Teamwork makes the dream work. You’ve probably heard that phrase before. And, even though it’s honestly cliched and a bit corny, it’s 100% true. After all, teamwork promotes workplace synergy, unity, communication, trust, and innovation. It also fosters a positive culture where everyone can speak-up and learn from each other.

Additionally, teamwork increases efficiency and productivity. That’s because teamwork boosts morale and balances out workloads. It also provides more opportunities for cross-training, brainstorming sessions, and co-worker support.

But, how can you improve teamwork within your organization? Well, you obviously want to cover the basics like establishing a clear vision, reporting infrastructure, and hiring the right people. You should also equip them with the right tools, offering perks like healthy snacks, and strengthening relationships outside of work.

You can also bring your team together by partaking in the following 20 team-building activities.

1. Creative Introductions

If you’re working with a team for the first time, then this is an easy-to-setup game that breaks the ice. On top of creatively allowing everyone to introduce themselves to the group, it’s also a great way to enhance problem-solving and creative thinking skills.

So, here’s how it works. Give everyone a sheet of paper and ask them to write down what celebrity, historical figure, fictional character, or animal they would be. If you prefer, you could also use inanimate objects like office equipment or kitchen utensils. After everyone has written their answer, count to three and ask them to reveal what they’ve written down.

2. Team Building Kits

Team building kits are another great option to use as an ice breaker. But, they can also be used for culture building, mergers, retreats, and orientation. Best of all? They only require between 60-60 minutes and do not require any preplanning thanks to subscription sites like Team Building Kits.

Everything you need to play is in the box. You just need to set aside the time to do the activity in the box. After everyone has solved a puzzle or a mystery, discuss what participants learned and how it can be applied to future projects.

3. Two Truths and One Lie

Here is another quick and easy activity you can do if you want your team to get to know each other better. And, because it only takes 15 to 30 minutes, it will consume too much time.

To get started, gather the group together and have each of them share two truths and one lie about themselves — they don’t have to be personal or embarrassing. Each person goes one at a time and the group guesses which statements are true and which are a lie.

4. What’s the Best/Worst…?

A perfect activity for smaller to medium-sized that can be used for introductions. It can also be used to gain insights on people’s preferences and work styles — which could come in handy down the road.

What I like most about this game is this it’s incredibly simple and versatile. For example, you could ask what’s the worst movie you saw, the best book you read, the worst job you had, or the best vacation you took. The possibilities are truly endless.

5. Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct is a simple activity that shouldn’t take more than half an hour to go through. It’s an excellent choice to kick-off an event or workshop since it can be used to build trust and respect.

To play, write down on a whiteboard “Meaningful” and “Pleasant.” Ask the members of the group to share how this event could realistically be meaningful and pleasant. When everyone understands and agrees on how to follow through with their suggestions you can then create a code of conduct for this specific group to respect for the duration of the event.

6. Scavenger Hunt

Hopefully, you’re all familiar with scavenger hunts. If not, this is an activity where a group of people have a list of objects to find and must work together to locate them all without purchasing them.

Not only are scavenger hunts fun, but they encourage people to work together as a unit. They can also help new employees explore your workplace or city. And, they’re also perfect for giving employees a much-needed break during the day — which can ultimately make them more productive.

7. Game of Possibilities

Assign everyone in the group an object. Each person must then demonstrate how to use their specific object without speaking — kind of like charades. The rest of the group guesses what it is in the time allotted. When the time is up, or someone has guessed what the object is, move on to the next player.

What’s great about this activity is that you can move it along or slow it down as much as you like. For example, you could give the group 30 seconds to guess the object if crunched for time. Furthermore, it’s a fun game to encourage participants to be creative and innovative.

8. Shark Tank

You don’t have to build a set like the popular TV series. But, you can take the idea of having people pitch a business idea to a group of investors.

To play, divide your employees into groups of 2-6 people. Next, have them develop an imaginary product. Make sure that come up with a name, slogan, business and marketing plans, and financial data. After that, have them present their idea to 3-4 “Sharks.” The team with the most investments wins.

What I like most about this is that it encourages teamwork and strengthens their public speaking skills. Most importantly, it forces your team to think like entrepreneurs and business owners. And, who knows? Their ideas may be so amazing that you implement them into your existing business.

9. Build the Tallest Tower

Take whatever items you have in the office, such as tape, paper towels, or marshmallows, and have teams construct the tallest freestanding structure in five to ten minutes. It’s a great way to improve decision-making, communication skills, team bonding, and time management.

10. Human Knot

Here’s another classic activity that can easily use for ice breaking or team building. Simply have your team gather in a circle and ask them to put their right hands in the air. Here’s what it gets tricky, they also have to grab onto someone else’s hand across from them in the circle.

Next, instruct them to take their left hands and link with someone else across the circle. Finally, see if the group is able to untangle themselves without letting go of anyone’s hand.

11. The Egg Drop

Although this may require a couple of hours to play, and it can get messy, this is a popular team-building exercise for improving problem-solving, communication, and bringing people together toward a common goal.

Start by splitting everyone into two large groups and assigning them the task of constructing an egg package. The catch? It must be to protect the eggs from an eight-foot drop.

Ask everyone to present their package and describe why they believe it will protect the eggs. Afterward, let everyone drop their eggs to see if they were correct or not.

12. Barter Puzzle

After breaking everyone into different groups, have them put together jigsaw puzzles that they were assigned. Here’s the twist, however. Some of the pieces to the puzzles have been mixed around into other puzzles. In order for groups to put together the puzzles, they need to find creative and unique ways to get those pieces back like trading pieces or exchanging team member.

13. Office Trivia

You could play an existing trivia game, like Trivial Pursuit, or create your own — such as a version Jeopardy for your specific workplace. You could even design a version for remote teams where they share pictures of their workspaces and even guesses who the office belongs to.

Regardless of the trivia, you chose to play, these activities are perfect as ice breakers and letting team members discover more information about their colleagues.

14. Team-based Video Games

Search online to find video games that encourage people to work together as one to complete a mission. Your team can then play during breaks or even online when they’re home. As a result, it strengthens communication, cooperation, and group strategy. Moreover, it’s a great way to blow off some steam. And, it shows your team the importance of working together towards a common goal

15. Human Bingo

Hand out bingo cards to each team member that has information about their co-workers, such as has a chocolate lab or has two sons. After that, everyone should mingle and strike up conversations with one another to find out who matches these descriptions. When they find the right person, the write the person’s name in the correct box. And, because this is bingo, the first person who has full line wins.

16. Mad Lib Mission Statement

Get a copy of your organization’s mission statement. Next, visit a site like Word Blanks and have teams come up with own interruptions of your mission statement. Except some to be hysterical, while others may actually be a more honest or updated version.

17. Team Emblem

After providing teams with the items and tools needed to create an emblem, flag or shield, think markers, cardboard, and tape, have them design their own emblem that represents who they are and their values. Have each time then present their emblems and explain the meaning behind their emblem.

Sounds simple and even a bit childish. But, it encourages creative thinking and cultivates team identity.

18. Escape Rooms

Either visit a local escape room in your area or build your own in the office. Either way, the idea is to have teams work together to figure out how to get out of the locked room using the clues provided within a specific timeframe.

19. Volunteering

Poll your employees and agree on a deserving cause. Then, schedule a time for everyone to volunteer for this cause. Ideally, this should be during the workweek so that your team isn’t forced to do something work-related during their time-off — even though it is giving back to the community.

20. Classic Night Out

Finally, don’t rule the classic night out. It may not sound exciting as some of the other activities on this list. But, they’re still one of the best ways for team members to get to know each other better, bring them closer together, and have a little fun.

Ideas could be happy hours, bowling nights, go-kart racing, tasking a class together, or an award banquet. It really depends on your budget and what you believe your team would enjoy.

If they’re not into camping, then they’re going to be miserable if they must attend weekend camping trip. But, if they’re fans of your local sports teams, then getting tickets would be a better option.

What’s your most valuable resource? Without coming across as too off-color, if you thought of anything other than time management then you would be sadly mistaken. You already know that time is a finite resource. That means once it’s gone, there’s no getting it back. But what is time management and why is it important?

It’s worth gaining an understanding that time management plays a major role in not only your success but also your overall happiness. Time management is a big deal, yet, so many people take it for granted. There could be a variety of reasons for not paying attention to time management. It may be because people just don’t realize how valuable their time is and why managing it is crucial.

What is Time Management?

Here at Calendar, we define time management simply as “the ability to plan, organize, and control your time.” Another big definition we use is, “save time, be more productive, and focus on the things that matter.” By setting aside the right amount of time, and protecting that time, you can apply this resource to the right activities. By applying your best super-power resource to activities where you’re best suited will help you reach your goals. Performing work you’re happy with will also help you maintain a healthy balance between work and life. As a result, we’re all more productive and fulfilled.

At its core, time management includes planning for the future, setting goals, prioritizing tasks, and monitoring where your time actually goes. It’s also used to set deadlines, delegate responsibilities to others, and ensures that you don’t waste any precious time on unproductive activities.

Although people have been tracking time for centuries as it was needed for their survival — like knowing when to plant and harvest crops — what we think of time management is a more recent development. During the Industrial Revolution people began to live by the clock instead of by the sun.

Over the years, people began to expand on this concept and explored ways on how employees could improve their performance. For example, Frederick Winslow Taylor, who published “The Principles of Scientific Management” in 1911, analyzed ways of how workers could optimize and simplify their jobs.

Today, however, the time management definition has expanded to include all aspects of your life. The main reason for looking at the sum total of your life is that you don’t want your personal and professional lives to be in a constant battle with each other. For example, working 60 plus hours per week doesn’t leave you with much time to spend with your family, unplug, or to grow as a person.

Why Time Management is Important

If you’re still not convinced that time management is important, here twelve reasons why it should become a priority for you to master.

You make the most of the time you’ve got.

Everyone, whether if you’re Jeff Bezos or Oprah Winfrey, have the same 24 hours in a day. However, the most successful people in the world are able to squeeze the maximum benefit to themselves out of the time allotted in life.

You may think that this ability to corner the market of time has something to do with carpe diem. And, in a way it does. But, it really means that the person takes care of all of the important pieces of life without having to sacrifice sleep or leisure time. With their priorities out of the way, the person can then go on a spending-spree with their spare time. It often appears to others these select few are able to crank out a ton of work, while also being able to enjoy their lives — and they can.

Encourages self-discipline.

Without self-discipline, there’s no way for you to possess good time management skills. For example, you may be procrastinating on a task which leads to you spending all morning on social media and YouTube. If you had self-discipline, you wouldn’t get so easily distracted and get down to brass tacks. Rethink how you are going to handle this situation next time it comes up. How will you take hold of yourself and get to work when you are procrastinating?

I can tell you that beating yourself up for procrastinating has never helped anyone. But thinking differently about procrastination, might. Self-discipline doesn’t just assist you in your career. It motivates you to develop healthy and lifelong habits. Furthermore, it can boost your self-esteem, help you master specific talents, and pushes you to become a better person daily.

Do more in less time.

Time management isn’t about getting more done. Instead, it’s about being able to focus and prioritize your time so that you can deliver better results in a shorter amount of time.

I have never put much stock in the morning person or night owl theory. All babies seem to turn around to waking up early within a short amount of time. I just don’t see too many entrepreneurs that don’t get their backsides out of bed early and get to work.

But, let’s say that you consider yourself a morning person. That means that you have the most energy in the AM. As a result, you’ll be able to power through your obligations early. With that in mind, you wouldn’t schedule your most important tasks in the afternoon or evening when you may be dragging a little and don’t have the energy or focus to get additional work done.

Reduces stress.

Yes, stress can kill you.

“Chronic stress can lead to heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, and cirrhosis of the liver — well, the list goes on,” writes Max Palmer in a previous Calendar article. “Stress can also affect your brain, suppress your thyroid, cause blood sugar imbalances, reduce your immunity and ability to heal, and even cause some to commit suicide.”

“Here’s the thing, stress management and time management go hand in hand,” continues Palmer. “When you manage your time more wisely, you feel more in control,” are able to meet deadlines and avoid any last-minute surprises. “You also become more efficient and prepared to handle anything that life throws your way.” Ultimately, this will help you become more relaxed and less stressed — which could save your life.

It makes you feel more fulfilled.

When you’re able to complete your most important work, cross-off items on your to-do-lists, and have free time, you’ll have a more fulfilled life. I mean is that anything better than accomplishing all of your goals for the day and still get home in time to have dinner with your family or catch the latest Marvel flick with your friend? Wouldn’t it feel refreshing and empowering to wrap-up a project before it’s due so that you can disappear for a long weekend? Personally, that’s what we all should strive for in life.

You’ll be more reliable.

I don’t know about you, but I never want to be “that” person. You know who I’m talking about. They show up an hour late to a meeting, flack-out on plans at the last minute, and always miss deadlines.

Time management won’t always solve these problems. External factors like your car breaking down on the way to work or a social event could cause you to be late. However, if you’ve properly managed your time, that isn’t the norm. Instead, you’ll earn the reputation of someone who is respectful of other people’s time and always delivers what they promised in a timely manner.

It gives you an energy boost.

Here’s another misconception about time management; you keep working non-stop until you’ve completed a particular task. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, time management prompts you to take frequent breaks so that you can rest and recharge. As a result, this will keep you from losing any momentum that you’ve built-up.

Prevents indecisiveness and procrastination.

There are several ways to properly manage your time. As already discussed, this could be knowing what to focus on and allocating the right time to that exact activity. However, it also involves planning in advance. For example, you can avoid hectic mornings if you laid out your clothes, packed your lunch, and reviewed your calendar every night. Now when you wake-up in the morning you’re ready to tackle the day and aren’t rushing around.

The benefit of this is that it speeds up and improves your decision-making. The reason is that you’re prepared in advance and aren’t spending time on less important matters. It’s almost like having your life is on cruise control.

Additionally, this can help eliminate procrastination and reduce unnecessary stress. And, it helps you preserve your mental energy for more important responsibilities.

It allows you to take advantage of new opportunities.

When you aren’t spending as much time on your work or wasting your time on unproductive activities, the door opens for you to discover new opportunities.

For example, since you’ve completed your most important tasks for the day, you can attend that networking event you didn’t think that you had the time to attend. At this event, you may connect with a new client or learn or learn a new skill that can make you more effective at work.

It helps you reach goals.

Imagine a time when you set a goal. Regardless of how big or small it was, it probably felt amazing. In fact, you most likely felt empowered and more fulfilled.

With proper time management, you are finally able to accomplish any goal that you’ve set in your life. In turn, you could be more motivated at work or follow-through with a personal life goal like learning a new skill or developing a healthy habit.

Identifies your priorities.

With so much going on in our lives, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s truly important. That may not sound like the end of the world. But, without identifying your priorities, you may end up spending time on the wrong activities.

Consider this. Your business is launching a new product. As such, you may have to work extra hours for the next week to ensure that it hits the market on time. Because of this, you know that you can’t meet a friend for lunch or schedule a doctor’s appointment during this time. These happy activities will have to wait until you have the availability.

I know that doesn’t sound fun, but, that’s life. You need to compromise so that you can be productive while still enjoying your life. It’s a juggling act that time management can help you accomplish.

Improves everything in life.

Saying that time management will improves everything in life — Hyperbole? Not at all. Now, time management may not fix everything in life — but it will improve everything.

Think of all of the instances and examples that have been listed. Thanks to time management you’re able to deliver quality work on-time — which can help you earn a promotion or obtain new clients. Outside of work, because you’re aren’t working around the clock, you can do the things that make you happy, take care of your health, and improve your relationships. That can lead to a more meaningful, productive, and less stressful life.

Most importantly, researchers have found that by planning your time wisely, you can maximize your happiness.

Getting Started With Time Management

There’s no denying that time management is important. But, it’s still something that most people struggle with. If you’re in this camp, here are some pointers to help get you started:

• Track how you spend your time to eliminate time-wasting activities. Also, this can help you stop over-or-underestimating how long specific tasks take to complete.
• Say “no” more often to avoid scheduling conflicts and distractions. For example, if you have a meeting scheduled, then you can’t accept another invite directly before or after that event. Moreover, this habit will protect your time and prevents other people’s priorities from weighing-in ahead of your own.
• Establish SMART goals so that they can be realistically achieved.
• Schedule your most important tasks when you have the most energy and focus during the day.
• Ditch your bad habits. Replace them with better ones, such as having a morning routine and taking care of your health.
• Break down your largest goals and projects into more manageable bite-sized pieces.
• Delegate, outsource or automate tedious and recurring tasks so that you can focus on more important items.
• Get organized in advance. Also, maintain that by clearing the clutter and putting everything back where it belongs.
• Batch similar activities together so that you’re not bouncing back-and-forth between various tasks.
• Stop multitasking and focus on one task at a time.
• Use an online calendar to keep you organized, receive reminders, and protect your time.
• Don’t go “full-throttle.” Pace yourself and take frequent breaks so that you don’t burn yourself out.

Of course, those aren’t the only ways to step up your time management game. But, it’s a start. The most important thing to remember is to find the hacks and system that works best for you — even if other’s tell you otherwise. Remember, it’s your time and you need to determine how you’re going to spend it.

“The home office is the worst of both worlds,” says productivity and organization expert Lisa Zaslow, CEO and founder of Gotham Organizers.

“You’re not at home just watching TV, and you don’t have the excellent office resources and environment of being in the office.”

Still, it’s a reality for 3.9 million U.S. employees or 2.9 percent of the total U.S. workforce. And, because there’s been a 115 percent increase since 2005, working remotely is nothing to scoff at.

But, how can you overcome the worst of both worlds and work at peak productivity?

1. Get dressed.

Your pajamas, while comfortable, aren’t precisely professional attire. I know. You’re at home. So why’s that matter? According to a study from Northwestern University found that professionals perform specific tasks better when wearing clothes that have “symbolic meaning.”

“Wearing a lab coat described as a doctor’s coat increased sustained attention compared to wearing a lab coat described as a painter’s coat. Compared to simply seeing or even identifying with a lab coat described as a doctor’s coat,” wrote researchers Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky. “The influence of clothes thus depends on wearing them and their symbolic meaning.”

Workplace expert Mason Donovan, author of “The Golden Apple: Redefining Work-Life Balance for a Diverse Workforce,” agrees. He adds that wearing work clothes at home can boost productivity. “We feel more present, and we have a higher level of commitment and engagement,” says Donovan.

2. Work somewhere else besides your home.

As Choncé Maddox explains in an article for Calendar, working from home can get boring. Sometimes working from home can create more stress, and it much easier to lose momentum and slack off when you don’t feel motivated to work.” That’s not to say that you have to leave your home for eight hours a day Monday through Friday.

It does mean that you have to take the time to get out of the house occasionally. Coffee shops and even hotel lobbies have long been a popular alternative to working from home. However, co-working spaces come equipped with the perks of a traditional office, such as conference rooms and equipment like copy machines. Co-working spaces also offer additional services like headshots and networking events, where you can meet like-minded people.

3. Set a schedule and stick to it.

A schedule keeps you in-check and helps you develop healthy work habits. More importantly, it allows you to work during your “golden hours” and when you have the house to yourself.

For example, if you have children, you don’t want to schedule your most important work or virtual meetings right when they come home from school. You should plan those activities when the house is quiet and free of distractions.

4. Motivate yourself with rewards.

“As silly as this sounds, I have always been motivated by rewards,” says Leah Shoup, a location independent freelance translator. Leah sets mini-goals throughout the day. “For example, if you get 1,000 words translated by noon, you can go have a pumpkin spice latte.

“If you pick up an extra translation, you can buy those shoes you really want. The rewards can be from anything as small as buying a cupcake to something big like booking a cheap flight you came across,” adds Leah.

5. Create a dedicated workspace.

Warning: a dedicated workspace does not mean your couch or bedroom.

Make your dedicated spot a quiet space where you’re not only comfortable but also feel you’re a professional heading to work. If you have space, then this would be converting a spare bedroom into a home office where you have a desk and all the equipment and resources to do your job.

If you don’t have a spare room, the kitchen table will suffice. Just make sure it’s free of clutter like your plate from lunch.

For more tips, check out 5 Ways to Improve Your Workspace.

6. Set boundaries.

Just because you work from home and set your own hours doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t set boundaries. Setting appropriate boundaries for yours means not responding to a text, email, or Facebook notification the instant you receive it. It also means not wasting time with your best friend cause they played hooky from work when you’re swamped.

When you’re in the zone, eliminate distractions by turning off your phone — or least putting it on airplane mode. If a friend wants to grab lunch, only have one day a week that you schedule these types of activities for. When you are on a roll — always plan another day or ask them if they can schedule dinner with you, instead.

Remember, work comes first. Then you can play.

Bonus Tip: If you have family, then make it known what you’re “working hours” are so that they won’t disrupt you during this time. If you have your own home office, don’t be afraid to use a “Do Not Disturb” sign when you’re busy.

7. Find a technique that works best for you.

There is no shortage of productivity techniques out there for you to try, like the aforementioned Pomodoro Technique or the similar Rule of 52 and 17. If that’s not to your liking, here’s a couple of other techniques you can try out:

• The Kanban System. If you’re extremely detail-oriented, this is a technique where split your to-do-lists into things you need to do, things you’re working on, and what you’ve finished. As items go through each category, you review your workflow and processes to identify any problems.
• Don’t break the chain. Created by Jerry Seinfeld, this is where you “spend some amount of time doing a desired activity every day and, when you do, cross off that day on a calendar. Having the X’s to cross off, creates a chain of Xs showing your progress. If you don’t do your specified task on one day, you don’t get an X, and that chain is broken.”
• The Get Things Done method. Popularized by David Allen, this is where you simply set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals by organizing all of your to-dos, priorities, and schedule in a way that is manageable.
• The Eisenhower Box. This strategy was created by President Dwight Eisenhower, where you separate your actions based on four possibilities. Urgent and vital, important, but not critical, Urgent, but not essential, and Neither urgent nor important.
• Do it first. In Zen To Done Leo Babauta suggests that you select your 3 Most Important Tasks (MITs) and get them done first thing in the morning.

8. Block off time to evaluate your progress.

As Christy Schultz perfectly explains, “Improving your productivity and effectiveness is not a ‘one and done’ prospect.”

As such, Christy suggests that once a month you block out some time in your calendar “to evaluate any changes you’ve made, if those changes are garnering the impact you were hoping for or if you should test a different method.”

Working the 9-to-5 Grind? Here’s 6 Ways to Maintain Productivity in the Workplace.

What if you work in an environment like Dunder Mifflin?

You can use some of the numerous hacks listed above, like the Pomodoro Technique, turning off notifications, and creating a schedule based around your personal life and when you’re most productive.

You can also add these productivity hacks for students to your toolkit.

1. Embrace technology.

While you should avoid getting sucked into email and social media notifications, you shouldn’t resist all technology.

Project management and communication tools like Trello and Slack can keep an entire organization on the same-page without back-and-forth conversations and lengthy status meetings.

There also tools like Hootsuite, MailChimp, IFTTT, Zapier, and Salesforce can automate your social media campaigns, email communications, marketing, and sales. In other words, these tools eliminate those tedious and repetitive tasks that chip away at your day.

What’s more, Stayfocused blocks distracting websites, while Focus@Will can increase your productivity by listening to music that puts your brain into a “flow state.”

2. Invest in a pair of headphones.

There’s a lot of background noise in an office — which is extremely distracting. One of the best ways to drown out this noise out is by listening to music suggested by Focus@Will or a little white noise through an app like Noisil. Besides blocking out distracting background noise, headphones are a decent deterrent.

Typically when someone sees you at your workstation with a pair of headphones on, they’ll leave you alone. Design the office for maximum productivity.

If you’re not in a Michael Scott position and don’t have this authority, then make the following suggestions to a higher-up:

• Use the right colors in the office. Blue can increase productivity if you do mind-work all day, while yellow is perfect for designers since it stimulates creativity. Find the right color for your industry and incorporate through your office.
• Purchase standing desks. Sitting all day isn’t good for your health. Standing desks won’t wholly reverse this, but it’s better than nothing. Standing desks can also break-up the monotony and help maintain focus.
• Have a quiet place. In The Best Place to Work, psychologist Ron Friedman states that 20-30 minute naps improve productivity, increase alertness, stimulate creativity, raise accuracy, bolster memory, and boost decision-making. No wonder Ben & Jerry’s, Nike, and Zappos have quiet rooms where employees can nap or meditate.
• Keep the office clean and orderly. “Cleanliness and order are essential factors for an office that feels good to work in,” notes Richard Andrews, Managing Director of Inspiration Office. “A disorganized office deprives workers of the enthusiasm and sends a message that sloppiness is OK.” Additionally, make sure that all office materials and equipment have designated spots so that they can be accessed quickly when needed.

3. Bring your pet to work.

Google, Amazon, Ben & Jerry’s, and Etsy allow employees to bring their pets to work. The reason? It relieves stress, promotes positive interactions, and employees tend to stay longer at work, and have fewer absences.

4. Rethink meetings.

With technology, like Slack and Trello, you may be able to reduce the number of meetings you have in your organization. You may even be able to get rid of them completely.

If you must have a meeting, keep it as short as possible and only invite key members — follow Jeff Bezos ‘2 pizza rule.’

Additionally, research from WhenIsGood.net has found that the most productive time to have meetings is at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays. Knowing the same time will be scheduled gives teams enough time to meet deadlines after the workweek. The team will also avoid conflicting deadlines from the previous week that they might have missed.

5. Use gamification.

If you’ve ever played video games, then the concept of gamification shouldn’t be foreign to you. For those who aren’t into video games, the idea is this; the harder you work, the more you’ll be rewarded. So whenever you complete a task, you may earn points to be placed in the top spot of the leaderboard to receive incentives like a vacation.

6. Provide a sense of belonging.

Finally, employees don’t want raises or incentives. They want to have a sense of belonging.

Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, and Wharton professor has found that when “employees feel and know that they are making a difference in the world through the work they do — whether they’re designing apps or laying down asphalt — it increases their motivation to perform.”

If you’re a leader, then tap into your team’s intrinsic motivation by sharing information, discussing strategy, and tying daily activities to the future.

When starting a business, it probably makes the most sense to use a hierarchy when structuring your business. After all, it’s your idea, so you why shouldn’t you be running the show? There’s also evidence that hierarchies are preferred since it makes it easier for people to understand relationships within an organization and determine where they stand among their colleagues. Here are seven reasons your business doesn’t need a hierarchy.

A present, more and more organizations are opting to go with structures that are flatter and are more democratic. “There is a growing body of evidence that shows that organizations with flat structures outperform those with more traditional hierarchies in most situations,” writes Tim Kastelle, a professor of innovation at The University of Queensland Business School, in the Harvard Business Review. “There are sound business reasons for treating people with dignity, for providing autonomy, and for organizing among small teams rather than large hierarchies.”

Here are 7 reasons why your business doesn’t need a hierarchy.

1. Hierarchies are outdated.

Let’s be honest. Hierarchy is an age-old system. It was originally designed by the military and embraced by corporate America. While there was a time when the hierarchy was effective, it’s become obsolete in many ways. In today’s collaborative and interconnected world there are other ways to build your business above what the old system can bring you.

As a result of instant communication, endless access to free information and resources, and being able to organize and collaborate with others, there really isn’t a need for a strictly hierarchical structure. The decision-makers and (“thinkers”) are at all company levels nowadays. “Doers” are doers at every level. Thinkers and doers, act this way autonomously and automatically.

As IBM noted in a 2008 report entitled, “The new collaboration: enabling innovation, changing the workplace;”

“In the old way of thinking, employees make themselves valuable through what they know. But in the new way, people make themselves valuable by seeking opportunities to work with others and tapping into the expertise that others possess. In the old way, content is owned and protected. In the new way, content is developed through participation; it is fluid, contextual and leveraged to create opportunities through ongoing collaboration. In the old way, directories of people provide static contact information. In the new way, dynamic profiles reflect what people do, with whom and how well they do it.”

As a result, organizations are ditching hierarchy with structures that are more effective in today’s modern workplace. One example is holacracy. The definition of a holacracy is, is defined on holacracy.org as a “comprehensive practice for structuring, governing and running an organization that removes power from a management hierarchy and distributes it across clear roles, which can then be executed autonomously without a micromanaging boss.”

Companies like Zappos have adopted holacracy in order to create a more non-bureaucratic and flexible workplace.

2. Hierarchies don’t move quickly.

Here’s another issue with hierarchies — they move way too slowly. No pivot ability.

Today, organization have to be able to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions — whether that be changing consumer tastes or economical factors. This means they need to be agile, flexible, and able to make decisions fast.

“Put simply, it can’t handle speed well,” Harvard professor John Kotter told Debbie Robins in The Huffington Post. “Rules and procedures that inevitably accompany hierarchies almost never change fast even if they are now irrelevant, overly burdensome, and the like.”

“And over time, it’s so easy for hierarchies to keep adding levels and rules, to keep making the walls of silos thicker, which slows everything down even more,” add Kotter.

3. Hierarchies stall creativity and innovation.

Let’s say you’re an entry-level employee and have an amazing idea. Chances are that you won’t be able to share that idea with the owner. Instead, that idea has to work it’s way up to going through several managers. While these managers have the power to veto the idea, they don’t have the power to implement.

In other words, creative and innovative ideas are often rejected before they can even reach the top of the organization. No wonder Vanderbilt professor David A. Owens has dubbed this the “hierarchy of no.”

“Regardless of how much lip service is given to wanting new, fresh ideas,” author and associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University David Burkus writes, “people experience a subtle bias against creativity in uncertain situations.”

4. Everyone isn’t in the same boat.

Recent research shows that egalitarian efforts work better than hierarchical teams.

“When you look at real organizations, having a clear hierarchy within your firm actually makes people turn on each other when they face an outside threat,” says Lindred Greer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“The egalitarian teams were more focused on the group because they felt like ‘we’re in the same boat, we have a common fate,’” adds Lisanne van Bunderen of the University of Amsterdam. “They were able to work together, while the hierarchical team members felt a need to fend for themselves, likely at the expense of others.”

5. Hierarchies are just a game of “telephone.”

Remember the “telephone game” you used to play as a child? It was where you and your friends had passed on a word or phrase by whispering it to the person next to you. When that word or phrase reaches the last person it was probably completely different.

This happens in hierarchies frequently because for communication to go from the top of the to the bottom, it has must go through several managers. When it does reach the bottom, the message is vastly different than whe the original message was.

Quit playing the “telephone game” and make transparency a top priority for your organization.

6. Millenials want to end hierarchies.

As the largest age demographic, you can’t ignore this group. If so, you’re missing out on arguably the best talent out there. It’s no secret that Millennials have been wanting to end hierarchies ever since they came into their own. Millennials want the chance to make a difference and have their voices heard. They also demand more choice and control in where and how they work. Thanks to the emergence of technology, this has become possible.

For example, we have entire teams for Calendar in different states in the U.S. and in different countries. They’re all working remote. This means that all of us can work whenever and wherever they like. I’ve found that they’re more engaged and productive. This seems to also be reducing my expenses — since I don’t require a large office space.

7. Hierarchies can lead to distrust.

All decision-making and power being held by a select few in a hierarchy cause distrust. Why? Do one or two decision-makers mean the big boss doesn’t trust you, nor masses? Usually, yes. Ironfisted decision-makers lead to micromanagement in order to eliminate unnecessary risks. Eventually, employees feel demoralized and unable to make decisions. The employee then waits for the “higher-power-boss” to make the decisions — lowering productivity.

Conclusion

With the slow demise of hierarchies, research has found that autonomy increased job satisfaction, boosted productivity, and reduced turnover.

Take a few moments to consider if it’s time to get rid of the hierarchies in your business. It may be the best decision that you make this year. Look at the companies, such as Zappos, and others who have empowered their employees and catapulted their business productivity — merely by dropping hierarchy and giving power to the masses.

There’s no way to sugarcoat this; starting a business is no easy task. You wear multiple hats; you’re continually building clients, don’t forget networking. If you’ve built many businesses, as an entrepreneur — you understand the very real possibility of failure. But how do you determine whether working with a friend is a good idea?

Indeed, it’s a wonder that anyone would ever contemplate starting their own business. But, as Jimmy Dungan said in A League of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it weren’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

There are plenty of entrepreneurs who have decided to make this journey just a little bit easier — by teaming up with someone else. For example, Bill Gates had Paul Allen, and Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak. The reason? Each partner brings something different to the table — whether that be different skill sets, lessening the workload, or having additional access to funding.

Maybe you want someone to gripe to, or someone to run your ideas past and have a second set of eyes on a project.

But, instead of approaching a stranger or acquaintance, why not just go ahead and start a business with a friend? After all, it worked for Gates and Allen and Jobs and Wozniak. There have been many famous entrepreneurial teams. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, and William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson — so why can’t it work for you and your friend?

Well, before you and your best friend get too far ahead of yourselves, you both should take a close look at the good and bad of working side-by-side with a friend.

Why You Should Start a Business With a Friend

You have a co-founder that you know and trust.

After spending years being acquainted with your friend, you know what their belief systems are, how they react to specific situations, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. You also know how to get under each other’s skin, so hopefully, you’ll avoid triggering those emotions while in the workplace.

More importantly, they are someone you trust entirely — and know that they would never intentionally do you any harm. What more do you want of a co-founder or colleague?

As Stephen Covey said, “Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”

You can speak freely and comfortably.

When you have a trusting and honest friendship, you can pretty much say whatever’s on your mind freely and comfortably. Sure. There will be times when they’ll say something that you don’t want to hear — or that you don’t agree with — but you know what they’re saying is genuine and sincere.

As a result, you can keep each other in-check since you’re calling each other on your BS and ultimately do what’s best for the business.

Creates a positive work environment.

Having friends at work can be extremely beneficial. 70 percent of employees believe having office friends is the “most crucial” aspect of obtaining a fulfilling work life. What’s more, office friendships lead to higher engagement and productivity and a stronger connection to the company.

You have someone to bear your burdens.

Starting a business on your own, as already mentioned above, it no easy task. It can also be incredibly lonely.

But, when you have a friend by your side, you eliminate this loneliness. More important, you have someone to share your burdens with your — whether that be financial or completing tasks on-time. And, because they’re going through everything you are, you can vent to each, celebrate accomplishments, and even throw a couple of drinks back after a particularly challenging week.

You share the same vision.

Friends tend to think alike — that’s likely why you became friends in the first place. You and your friend being able to think alike is actually a great asset for your business.

You likely have the same goals, values, and vision for your business. Thinking alike can come in useful when you’re pitching an idea or your business to a client, prospective customer, or interested investors. If you know what your partner-in-crime is going to say next, then you can set them up seamlessly.

Decisions are easier to make.

As I just mentioned, friends tend to think alike and have a similar vision and belief system. That can make it easier to agree on business decisions — even if you have a different opinion personally.

Remember, spending too much time making a decision isn’t just time-consuming, it can also drain you mentally. You want to save that energy for more important decisions.

They accept your strengths and weaknesses.

Let’s say that public speaking isn’t your thing, but you’re one heck of a coder. But, your friend is charismatic and loves speaking. Instead of them asking you to pitch your business to an investor or at a conference, they would instead ask you to make a killer website to impress others. They also wouldn’t get upset or frustrated in areas that you’re weak — and vice versa.

Simply put, you accept each for you are. As a result, you can leverage each other’s strengths and improve on your weaknesses.

More friend time.

When you work with a friend, it sometimes doesn’t feel like work at all. You get to shoot the breeze, have fun, and create memories. As a result, going to work becomes more enjoyable and relieves stress.

Why You Should Not Work With a Friend

It can be hard to distinguish between work and play.

At the same time, chatting and hanging out all day isn’t always great for productivity. Instead of focusing on work, you’re busy talking about a movie you watched over the weekend. On the flip side, when you’re outside of the office, you may start talking shop instead of just enjoying each other’s company.

No matter how much you love your business, you both need to set boundaries and separate work from play.

Also, you may let workplace difference spill over into your personal lives. For example, if you and your friend are disagreeing on the direction of the business, and it becomes heated, that could make your social life a bit awkward.

Familiarity breeds contempt.

As friends, you probably know a lot about each other. But, knowing too much of others can erode respect.

For example, if you don’t agree with the lifestyle your friend is living, you may feel that they’re someone you shouldn’t work with. Even despite the fact they’ve shown up to work every day bringing their A-game.

Who’s the boss?

Even if you’ve agreed on established roles, it can still be tough to take orders from your friend — and they probably feel the same. As a result, there may be a power struggle.

You must compartmentalize relationship issues.

Friends fight. But, you can’t let those little personal squabbles interfere with the business. No matter how ticked you are at each other — you must remain professional and discuss any disagreements calmly and rationally.

In other words, you need to learn how to compartmentalize any relationship issues you have. Just because you’re at odds personally doesn’t mean that you’re currently at odds with your business partner.

Performance issues can be awkward to address.

When an employee isn’t delivering the results you expect, the conversation isn’t complicated. You have a conversation with them, determine what the problem is, and discuss the ways that they can be more productive.

That conversation isn’t so straightforward with your friend. You may be too empathetic, or they’ll take what you’re saying too personal. It may be an awkward conversation, but it’s necessary if you want your business to thrive.

Friendships don’t always translate to business compatibility.

Sure. You and your friend may share similar values and philosophies. But, you may have completely different approaches to completing various business tasks. That can lead to conflict and when trying to build your business model and company culture.

You know the same people.

Networking is critical when starting a business. But, how much networking can you do when you and your partner know the same people?

Networking may be a greater challenge, but knowing how to find and establish new connections may not be challenging.

A failed business can lead to a failed friendship.

If you fail in this business venture — it can be the absolute worst-case scenario.

Let’s say the business fails, and you blame each other for the failure. You didn’t just lose business; you also lost your friend.

If you’re still on the fence about working with a friend, here are some questions you should ask yourself. Determinations will become more apparent with questions.

• Do you share the same business goals and values?
• Do your work habits and schedules align?
• Can you complement each other’s skills and talents?
• What roles and responsibilities should each partner take-on?
• How will you resolve conflicts?
• Are your personal lives stable?
• How long have you known each other?

Just make sure that you cover all of the topics to do with your business that you can think of. A first business venture is usually the one that friends get together in. You want the best from your first business venture. Take the time to set up all of the parameters so that you and your friend can remain great partners through thick and thin.

If you’re an introvert like me, the idea of having a virtual team may sound fun. It has its perks like more flexibility and room for a better work-life balance.

However, having virtual team members does also come with its own obstacles and challenges. More and more small businesses are going with a virtual team model.

Managing a virtual team can be hard work especially if you are used to working in a shared office space. Still, there are plenty of things you can do to overcome common obstacles you might face and create a virtual workplace environment that everyone will love. Here are the most common obstacles you may face when getting started along with solutions to help you overcome them.

Miscommunication

When you’re managing virtual team members, it may seem all too easy to run into miscommunication issues. You’ll be missing out on those important communication benefits like being able to make eye contact with someone and listen to their requests face to face.

You can’t really tell someone’s tone from a text or email. This means you’ll have n way of knowing if team members are confused about something unless they tell you. One of the most common communication issues I’ve run through with others is if they misread an email I sent or wrongly interpret something I request.

The Solution: In order to combat miscommunication issues, you’ll need to make sure you’re hiring the right people in the first place. Hire team members who work well independently and are used to being on a virtual team.

Be sure to pay attention to how people communicate when you’re in the hiring process. Do they respond promptly to emails and use clear language? Ideally, you’ll want to offer a trial test before hiring someone to see how well they work and understand instructions. Observe how the person communicates, which methods of communication they prefer, along with the types of questions they ask.

On your end, you can bridge the gap by giving clear and precise instructions and including visuals to serve as examples. Let team members know how they can reach you and the best time of day to do so. For example, if you’re normally on your email all day, you might encourage email communication.

Or you can use a tool like Slack for group or one-on-one chats. Another option would be to set a specific day where team members can check in with you and ask important questions to help them with their tasks.

Availability

Don’t make the mistakes of expecting your virtual team members to be available all around the clock. Even if you have full-time employees, this may not be the best decision. It’s tempting to really push the flexibility factor when you have a virtual team.

Since everyone can literally work whenever they want, things can get mixed up. If you have lots of different processes that rely on several people, it may be hard to reach a person who is crucial to the completion of a project.

If someone prefers to work at night, you might miss their assistance during the day or feel like you’re never able to reach them.

The Solution: To avoid availability conflicts, create a rough weekly schedule that everyone can agree to. Ideally, you might want team members to be available during business hours of the work week if that works for them. You can still keep flexible deadlines but make it clear that you prefer everyone to be available to communicate with other team members between the hours of 10 am – 1 pm for example.

If you don’t want to answer business-related questions over the weekend, be clear about when you’ll be available to work as well. Request that team members communicate when their schedule might change in advance along with any upcoming vacations or travel commitments.

Trust

Can you trust your virtual team members? This may not be a question you ask yourself until someone violates your trust. The truth is, you may not really know the people that you’re considering working with very well. It’s difficult to get to know someone via a computer screen.

If your business handles sensitive information with clients or if you just have private info and processes that you’d rather not share with others or competitors, establishing trust is so important.

The Solution: Get to know team members as well as you can by hosting video interviews and meetings. If you have the opportunity to meet up in person whether you’re attending a conference or just passing through their town, be sure to seize it.

You can also ask team members to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a contract explaining your expectations. You also want to work with someone who is trustworthy so their actions don’t sabotage your business in any way. Establish processes that allow you or another person in your business to double-check sources, assignments, and so on until trust is established.

Productivity

Everyone wants their teams to be productive. Unproductive team members will waste your money and resources. Plus, you won’t make much progress in terms of meeting your goals for your business.

It’s nearly impossible to be productive at all times but aim for a team who’s productive around 80% of the time.

The Solution: You can help your team become more productive by distributing projects regularly and clearly explaining all the details. Encourage everyone to get on a schedule and choose a productive work setting for the day.

Share resources and tips about common distractions and how to eliminate them. Also, avoid bombarding your virtual team members with tons of pointless meetings. Keep meeting concise, well planned out and to the point.

Managing virtual team members may require a learning curve, but you can establish positive work relationships and truly grow your business once you learn to overcome these common obstacles.

Which obstacles are you facing when it comes to managing virtual team members? What solutions are you looking to implement?

We all strive for striking a balance between work and home. It may seem like an impossible feat. But, it is possible if you’re organized and have established clear boundaries. The best way to achieve these goals may be to separate your personal calendar from your business calendar.

Use the right calendar.

The first step you need to take is to find the right calendar that meets your specific needs. Ultimately, this comes down to deciding if you want to go paper or electronic — or both.

Although it may seem outdated, going old school does have its benefits. For starters, it gives you a quick visual reminder of what needs to get done since it can be placed on your wall, fridge, or desk. It also limits electronic notifications from distracting you, helps you better remember essential information, and allows you to record additional detail. Best of all, you can keep your business calendar at the office and your personal calendar at home. That may not sound like a big deal, but’s a simple way to establish boundaries between your personal and professional lives.

There are also some drawbacks to relying on a paper calendar. Most notably, they’re not as accessible as online calendars. As a consequence, you aren’t able to view or manage your calendars whenever and wherever you want. That can lead to forgetting to add important dates or events or creating some scheduling conflicts. You may respond to a social invite even though you’ve already committed to a work obligation.

Additionally, it’s much more convenient to share an online calendar with others. Most calendar apps allow you to share your calendar through email or an embedded link. Unless your colleagues, friends, or family are in the same location as your paper calendar, they can’t see when you’re available and when you’re not.

Choosing the right online calendar.

If you decide to use an online calendar, pay close attention to the following areas:

• User interface. Your calendar should be easy to use and a tool that you’ll want to use.
• Integrations and sharing. Can the calendar be shared with others? And, if so, can it be shared with seamlessly? Does it integrate with apps that you frequently use?
• Features and recommendations. Make sure that it has the features you specifically need to keep your life organized and productive. And, what online calendars do those closet to you use?

Determine what to include and leave off your calendar.

Once you’ve found the right calendar tool, you now have to determine what information you want to add. The reason is that if you add too much information, your calendar will become cluttered and unmanageable. As such, here are the items that you should place in your calendar:

• Downtime like work breaks and vacations.
• Date-specific appointments. These could include meetings, doctor’s appointments, social engagements, birthdays, and due dates for a work assignment.
• Tasks that you frequently struggle with, such as exercising, challenging projects, and administrative tasks.
• Learning new information and skills.
• Networking opportunities inside and outside of the workplace.
• Monthly themes that align with larger goals and projects.

On the flip side, here are the things that you should not put onto your calendar.

• Meetings that serve no purpose or that do not have an agenda.
• Standing or back-to-back appointments.
• To-do-lists items that are automatic, mundane, or vague. There’s no reason that you should add “brush my teeth” to your calendar.
• Excessive notes. There’s nothing wrong with adding important information, like the names of meeting participants for example. But, if you want a bio on each attendee, you’re better off putting that data in a separate document.
• Other people’s priorities that prevent you from achieving your own.

Use color-coding.

One of the most potent and effective ways to organize your calendar is by assigning a specific color to a particular task or event. This way you can quickly glance at your schedule to see how your time is divided.

You can use any colors you like to represent all of your appointments, meetings, events, or tasks, but I’m a fan of chakra color-coding.

There are seven “chakras” that represent the wheels of energy following through the body. By assigning the appropriate colors that match specific energies, you’ll have a more balanced and stress-free day. So, you would color-code your calendar as follows:

• Red represents all of your work-related tasks.
• Orange would be used for creative or passion projects.
• Yellow for anything that improves your life like exercise or learning.
• Green is reserved for personal activities like going out with your friends.
• Blue indicates activities that give you a chance to express yourself, such as writing or social media updates.
• Indigo would be for anything that deserves your complete attention and focus, like your most important task of the day.
• Violet, or white, is an additional color that you can use however you like.

Create multiple calendars.

Some people prefer to only create one master calendar. This strategy is more convenient than switching between several different calendars and more accurate with fewer errors. It also avoids scheduling conflicts which means less rescheduling and disappointed people. It’s much easier to stay organized with your plans.

At the same time, putting too much information could mean that your calendar becomes cluttered and more difficult to manage. It also helps avoid back-to-back appointments and tasks. And, perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t allow colleagues and clients to see what you have planned outside of work since you’re not sharing your personal calendar with them. Or, let everyone see your information and quit worrying what anyone thinks about what you’re doing.

The good news is that pretty much every leading calendar app allows you to create more than one calendar easily. It should be noted, however, that you’ll only be able to create new calendars through your web browser and not the app.

• Creating multiple Google Calendars
• Developing more than one Apple Calendar
• Building multiple Office 365 Calendars
• Creating different Yahoo Calendars

Keep your personal and professional lives separate.

Finally, if you truly want to separate your personal life from your professional, it’s vital that you establish boundaries. Secure perimeters mean keeping your private life private — and work life stays at work. For example, you don’t want to schedule personal responsibilities when you’re supposed to be working. Sometimes this is unavoidable when there’s an emergency. But you aren’t supposed to pay your bills, make personal phone calls, or run errands while on the clock.

Additionally, to enrich your personal life, create and stick to “office hours” so that work isn’t cutting into your personal life. For instance, if you’ve already made dinner plans with your best friend or committed to going to your child’s rehearsal, then you shouldn’t plan to attend a work event at the same date and time or respond immediately to work-related messages.