Record mode

An original My Home Office Hacks approach to WFH productivity.

1 Big thing: Record mode

What occurs when you are recording a Zoom call from your account and somebody else is sharing the screen. And then you drop your phone to the floor.

Why that matters

If you want to check emails or search anything else on the screen, everybody will know. Plus, it will ruin the recording. Hence the following:

You pay complete attention to what is being said and presented

Why it matters more

Record mode can be applied during the course of your workday. It works extremely well if you use the four-quadrant technique, which goes something like this:

• Create four quadrants where you rank the tasks for the day by urgency and importance. The first quadrant, the upper left, receives the most important/urgent, second gets the most important but not as urgent; the third is urgent but not important; and fourth is least urgent and important.

• If using a dry-erase board, make a red dot next to the task you’re working on. That puts you in record mode. That means:

o   No email, shut down outlook

o   No surfing the web unless for the task at hand.

o   The phone goes out of sight or reach, unless the task is making phone calls.

• Work in time blocks that feel right to you. I prefer the Pomodoro’s 25 minutes on, five off.

• Place the four quadrants graphic within eye shot of your workstation so you can remind yourself you are in Record mode.

The Data

For yours truly, it’s been very effective. There’s something about the association of ruining a recording and the embarrassment of the world knowing you’re not paying attention to a presentation that works.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

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