The Productivity Standard for Knowledge Workers Explained

When I first read Seth’s post on the productivity divide,  I didn’t get it. It seems like these were no-brainers to me. These were the things that make me a rockstar in dealing with everyday business tasks and help get lots done effectively.

But his post wasn’t meant for me specifically. I was too close to the solution to see that I’m on the other side of this divide. The questions Seth asked were meant to help all knowledge workers, small business owners and marketing heads get a healthy checkup on using all the tools available to help with responsibilities and increasing productivity.

Now that I see the value of putting the divide into a tangible list. I’d like to add on to Seth’s list of questions with some places to get answers.

1. Can you capture something you see on your screen and paste it into Word or PowerPoint? Screen Capture On Windows and Screen Capture on Mac
2. Do you have a blog? You can start one now with wordpress
3. Can you open a link you get in an email message? If it’s hyperlinked, just click. If not copy link into your browser and hit enter.
4. Do you read more than five blogs a day? If you can’t find 5 blogs relevant to your business, here’s how to look for them then discover how RSS works to make sure you keep up with new posts as they happen in one place.
5. Do you have a signature in your outbound email? An email signature is an underused marketing strategy that goes out with reenforces your message with every email you send.
6. Do you have an RSS reader? Watch an intro to Google Reader to see how it works.
7. Can you generate a PDF document from a Word file you’re working on? Install a free pdf writer for windows and Mac has a built in print to PDF feature
8. Do you know how to build and share a simple spreadsheet using Google Docs? Watch this how to video that explains building and sharing in Google Docs
9. Do have a shortcut for sending mail to the six co-workers you usually write to? Shortcuts in Outlook and in Gmail
10. Are you able to find what you’re looking for on Google most of the time? Surprisingly useful basic info on search and some in depth Google Search
11. Do you know how to download a file from the internet? Read how to download files.
12. Do you back up your work? Here is a list of back up options for your work
13. Do you keep track of contacts using a digital tool? Try something like Highrise
14. Do you use anti-virus software? If you don’t have one get an anti-virus program and an anti-spyware program.
15. Do you fall for internet hoaxes and forward stuff to friends and then regret it? See the link in the question for help.
16. Have you ever bought something from a piece of spam?

I’ve got no help for the last one but now you’ll be able to bridge this productivity divide that every knowledge worker faces. Like Seth says, if you need any help, there’s plenty to go around here.