Today, I’d like to call special attention to a special breed of executive or manager. Their expertise has nothing to do with increasing productivity, enhancing communication, encouraging teamwork, or improving profitability. In fact, it’s exact opposite. I like to call them Profit Prevention Managers. They are ones who invent and later enforce profit prevention policies that make it so difficult for those around them to be productive employees.

How do you know when you’ve met a Profit Prevention Manager? Here are a few clues:

1.They’re first to shoot down a new idea. “That’s not way we do things around here,” or “We’ve always done things this way,” describes their decision-making rationale. They are incapable of realizing that what worked in past will not always work in future. (If everybody thought like this, we’d probably still live in caves.)

2.Their concept of a hiring process is best described as hire and hope. They keep hiring until they get an employee to stick. (How much is wasted on recruiting and unnecessary retraining?)

And it can be so easy to do; it’s just a case of doing it!

#1 Look After Yourself First

Exercise regularly, eat healthily and be around positive people. Feed your mind by attending personal development courses. Read self-help and motivational books, listen to tapes.

Do right thing by yourself and you’ll have heaps of energy, be motivated which in turn will help you be more productive.

#2 Clean out Clutter

You will save yourself heaps of time, energy and money if you clear out your work and home environment...paperwork, books, old equipment etc. You’ll be able to find things, save money because you won’t have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you’ll be less stressed.

#3 Use Right Tools

It’s no good having latest whiz-bang computer when desk that you sit at is too small to accommodate it, or chair has poor back support, or lighting is dull causing you eyestrain and fatigue. All these factors heavily influence how you work. Invest or ask for a decent desk, purchase a desk lamp or request light globes be changed.

Don’t avoid warning signs your body gives you. Take action now before you have eye, back or neck problems.

#4 Use a diary or digital organiser