Administrative Tips For Productivity

In my 18 years at Amazon, I've seen more careers transformed by the next 2 weeks than by the other 50 weeks of the year combined. It's performance review season. Most people rush through it like a chore, seeing it as an interruption to their "real work." The smartest people I know do the opposite: they treat these upcoming weeks as their highest-leverage opportunity of the year. After handling over fifty feedback requests, self-reviews, and upward feedback 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 for nearly two decades, I've learned this isn't just another corporate exercise. This is when careers pivot, accelerate, or stall. Your feedback directly impacts compensation, career trajectories, and professional growth. Your self-assessment frames how leadership views your entire year's work. This isn't busywork—it's career-defining work, but we treat it with as much enthusiasm as taking out trash. Here's how to make the most of it: 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 - Ask yourself: "What perspective am I uniquely positioned to share?" Everyone will comment on the obvious wins and challenges. Your job is to provide insights others miss, making your feedback instantly invaluable. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀 - I keep a living document for every person I work with. When something feedback-worthy happens—good or challenging—it goes in immediately. No more scrambling to remember projects from months ago. This ensures specific, timely examples when needed. 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Don't just list tasks—craft a narrative. Lead with behaviors that drove impact. Show your growth in handling complex situations, influencing across teams, and making difficult trade-offs. Demonstrate self-awareness by acknowledging areas where you're actively improving. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 - They receive little feedback all year. Focus on how they help you succeed and specific ways they could support you better. Make it dense with information—this might be their only chance to learn how to serve their team better. 𝗢𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - The difference between criticism and valuable input is showing you genuinely want the other person to succeed. When that intention shines through, you don't need to walk on eggshells. Be specific about the behavior, its impact, and how it could improve. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 - Good constructive feedback often feels like an insult at first. But here's the mindset shift that changed everything for me: feedback is a gift. It's direct guidance on improvement from those who work closest with you. When you feel that defensive instinct rise, pause and focus on understanding instead. Here's your challenge: This year, treat performance review season like the most important work you'll do. Because in terms of long-term impact on careers—both yours and others'—it just might be.

The urgent is stealing your focus from what's important. And it's making you less effective every day. You know the feeling: Your calendar is packed with back-to-back meetings. Your team constantly "needs a minute." Your inbox is far from zero. You're busy all day, but little seems to get accomplished. Here's the truth: Most effective leaders don't need to work harder. They need to work harder to protect their time. 17 rules to achieve more by doing less: 1. Reading Time (Bezos) Replace verbal updates with focused reading. Now everyone starts with the same context. 2. Do-Not List Write 3 projects you'll intentionally ignore this quarter. Saying no to good things protects time for great things. 3. 70% Rule (Branson) Delegate when someone can do it 70% as well as you. Perfect delegation prevents building effective leverage. 4. Decision Agents Create "if revenue drops X%, then do Y" rules. Pre-made decisions eliminate wasteful rework. 5. Strategic Incompetence (Mayer) Pick one non-critical skill to stop perfecting. Your weakness in one area creates strength in others. 6. Batch Processing Handle all messages in 2 daily blocks. Constant switching kills deep work. 7. Feedback Polls Replace status meetings with 3-question forms. Get updates without stealing focus time. 8. Office Hours (Zuckerberg) Set 2 fixed hours daily for "anyone needs me" time. Availability without constant interruption. 9. Monk Mode Block your calendar until noon for deep work. Protect your peak energy for your peak productivity. 10. No-Meeting Day (Armstrong) Make Wednesdays meeting-free company-wide. Give everyone coordinated, uninterrupted time. 11. If-Then Protocols Build team templates: "When X happens, do Y." Handle operational decisions without your input. 12. Debate or Decide Label every meeting agenda: "Discussion" or "Decision." Clarity prevents endless circular conversations. 13. 3-Email Rule After 3 replies, switch to a 5-minute call. Prevent the wasteful emotion created by cold email. 14. Single-Handling (Grove) OHIO: "Only Handle It Once" for small tasks. Touch it, finish it, move on. 15. Pre-Mortems Start projects with "Why might this fail?" Prevent problems instead of solving them. 16. Minimum Viable Change Run the smallest test on the smallest change. Learn fast, adjust quickly. 17. Speed Mentoring (Nooyi) Book 15-minute targeted coaching sessions. Focused help beats unfocused hours. Remember: Your job isn't to do everything. Your job is to ensure everything gets done. The urgent will always try to crowd out the important. These simple systems help you push back. Which rule will you try to start the new year? Share this to help other leaders get back to what moves the needle. Follow @Dave Kline for more insights on working systematically.

Top achievers know this. Success doesn’t happen by chance. When you study top achievers, one thing stands out: their success isn’t a result of sudden breakthroughs, but of consistent, purposeful habits. Research shows that 40% of our daily actions are driven by habits, meaning the right habits can significantly boost your performance. Here are 11 habits that high performers swear by: 1/ Goal-Oriented ↳ Break down your goals into small, actionable steps. Set a weekly goal, like finishing one chapter of a book, to build momentum. 2/ Time Management ↳ Master time-blocking to prioritise high-impact tasks over the urgent ones. Use a Pomodoro timer - work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. 3/ Accountability ↳ Regular check-ins with a mentor or accountability partner keep you committed. Share your weekly goals with a colleague and review progress together every Friday. 4/ Sleep Importance ↳ Prioritise quality sleep to boost cognitive function and reduce stress. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep, and try winding down with a book 30 minutes before bed. 5/ Networking & Influence ↳ Build meaningful connections consistently, not just when you need something. Attend one industry event each month, and follow up with new contacts over coffee. 6/ Energy Management ↳ Develop routines to maintain physical and mental energy throughout the day. Start your morning with 10 minutes of stretching to release tension and set your intentions. 7/ Focused Productivity ↳ Remove distractions and dedicate specific time blocks for deep work. Turn off notifications and use a “Do Not Disturb” mode during focused work sessions. 8/ Open to Feedback ↳ Seek feedback regularly and use it to improve continuously. Ask a colleague, "What’s one thing I can do better on this project?" and act on their advice. 9/ Strategic Risk Taking ↳ Step out of your comfort zone by taking small, calculated risks. Pitch a new idea to your team or try a different approach to a recurring task. 10/ Exercise ↳ Regular exercise improves brain function, enhances learning, and reduces stress. Incorporate a 20-minute walk into your lunch break to refresh your mind. 11/ Growth Mindset ↳ Turn setbacks into learning opportunities and keep pushing forward. Reframe a problem as a challenge - say, "I’m learning how to do this," instead of "I can’t do this." Want to become a high performer? Start with one habit today and build from there. ⬇️ Tell me below, which habit do you find the hardest to stick with? 💤 For me, it's always sleep - I never seem to get enough of it - even though I know I should! ♻️ Share this to inspire others to step up their game. 🔔 Follow Jen Blandos for more tips on high performance and success.

Companies lose $37 billion every year. Not on bad hires. Not on failed products. On something that’s 100% in their control: Bad meetings. Here's the brutal math: The average professional wastes 31 hours monthly in unproductive meetings. Multiply that across your organization. Now add the opportunity cost of what your team could've built instead. That's not a rounding error. That's a crisis. Most leaders run meetings like amateur hour: - No clear outcome - Same voices dominating - Laptops open, minds closed - "Quick syncs" that steal 90 minutes - Action items that die in someone's inbox Meanwhile, your best people are updating their LinkedIn profiles. Because nothing says "I don't value your time" like another pointless meeting. Here's what actually works: 1. Kill the bloat. Every meeting needs a clear necessity. Can't explain why everyone needs to be there? Cancel it. Your team will thank you. 2. Promise one outcome. Not "discuss strategy." Not "align on Q4." One specific decision or result. Make it crystal clear before anyone joins. 3. Ban silent observers. If someone's just listening, they're just wasting time. Give everyone a role or give them their morning back. 4. Use real data. Hypotheticals are for philosophy class. Bring numbers, bring evidence, bring something concrete to discuss. 5. End on time. Every time. Running over "just 5 minutes" tells your team their time doesn't matter. Respect the clock or lose their respect. 6. Set next-day deadlines. "Next quarter" means never. Tomorrow means tomorrow. Urgency creates action. The leaders who get this right don't have more hours. They just stop lighting them on fire. Your next meeting is either an investment or a theft. Choose wisely. P.S. Want a PDF of my Meetings Rules Cheat Sheet?  Get it free: https://lnkd.in/d8TViim4 ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more peak performance insights.

Focusing on what you can control and what matters ensures that your efforts yield the most significant results, reducing stress and increasing effectiveness. By channeling energy into meaningful and manageable areas, you maximize your impact and satisfaction in life. Some highly effective strategies to focus on what you can control and what matters: 1. Prioritize Ruthlessly Identify and focus on tasks that align with your goals and values to maximize your impact. Example: Use the Eisenhower Matrix to sort tasks by urgency and importance, then tackle the most crucial first. 2. Set Clear Boundaries Define what is within your control and let go of what isn’t to maintain mental clarity and reduce unnecessary stress. Example: If you can control your work output but not others' opinions, focus on delivering quality work rather than worrying about feedback. 3. Practice Mindfulness Stay present and aware to better recognize what truly matters and what you can influence. Example: Engage in daily meditation to improve your focus on the present moment and discernment of priorities. 4. Use SMART Goals Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals to ensure your efforts are directed and productive. Example: Instead of aiming to "get fit," set a goal to "run 3 miles three times a week for the next two months." 5. Delegate and Collaborate Entrust tasks to others when appropriate to free up your time for higher-priority activities. Example: Delegate administrative tasks to an assistant to focus on strategic planning and decision-making. 6. Reflect Regularly Consistently evaluate your actions and outcomes to ensure they align with your priorities and control. Example: End each week with a review session to assess what went well, what didn’t, and how to adjust your focus for the coming week. What do you think? #focus #control #impact #relevance #management #leader #leadership #success #effectiveness #reflection #smart #delegation #execution #strategy

In April I sent a company-wide note with the subject line “I hate meetings.” Unsurprisingly, it’s our most-read internal communication to date. My message was simple: meetings can be incredibly effective when done right, but we’ve all adopted some bad habits when it comes to using our time – and our colleagues’ time – wisely.   After soliciting feedback from colleagues around the world through polling, group discussions and direct outreach, I shared our first round of meeting-focused updates:   ✔ Default meeting lengths in Outlook would now be 20- and 40-minute blocks, as opposed to 30 and 60 minutes. ✔ Pre-reads should be utilized more, prepared in a thoughtful way and sent at least 24 hours in advance. ✔ Even when the purpose of a meeting is clear, agendas matter! We should get in the habit of creating clear and concise agendas for all meetings, regardless of length. ✔ Less technical, but just as important: when considering a meeting, ask yourself – can this be done another way (e.g., e-mail, phone call, walk down the hall for an in-person discussion)? If a meeting is required, when considering participants ask yourself who really needs to take part. In the first month, total meetings per week dropped by ~1,800, and total audio minutes per week dropped by ~15%; that’s 282,280 minutes, or more than 4,700 hours. Stating the obvious, that’s rapid culture change. And while things have normalized a bit (at least, until our next round of updates), we’re still seeing a downward trend. Are these groundbreaking ideas for how to become a more efficient and effective organization? No, but they don’t have to be. Sometimes it’s as simple as 1) reminding people that we don’t have to operate a certain way because “that’s how we’ve always done things,” and 2) encouraging ownership of our time, the most valuable commodity we have. #CompanyCulture #TimeManagement #WorkSmarter

Ever notice how some weeks fly by productively while others feel like you're running in quicksand? The difference often lies in your Sunday strategy. 🎯     As we wind down this weekend, I’d like to share some actionable tips to help you transform your working week. ✨     Identify Your Most Productive Times 🕒   Determine when you’re most alert and focused, and tackle your most important tasks during these periods.     Set Weekly Targets 📝   Don’t just dream it — list it. What specific wins do you want to celebrate by Friday?     Chunk It Down ✂️   Break big projects into focused blocks of 45-90 minutes. Science shows this aligns with your brain’s natural productivity cycles.     Prioritize Difficult Tasks First 💪🏾   Handle your toughest tasks during peak productivity times to maximize efficiency.     Eliminate Distractions 🚫📱   Your peak performance deserves peak focus. Close those tempting social media tabs, put your phone on airplane mode, and turn off notifications.     Implement the Pomodoro Technique ⏲️   25 minutes of focused work + 5-minute breaks = sustained productivity without burnout.     Time-Block Like a CEO 📅   Schedule your priorities before others schedule you. Protect your productive hours like the gold they are.     📌 Remember: Productivity isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what matters, when you’re at your best.     Wishing you a productive week ahead! What’s your #1 productivity hack? Share in the comments below.     #Productivity #TimeManagement #ProfessionalDevelopment #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma 

As well as leading range reviews for my own categories in my 10 years as a Buyer, I've led or been involved in over 50 range reviews from the supply side. Here are my top 5 tips for how to plan for the big day…. 1.  START EARLY - Deep dive the Retailer’s category performance AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OUT to understand what’s working / what’s not & what that means for your brand/s. - Build the outline story now : What insights & marketing assets do you have… & what are the gaps you need to fill? - Quality Range Reviews take a lot of work - so make a realistic resource plan now to deliver it & avoid the usual last minute rush. 2.  JOINT BUSINESS PLANNING - Meet with the Buyer early to understand their plans & strategy in detail… & start to share yours. - Are there any big initiatives or ideas that need an early discussion to test the water?  Or that can be pre-sold early so both sides can move on to focus on quality execution rather than whether its even happening? - What Opportunities & Risks does the Buyer see for your brand/s?  Get them out on the table as early as you can & make a plan to do something about them. 3.  BE STRATEGIC - Look at your range from the Buyer's perspective – if your SKU is not driving TOTAL CATEGORY sales & profitability why should they support? - If you have products in the tail, is it better to sacrifice one or two & have a chance to recycle your distribution to another SKU?  - Don’t fight a losing battle trying to save something that cannot be saved, as you could lose credibility doing so (and lose the SKUs anyway). 4.  WARGAME - What are the potential Buyer concerns or challenges to your proposals? - What might your competitors be doing with the same eg Nielsen or Kantar data that you have? - Look at potential risks & plan a response to each to stay on the front foot. 5.  STAY CLOSE - Critical paths for Retailer range reviews are long, very long.  Once all Suppliers have presented their proposals they may then have 6-8 weeks of detailed range work before making final decisions. - Some may actively avoid Supplier discussions in this time, but do what you can to stay close. - If you can understand some of the trade offs, or get an early warning that something is at risk, you may also have time to do something about it. SUMMARY - Range reviews take a lot of time, a lot of thinking & a lot of co-ordination. - And they should – they are one of your BIGGEST, IF NOT THE BIGGEST CHANCE to drive your brand’s sales all year. - Start Early & Resource up - the ROI can be HUGE if you get it right. At Optima Retail we are Category Management experts who specialise in range review support. So if you need any advice, or just want a quick chat to explore options for how to address a particular challenge please do get in touch. ♻️ And if you enjoyed this post, please consider liking it & sharing it to your network too. Thanks for reading.

Last week, a mentee came to me after her annual review. Her feedback was good — specific enough to sting a little. She walked out with every intention of acting on it. I asked her one question: "What's different on your calendar this week?" She paused. Nothing was different. That's where feedback dies — not in the reading of it, but in the week after, when life resumes and the document closes. Understanding feedback and acting on it are two completely different skills. Most people only practice one. Here's what I told her to do instead: 𝟭/ 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 "Be more strategic" tells you nothing. This does: take the project you're leading and present how it accelerates a priority your organization cares about — before your next leadership meeting. Specific. Timely. Actionable. For every piece of feedback, ask: what does this look like in practice? 𝟮/ 𝗔𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 If it doesn't make it into your goals, it's not going to happen. Don't create a separate "development item" that lives outside your work — embed it into the goal itself or into how you'll achieve it. If the feedback is "delegate more and develop your team," don't just note it. Update your existing goal to: 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘟 𝘣𝘺 𝘘3, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴. Same goal. The feedback is now inside it. 𝟯/ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿 Your calendar is your priorities made visible. If the change you need to make doesn't appear there, it won't happen. If the feedback is "scale your impact by partnering across the organization," don't wait for opportunities to show up. Schedule 1:1s this week with leaders in adjacent teams to learn their priorities. What's on your calendar next Monday tells you more about your intentions than anything you wrote in your development plan. 𝟰/ 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 Share what you're working on with a peer, a mentor, or your manager. Not for accountability theater — because saying it out loud makes it real. And it invites the micro-feedback you'll need along the way. 𝟱/ 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝟵𝟬-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 Not "am I trying harder?" — what's actually different in what you do? If the answer is nothing, the feedback is already expiring. The annual review is a gift. Most people open it, admire it, and put it back in the box. If nothing changes in what you do, the outcome is likely to be the same. What’s one change you’ve actually put on your calendar this year? PS: If you know someone in the middle of their review cycle — send this their way. --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for weekly Leadership and Career posts

Learn from my failure. When’s the last time you walked away from a business review knowing you nailed it? Quarterly reviews? Exec updates? Board meetings? You delivered, and you knew it landed. Not often? I've failed multiple times, including recently. And here's the thing: most reviews/presentations fail before they even start. Not because your content is wrong. Not because you’re unprepared. But because you’re focused on the agenda instead of the goal. The goals of the room. I’m constantly reminded that I can get better at this after every. single. presentation. The truth: they aren’t just about reporting on what’s been done. They’re about building trust, proving impact, and aligning with what actually matters to the business. And the best part? The skills you develop to deliver an effective review aren't just for the exec team, management team, or board meeting. They're the foundation that turns a Director into a CMO. And after my 100000th review, I'm still learning. Here's where I'm at today. A great business review should: 1. Counter assumptions & build credibility – Directly counter any assumptions that important tasks are not being addressed or mishandled. Show that leadership is in control and delivering on priorities. 2. Showcase metrics, not just words – Avoid overemphasizing areas the audience doesn’t value, especially when there are gaps in delivery elsewhere. Data beats anecdotes. Show progress, don’t just talk about it. 3. Invite constructive feedback – Create a venue for stakeholders to suggest areas they feel are overlooked or misprioritized. Alignment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Bring the room into the process. 4. Make invisible work visible – If stakeholders don’t see it, they assume it’s not happening. Prove them wrong. 5. Demonstrate say-do alignment – “We said we’d do X. We did X. Here’s the result.” Set clear expectations for what will be done and when. So, before any major meeting, I remind myself: THE AGENDA IS NOT THE GOAL. Start with the goals, then shape everything else around it. I've finally built out my template for an effective business review, and I'm happy to share it. But remember, it starts with the goals, not an outline from some random LinkedIn connection. :) I'll also send my longer diatribe on running an effective review. Comment ✅, and I'll send it to you!