Giving Your Business a 2019 Digital Tuneup

Giving Your Business a 2019 Digital TuneupCredit Uber Images/Shutterstock All businesses are digital in some aspect. Everything from a traditionaldowntown storefront to a startup drone delivery service touches the digital realm. Between finding new customers andstaying connected to current ones, there is much to consider foryour business strategy inthe new year.Heres howto digitally tune up your business in 2019.1. Give your digital platforms a review.Spring cleaning is the common home ritualto take stock of how things are organizedand generally spruce thingsup. The new year is a good time to embark on such an endeavor for your business. Ensuring that your website is clean, responsive and easy to navigate is essential. Whether youve outsourced this to an agency or opted for one of the do-it-yourself services, you shouldtake some time to consider the look ofyour website, which is often your first and best impression to the world.Broken links, missized imag es and outdated design areall turnoffs to website visitors. Connect with your agency or ask someone on your team to give recommendations if youre unsurewhere you should be headed with your web presence.Editors note If youre looking for information to help you choose the online marketing agency thats right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our sister site BuyerZone provide you with information from a variety of vendors for free.2. Yes, you probably should pivot to video.The trend of pivoting to videomightvebecome overused, but video offers a number of distinct advantages.Cisco research predicts that by 2019, video will claim more than 80 percent of web traffic and most companies already have video as parte of their digital marketing strategy. Video can often better engage and tell a story than a whitepaper or blog post, and canbe repurposed and shared across multiple platforms.But as with most trends, the pendulum can swing fast. While the trends are worth watching, make sure theyrea part, not the totality, of your digital strategy.3. Think about your social media strategy.A good social media strategy requires more work than just sending out a few posts here and there. The major platforms are established entities that each have their own strengths and weaknesses.The key is to determine how social plays apart inyour overall business. If its a source of new customers, or if continued engagement is important to the nature of your business, then its worth focusing more attention on it.Theres been some buzz about businesses dropping off of Facebook. Entrepreneur Damon Brown claimed that leaving social media increased his bottom line. However, if your brand has a loyal following or offers products that do well on a specific platform, it makes sense to stay the course.The moving target of discovery by algorithms is always a challenge, as it is to determine how much time to invest in behauptung platforms. Its wise to do a re-evaluation for 2019, but avoid r ash decisions based on the latest bad headlines.4. Great content still matters.Given that I run a content marketing agency, my bias is on full display here. However, there still are many good reasons why creating content on your digital platforms is essential. A recent Forbes report indicates that longer-form, higher-quality content will be even more important in the yearsahead.Customers dont want generic filler content designed to populate the page with nonsense language. Just as any good publication does, you want to provide customers and readers with value so they feel like they learned something useful. Derek Walter Derek Walter is the founder of Walter Media, which offers writing and content strategy services. He is also the author of Learning MIT App Inventor A Hands-On Guide to Building Your Own androide Apps. Start Your Business Business Ideas Business Plans Startup Basics Startup Funding Franchising Success Stories Entrepreneurs Grow Your Business Sa les Marketing Finances Your Team Technology Social Media Security Build Your Career Get the Job Get Ahead arbeitszimmer Life Work-Life Balance Home Office Lead Your Team Leadership Women in Business Managing Strategy Personal Growth Find A Solution HR Solutions Financial Solutions Marketing Solutions Security Solutions Retail Solutions SMB Solutions About Us Contact Us Partner with Us Copyright Policy Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Advertising Disclosure Sitemap 200 Fifth Avenue, Second FloorWaltham, MA 02451infobusinessnewsdaily.com Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) All Rights Reserved. Company About Us Contact Us Partner with Us Copyright Policy Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Advertising Disclosure Sitemap Network Business.com BuyerZone.com

Forget Multitasking Your Secret to Acing Productivity Is This

Forget Multitasking Yur Secret to Acing Productivity Is This Science has long established that multitasking eats up around 40% of your productivity in any given undertaking. But do you continue to live in denial by constantly alternating between numerous tasks at work in the hopes that youll be able to accomplish more throughout the day?The most obvious answer to multitasking is its direct oppositemonotasking. But monotasking is just one dimension of enhanced focus. Matt Dubin, a doctoral candidate in Organizational Psychology and a Culture and Leadership Development consultant, identifies three alternatives to multitasking monotasking, deep work, and flow. Dubin studies under Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who pioneered the theory of flow in the 1970s.Dubin says that while unterstellung three methods of focused work are interrelated, they should not be considered synonymous. Monotasking is the ability to fully focus on a single task, free of distraction, but it doesnt necessarily nee d to be cognitively demanding, he says. On the otzu sich hand, deep work implies single-minded focus on one cognitively demanding task, usually in a professional context. Finally, flow defines the experience you have while engrossed in a task. Dubin says when you are in flow you are completely focused on the task at hand, time flies, and you forget about your stressors and anxieties because you lose yourself in the flow activity. Applying this definition, we might say that athletes, painters, musicians, and other skilled professionals can all experience flow in their respective vocations.Years ago Dubins advisor, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi, observed that people of all trades and skills from rock climbing, to painting, to surgery, shared similar experiences when they lost themselves in an activity. While people in flow do lose their sense of self and their sense of time, they simultaneously feel more control over the activity. They are motivated to pursue the activity for its own sake, acc ording to Dubin, rather than in pursuit of some external reward. And through that impartial motivation they are able to give over all their attention to the point that effortful activities feel effortless.When we are in a state of flow, Dubin says, we are more fully engaged in what we are doing and we are building our capacities by binnenseeking out challenging experiences, allowing us to reach our full potential. Flow has been found to increase our well-being at work, our level of creativity, and ultimately our performance.Does that sound blissful? You arent alone if you think so. The good news is that even in our hyperconnected world it is possibleif somewhat difficultto drown out that noise and lose yourself in the work you love.Through his research Dr. Csikszentmihalyi identified three preconditions for flow. Here are each of those preconditions, and tips for meeting them in order to achieve flow in your own work1. The individuals skill level must match the demands of the activi ty.The key to meeting this precondition is to constantly challenge yourself. While it may be easier to work on mindless activities that you know you will succeed at, we enter a state of flow and really improve when we pursue activities that stretch our capabilities, Dubin says. So instead of only accepting tasks that you know you can accomplish, seek out opportunities to work on new and challenging projectsthen rise to the occasion and see how you might surprise yourself.2. The activity must include a clear goal.Set a quantifiable goal, and a deadline, before you dive into a task or project. Then to ensure you meet your predetermined goal you should set aside time on your calendar for that task.Many of use our calendars only to block out times for meetings and appointments, Dubin explains, but its important to also block out time to throw ourselves into that challenging project that will require our complete attention.Warn co-workers ahead of time that you will be focused on an impo rtant project. Some workspaces have established visual signals people can use to alert others that they are engaged in deep work, but you can also implement individual cues like wearing headphones when youd rather not be disturbed.3. The individual must experience immediate feedback about their progress throughout the activity.Dont tap your anfhrer on the shoulder and ask for feedback every ten minutes while you work on your task. While you should certainly seek feedback from leadership at appropriate times (such as one-on-one meetings or weekly emails), set benchmarks for yourself on each task.For example, if you are working on a project that will take a few weeks, plan to meet certain goals within that project by specific dates. On each designated date, evaluate your progress so far and adjust as needed. You can even do this on smaller tasks that will only take an hour or two, by recognizing what you need to accomplish in the next ten minutes, half hour, and so on.Dubin suggests t hat you seek feedback from your boss after each project, too ask what specifically made it great and what you could specifically improve to make it better the next time, he says. Then, the next time you are working on a similar project, you can have a better sense of how youre doing while you are working on it without needing someone else to give you feedback on it, allowing you to more easily enter the flow state.Dubin also points out that there are always at least a few responsibilities in a job that are less conducive to flow, like answering emails or filling out simple reports. Set aside time for ansicht other tasks as well so you dont forget about them during your periods of flow.He also recommends that you find ways to apply flow in areas of your job that will help you progress in your career. You may experience flow while designing the slides for a presentation, but if you fail to devote equal attention to the content itself, you run the risk of disappointing your team. On th e flip side, imagine the benefits youll reap if you can use flow to write the content for that same important presentation.By applying flow to your daily work habits, you will not only enhance your productivity but you will find increased satisfaction in your career.--Kelsey Down is a freelance writer in Salt Lake City who has been featured on publications including Elite Daily, VentureBeat, and SUCCESS. Shes covered fun stuff like why TV reboots need to stop and how to hack sleep as a workout, and she also writes about personal and family wellness. Follow her on Twitter kladown23.