colorado, March12, 2012 – The 40-hour work week, the measurement by which most companies assess employee performance, is probably not an accurate litmus for employee productivity, according to productivity and time management expert Laura Stack. In her newest blog, “How to Look like a Workaholic in a 40-Hour Work Week,” Stack examines a rising results-only mentality that some managers prefer over counting hours at the office.

Traditionally, the “workaholic” label falls to those staffers who aren’t out the door at 5:00 p.m., but who often stay well into the evening to get their work done.  However, upon closer examination, some managers have come to realize that there are better ways of managing time, and workers are rethinking their workplace strategies in an effort to balance personal time and work time.

“The 40-hour week is not just an expectation,” Stack says. “It’s the minimum, especially for salaried professionals. Self-proclaimed workaholics advertise their 12-hour days like a badge of honor and wouldn’t be caught dead leaving the office before 6:30.”

Both organizations and employees are responding to the changing needs of staff and managers, and the rise in flex-time and telecommuting options in the corporate world is telling.

In her blog, Stack offers some practical ideas for employees to regain control over their work time.

“Workaholics don’t get ahead,” Stack says. “There will always be work that needs to be done. There will always be more to be done than there is time to do it.

“That’s why the classic workaholic will never get ahead. As they work to accomplish more and more, their task lists will continue to grow. At the same time, as they become tired, stressed, and overextended, the quality of their work will suffer.”

Stack’s strategy is to redirect the workaholic’s energies, which are better spent getting the most out of a 40-hour week, without working past 5:00 four or five nights per week.

“Anyone can spend their days keeping busy, but it takes a real commitment to remain actively productive during working hours,” Stack says. “Real productivity pays off, big time; you don’t want to be noticed because you log a lot of hours. You want to be noticed for what you accomplish.”

In her blog, Stack offers tips on relinquishing old “workaholic” behaviors and replacing them with more productive behavior within the 40-hour work week, while maintaining a reputation as a productive worker. From handling correspondence more efficiently, to making and keeping post-work commitments to themselves, family, and friends, Stack says that once people commit to changing their “workaholic” work habits to more efficient ones, their productivity increases, their stress levels decrease, and others notice the improvements fairly quickly.

To find out more about working and living more productively, visit her blog site at www.TheProductivityPro.com/blog, send an Email to Laura@TheProductivityPro.com, or call (303) 471-7401.

About Laura Stack:

Laura Stack is a time management and productivity expert who has been speaking and writing about human potential and peak performance since 1992. She has implemented employee productivity improvement programs at Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, UBS, Aramark, and Bank of America. Stack presents keynotes and seminars internationally for leaders, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and professional services firms on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in the workplace.

The president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management firm specializing in high-stress environments, Stack is the bestselling author of five books: “SuperCompetent” (2010); “The Exhaustion Cure” (2008), “Find More Time” (2006), “Leave the Office Earlier” (2004), and “What to Do When There’s Too Much to Do” (scheduled for release in June 2012). The 2011-2012 President of the National Speakers Association and recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, Stack has served as a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, Xerox, and Office Depot, and is the creator of The Productivity Pro® planner by Day-Timer. Widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of employee productivity and workplace issues, Stack has been featured nationally on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and in USA Today and the New York Times.

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