Work Smarter
We shift the focus from managing time to mastering energy, attention and cognitive capacity, to create higher productivity and performance, master effective habits and create a healthy work/life balance.
The difference between a highly productive day and leaving work feeling frustrated is down to creating habits and routines of productivity and self-care.
Our ‘Work Smarter’ series of workshops are designed to help you identify what’s working, what’s not – and make a sustainable change.
BrainSmart Productivity Development Programs
Transforming from Distraction and Procrastination to Focus and Action
Why this is important
Neuroscience is showing us that our best thinking lasts for a finite amount of time and we need to use it wisely. We are also driven by habit.
At least 50% of what we do on a daily basis might feel like conscious decisions but are actually automated processes – habits (Prof. Wendy Wood USC).
Habits are necessary - they help us to function effectively in an increasingly fast-paced and complex world - but are our habits helping or hindering our effectiveness and productivity? In a world of information overload, what is the true cost of habits of distraction and procrastination?
As leaders, are we leading in a way that role models productive habits?
Course Overview
Creating Productivity Habits of Excellence is a powerful message for anyone who wants better results from their time and time to design better results - it all comes down to developing stronger habits.
This highly practical and enlightening workshop will leave participants feeling empowered to make change in those areas that have been keeping them stuck in ineffective habit and routine.
Learning Outcomes
- Explore how our brain creates and forms habit
- Identify the 3 critical elements of a habit and which one to change for success
- Discover why energy is more important than time and how it helps create efficiency habits
- Uncover what our leadership habits of productivity demonstrate to our people
- Learn practical, implementable strategies for developing and maintaining focus and attention
- Come away feeling inspired to action by applying the H.A.B.I.T.S formula for greater productivity, a healthier lifestyle and a real sense of achievement
“Really useful to consider habits and whether they are adding value or taking away. Interesting to see the effects of habits, very useful for practical application”
Creating Learning Experiences that Engage, Inspire and Stick
Skilling people up is an expensive business. There are numerous explicit and hidden costs and a return on investment is essential in the form of increased sustained performance.
If we want learners to be inspired to go back to their workplace and implement what they have learned, then we need to make learning an inspiring, unforgettable and enjoyable experience.
In an age of business disruption where innovation and creativity are key differentiators, how people remember, apply and use what they have learned, is a critical success factor
Did you know that people can forget 50-80% of what they’ve learned after one day and 97-98% after just a month? (University Waterloo, Ontario). When we create learning experiences for others, we need to start with the brain in mind. Understanding how our brains learn, remember and forget, sets the scene for creating an enriching environment where people want to actively participate, gain skills and knowledge and change for the better.
Course Overview
Mastering BrainSmart Learning is a one-day deep dive into the world of learning and how to create learning environments and experiences that cater to differing intelligences, learning preferences and maximise application back in the workplace.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn a six step process for total inclusion and involvement in the learning experience
- Explore how our brains learn, remember and forget and what to do about it
- Design learning sessions that cater to our multiple intelligences
- Create an environment where learners are motivated to learn
- Discover why story and metaphor are the secret ingredients to powerful learning
- Learn the 8 R’s of embedding learning so that knowledge is retained not forgotten
- Master how to maintain your own motivation and emotional state to inspire
“What a brilliant day, you are such an engaging facilitator and the team really enjoyed the workshop and have already been trying out their stories and metaphors” B.T. Bunnings QLD/NT
Why this is Important
Research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that untreated mental health conditions cost Australian workplaces approximately $10.9 billion per year. This comprises $4.7 billion in absenteeism, $6.1 billion in presenteeism and $146 million in compensation claims (2018).
Most of our working lives are spent serving others in some form or another and it’s all too easy to lose focus on yourself – and that’s not a sustainable strategy. Terms such as empathy fatigue are finding their way into everyday vernacular. There is a cost to serving others without serving yourself first, a cost that isn't always easy to recover. In order to be mentally and physically at our best, we must address all elements of self-care as an equal investment.
The topic of self-care is a serious and necessary one, so we’d like to start with busting some common myths, so we can share a program that makes a real difference to your productivity and performance:-
- Self-care is not new-age, hippie or self-indulgent – it is a fundamental practice for people to be in their best shape to perform effectively
- Working long hours is not a badge of honour – rather it gives an impression to others of poor time and energy management
- Leaders cannot hope to instil a culture of high performance, strong productivity and vitality unless they role model it first
- Leaders are not invincible or immune to stress – they burn out too if they don’t look after themselves
Course Overview
Serve Yourself First focuses on self-investment in 3 core areas that will result in improved mental, physical and emotional health, leading to greater personal and professional effectiveness and performance.
Workshop content include: -
- The Importance of Quality Sleep, Brain-friendly Nutrition and Aerobic Exercise on Performance. These are the 3 legs of the self-care stool for ultimate performance
- Maintaining and improving Focus and Attention. The ability to be present and fully attentive through various techniques including Present Attention Awareness (mindfulness), Attentional Intelligence®, Distraction and Energy Management
- Emotion Regulation – the capacity to move from instinctive emotional reactions to considered rational responses and why this skill matters
Learning Outcomes
- Apply the insights from neuroscience to build productive habits to support self-care
- Discover how sleep, diet and exercise improve mood, energy levels and our ability to focus
- Understand the parts of the brain involved in paying attention, focusing, dealing with distractions and accessing insight
- Identify your individual energy patterns and how to work in sync with your energy highs and lows
- Understand the difference between reacting and responding and learn how to regulate emotions to remain calm under pressure
- Create a self-care action plan that is realistic, achievable and can make a considerable difference to physical, mental and emotional performance.
“The main takeaway for me was how your diet, exercise and sleep can affect your resilience and stress levels. This is an area that I know I can easily improve on and that will help” Program Participant