If you’re not an inherently organized person, iStratus is here to help you apply critical organizational skills daily that will be transformative to your career. We want you to stand out and separate from the pack. Read on to discover five key strategies that will improve your organizational skills within the workplace.

Planning

Plan for accomplishment. Thinking as far ahead and establishing a thoughtful plan of attack allows for the value-added organization each day. Be proactive! The easiest way to be productive for the day is to plan and prepare, for it.

Being an efficient planner entails utilizing lists. 

Use iStratus to make a list of all the tasks you must cover each day. This will ensure:

• Fewer tasks are forgotten
• You experience the satisfaction of checking things off from your to-do list throughout the day.
• You have a concrete way to keep track of the tasks for completion.
• You will potentially stay motivate to commit and there will be a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment from finalizing tasks.

Regardless of which list or calendar method you use on iStratus, the application of a list will help you focus and structure your day.

Time Management

Begin by viewing your time as valuable. Life will pull you in different directions at times; feeling like you’ll never get atop your job. However, effective time management will allow you to address those moments of havoc with added intention and intelligence. We can view interruptions as a minor annoyance as opposed to something, which controls your day.

Everybody has a certain time of the day when they are most productive – if you function better early in the morning, consider that your prime time use iStratus to highlight and schedule your most demanding and challenging work during this time. Try to coordinate your prime time with others to minimize unnecessary and avoidable interruptions. 

Typically significant time is wasted dealing with interruptions during the workday. From emails to those constant “dings” that occur on our mobile phones and those distractions steal valuable time. Focusing on key tasks noted on your iStratus calendar in time blocks will help you track your day effectively.

Schedule. Schedule. Schedule

The scheduling strategy goes hand in hand with creating checklists. While you are creating “To-Dos” or Checklists of tasks and projects, align it all with a schedule. Give each task a designated timeframe in which to accomplish it. That way, you can ensure deadlines are met and nothing is left undone or by the wayside. 

Be generous and allow some flexibility with your time estimates for each task or project. The schedule must be realistic. Try not to compile a list and schedule that results in feeling low and unaccomplished because you “failed to meet” your own presets for work.

Appreciate your calendar with an eye upon the bigger, wider picture. Sometimes it’s important to focus on what’s happening today, for today, and then deal with tomorrow, tomorrow. Following this to take a few steps ahead at once towards a broader view will help you thrive.

Kick Goals

Nothing feels better than setting a goal and smashing it. Go for fulfillment. It’s a genuine energy boost!

Set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals for yourself. Prioritize both smaller and larger goals to stay motivated and disciplined to finalize tasks.

Remember flexibility is key. Adding new goals to your agenda in iStratus throughout the year or adjusting an existing goal is perfectly okay. Life is unpredictable, thus it’s important be open and willing to redirect the course as required. This doesn’t equate to failure. Sometimes, there is simply a need to pivot to keep moving forward. Moving forward is what counts.

You are in charge of your organizational domain.  Arrange your digital workspace into folders within iStratus for maximum efficiency. Anyone can diminish the time and effort it takes to accomplish tasks. 

Storing your files digitally with iStratus is designed to organize them in such a way so that everything you require is stored adequately and named appropriately. This will save time looking for those “lost” files. Create a master document of all your files to save time in the long run. 

Ultimately, we recognize that life is not a checklist, to rule your world. We do, believe in allowing the process to flow. We say that organizational skills are crucial for success and increasing your productivity so that you can breathe and focus on those things that matter to you most.

We hope these tips assist in helping you – Organize and transform your daily routine to stand out amongst “the crowd.”

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”

~ J. K. Rowling

Live life and roll well with iStratus.

The world’s technology revolution and information overload explosion have placed our daily attention under siege of sorts. On a given day we absorb more than quadruple the information than we ever did four decades ago. Information, thanks to the virtual world, is merely a few finger taps away.

Our brains, as governed by Darwin’s theory of biological evolution — advances gradually. Thus, our “attention intelligence” must effectively join the race to maintain productivity across the board.

Attention Intelligence? Really?

Yes. Really. With so much bombardment of information we all require some strategies to boost attention spans. It is no surprise that rapid change can become overwhelming. If you feel this way, right now – you’re not flying solo there.  First and foremost we need to de-clutter the mind to improve brain functionality or circuitry and ultimately boot productivity more successfully.

Knowing When to Switch Thinking Up or Off

The operating principle behind this idea is to enhance self-awareness to lead to greater productivity.

This is where we must address tasks that benefit from sustained concentration. These are things that typically involve, step-by-step problem solving, gathering and analyzing information (for example, organizing weekly schedules, expenses, To-Do Lists, and so forth). 

When we have been problem-solving for a meaningful period and our tight focused attention begins to feel counterproductive, as evidenced by lethargy, wavering concentration, and feeling stuck in gridlock.

To combat such things we believe that reducing distractions is key.

You can efficiently use iStratus to build a routine that capitalizes on reward circuitry within the brain. In short: By addressing goals, tasks, and checklists, one element at a time, we come to feel some sense of relief and fewer overloads.

Free Up Attention: Unload Info to Reduce Stress

Every day we have countless things to keep track of, that anytime we can dependably unload any of it, we free up our attention. If parts of the mind are preoccupied with our ‘To Do’ lists, we’re unable to fully engage in problem-solving or relax. We often unload by creating a contact list on our phones or recording our passwords. So we already acknowledge there are benefits to such “downloading”. 

Numerous studies associated with productivity, indicate we should be embracing as many opportunities as possible to unload stored information. Over decades, our brain circuitry has transitioned more towards being vigilant and constantly “pinging” reminders of our endless responsibilities and commitments. Ultimately, we are stuck with minds that are compelled to churn over such responsibilities – to what neuroscientists refer to as “rehearsal loops”.

Now more than ever, we recommend that besides unloading a trusted person, we also need to utilize an operational App or system such as ours to “mind sweep” and prioritize responsibilities and open up our capacity for responsiveness (and gain some much-needed sleep)!

You’ve no doubt heard of the “mind-sweeping” technique which is intended to capture all the tasks, responsibilities, commitments and those “should dos” that interject into our minds daily. Essentially it is all “the stuff” we feel obligated to complete.

• The first step towards progress is to identify and list as many of these items in iStratus so that information is readily available.
• The second step is to add new items that pop up (your can voice record them on your phone and transfer these across to iStratus).

By doing so, these items are “downloaded” onto a trusted external system, which can be reviewed periodically. In turn, we also “down the volume” on those rehearsal loops, become more relaxed, and have more capacity to focus on tasks at hand and the things we love.

As You Know, Prioritizing Is Meaningful. 

To de-clutter our minds, we also need to cultivate the habit of putting these tasks on a daily calendar. And any business that can be in the electronic trash upon reflection, 

De-clutter our attention and working memory and transfer some of those worries into our worlds. 

And as we noted in some of our previous articles: Sleep! – Don’t forget to catch a good night’s sleep, the most significant booster of productivity!

If you wish to save your mental energy for the important stuff to increase productivity, we recommend adopting the ‘good enough’ principle, with the unimportant stuff. President Obama knew what he was doing by limiting his wardrobe, depending on his schedule. This gives our attention spans space for more essential objectives.

With so many choices at our disposal, we can often feel that is our fault for not applying the best one.

However, with all the research on focus and excellence, consider it another reason to “dump” unnecessary information. It’s not as complicated as it seems. 

Why not use iStratus today, to help kick a new direction, preserve your time and cerebral energy for invaluable productivity? Start the change. Leap. Unload. Redirect your attention – 

Live life and roll well with iStratus.

In today’s world, parents are juggling a myriad of activities, responsibilities, work commitments, and family affairs more than ever before.

Life is continually becoming busier, and one thing that will make all the difference between having a relaxed and peaceful household rather than a chaotic and overwhelming one is, our favorite iStratus feature: Organization.

If you’d like to incorporate a bit more order into your family environment, iStratus has ways in which you can become an organized parent whilst simultaneously increasing harmony at home.

Everyday Life 

Let’s face it; most of us spend large chunks of our days in the car—driving back and forth to work and shuttling kids to their activities. 

Often it’s difficult to keep track. 

That’s why it’s a good idea to keep your “To-Do List” accessible and ‘on the go whenever you leave the house. Given its portability on your device, iStratus is simply perfect for that.

You’re unlikely to forget a task or project to tackle while on the move, or waiting in line, which saves you time in the long run – and when home there’s more time for family. 

The Weekly Menu

How often do you shop for your groceries?

Are you constantly roving in the supermarket pretty much daily simply because you’ve overlooked some ingredients in that recipe or have no clue what you’re serving for dinner? 

The biggest sanity saver for any family is meal planning. It does not have to be complicated or fanciful. It can still be convenient and healthy.

Most families enjoy staple meals upon the table such as spaghetti meatballs (which you can incorporate veggies, like grated zucchinis and carrots into) roasted chicken and rice, or more relaxed foods like Tacos Tuesdays.

iStratus recommends:

• Creating a list of about 10 or 12 meals that your family enjoys regularly and incorporate those into your weekly menu.
• Shop with your dinnertime plan handy so that you don’t overlook any key ingredients on the list.
• Leave nights open for leftovers, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or take out.
• Try not to stress over “What’s for dinner?” every night

This way, there’s less stress and you will have some extra energy to spend focused on your projects, which will be of additional benefit to your family.

Resourcefully Organize a “Cheat Sheet”

As you probably well know by now, we at iStratus believe that having a calendar system is a must to keep your family organized, it’s not new news. 

However, in addition to that idea, you can create some “cheat sheets” which can be shared electronically. Information is right there in a few taps.

By all means, transition these into concrete form to be laminated and kept on the fridge or inside the kitchen cabinets, for quick access.

Include emergency numbers for police/fire and any of the following essential info:

• Work numbers for Mom and Dad, 
• The pediatricians, neighbors, extended family, and friends nearby 
• Contact details for anyone who is back up in an emergency. 
• Notes regarding over-the-counter medication dosages that are required for family members, particularly the younger ones, who have any allergies.
• Record and safely store social security numbers on the cheat sheet, which is always required for one form or another.

Create a separate memo in iStratus, which can be shared with sitters, grandparents, older children, and so forth, 

• Record full names
• Age, weights, and dates of birth of your kids’.
• Details which doctors and emergency personnel frequently request, on a need-to-know basis).
• Document important relevant notes following each consultation/check-up – and update them regularly.

That Morning Rush

Besides meal planning, the second-best organizational habit is to checklist what helps you and your kids prepare for school the night before, like: 

• School lunches 
• Reminders of the outfits, and extra things needed, such as gym clothes or after-school practice equipment.
• Library bags, reading folders, anything else needed to head out the door without feeling like headless chooks aka chickens.

Learning to Say “No”

This idea is something we’re mentioned in our previous article: “When Working and Caregiving Are Pulling You Apart” [hyperlink].

One of the main reasons people become disorganized and stressed out more than necessary is because of the difficulty in saying one word: NO. 

You name it, from over-volunteering time to a myriad of duties, too many people over-commit. 

Use iStratus to prioritize your social obligations and civic duties clearly towards multiple play-dates and birthday parties for the kids.

“This is as true in everyday life as it is in battle: we are given one life… the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to act and in acting, to live.”

~ General Omar Bradley

Be honest with yourself in what value these things truly hold you and your family. Eliminate the tasks you can and you’ll free up time, be less overwhelmed, and feel more organized.

Live life and roll well with iStratus.

Sometimes, it’s hard to take the weight of everything that occurs simultaneously in our lives. 

Are you a caregiver? Perhaps you have a young child or a family member who has a disability or long-term illness that requires significant support.

If you’re someone’s caregiver, you know how tough it can be to balance the never-ending responsibilities amongst your work demands. 

You want to be at your best with both roles, but inevitably there will be days when they feel mutually exclusive. The upside is, there are systems you can implement to manage the demands upon your time.

In this article, we’ll address some of the challenges faced by caregivers, and reflect on how iStratus can help you balance your responsibilities at both work and home.

An Increasing Trend

In addition to the increasing demands of today’s world, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that a myriad of people have been thrown into directly providing full-time care for a relative for the first time. 

As schools have morphed into a hybrid process of instruction, support services for aged care and vulnerable people are at maximum stretch, and there has been minimal time to adapt.

Knock on Effects: Work and Productivity

Caregiving responsibilities can also have a significant impact on your career. At times, you may feel as though you’re being pulled in two different directions. Perhaps you have to take longer breaks during the day to care for a parent, or leave work early more often because of your other responsibilities? Inevitably, this makes you feel less productive at work.

iStratus is here to help you manage your work and home responsibilities when you’re feeling stretched/“pulled apart.”

1. Get Organized

As a caregiver, it’s not rocket science: You have a bunch of responsibilities. Not only do you have to keep abreast of your work tasks and priorities, but you also have to invest time and energy in juggling the needs of your loved one. Thus, the ability to effectively organize your day is so significant. 

One simple way to combat this is to use iStratus as a notebook, a sort of “catch-all” for your thoughts, notes, and tasks. That way all, important information is in one place and invaluable mental energy isn’t strained trying to remember everything.

iStratus aims to help you where you feel the most disorganized:

Are you often late for appointments? 

Do you often delay meal preparation because you’re busy trying to finish off work? 

Is your inbox a mess?

Start every day with iStratus using: 

• A new, dated page
• A new To-Do List or Action Plan
• Prioritizing responsibilities, so that you avoid lost time on non-essential tasks.

By taking those small steps daily focused on areas that cause the most stress, we’re sure you’ll feel a change.

2. How’s That Contingency Plan?

It’s essential to have a contingency plan, including a plan C for your contingency plan, in case of an emergency! As life happens, even the top mapped-out plans can go awry.

In iStratus:

• Create a list of the most likely emergencies that could throw your schedule off course.
• Establish a contingency plan for each one. 
• Generate a contact list of family members, friends or colleagues, willing to help out if an unexpected incident occurs.

Find solutions before an emergency happens, so if something unexpected does arise, you will be armed with a plan of attack.

3. Seek Support, Delegate

Another mistake we make while trying to juggle work with caregiving is thinking that we have to do everything ourselves. 

It is okay to ask for help. Perhaps a friend or your spouse can cover your caregiving duties one day a week, while you take a break.

Using iStratus, easily share: 

• Household Duty Lists
• Shopping Lists
• Meal Plans 

Seeking support isn’t easy at first, but often people genuinely want to be there and are waiting to be told exactly how they can step up and help.

Delegate.

4. Don’t Forget About Yourself

Your time is your most precious commodity and habitually, it’s what’s in short supply. Don’t be tempted to skimp on “me” time.

Taking time for yourself will help you to manage stress and ensure that you have the physical and mental energy to function.

Schedule some personal time within iStratus to call a friend or read your favorite book. 

“Unless you fill yourself up first, you have nothing to give to anybody.”

~ Robin Sharma

Caregivers become accustomed to putting the needs of others before their own, that their ambitions are on hold. 

Set long-term, personal goals – both for work and the aspirations in your wider life. This will help you stay motivated and moving forward towards the future.

Be honest with your employer, family, and friends, seek support when needed, and apply organizational tools like iStratus, to lighten your load and make managing everything possible.

Live life and roll well with iStratus.

Who knew a little yellow square could be SO resourceful?

Oh what an invaluable joy those little ‘sticky notes’ are for day planner organization and productivity! 

So of course, we couldn’t resist diversifying their use to suit the electronic form, which we hope you’ll enjoy, just as much as the original. 

Post-It (Note) in the “Daily-WS” Tab – And boom, your annotations, observations, and jotted thoughts are always there when you need them most. One of the best features of iStratus Pro is that you also have the option to add your own signature, date, and/or converting Post-Its to PDF. 

Hallelujah! No more forgetting or “Ghosting” out little yellow squares. Those essential reminders or motivators are set and can be effortlessly exported or forwarded at the drop of a hat. Akin to a handy little pocket, you can simply drop biz into them wherever you go. 

Why The “Sticky Note” Idea Works 

We’ve mentioned it before; distractions are a major inhibitor of our ability to organize ourselves in our modern, notification-obsessed working world. The iStratus “Sticky Note” idea is your workspace best friend created to help you work faster and remain attentive towards the task at hand. 

You may have once been bestowed the “World’s Best Multi-Tasker” Award in your home or office, however, in life’s experience, no one is truly flawless at multi-tasking. 

When you think about it, this concept is really not an actual thing. What we’re really doing is constantly switching our minds from one task to the next. Every time you take a coffee break or tidy the kitchen (which you can’t stand looking at any longer because the kids left it like a bombsite) you’re forcing your brain to change gears.

Your brain cognitively resets this new information – and hello there, sluggish, brain drain that requires a reboot of its operating system.

Multiple University studies have concluded that you’re dropping the ball on at least 40 percent of your productivity by rapidly interchanging tasks. 

Following distractions, it requires approximately 23 minutes to recoup the same level of in-depth concentration you had prior to dealing with that chocolate milk explosion in the kitchen. 

In a world where productivity software reigns supreme, we realize, our attempt to digitize the sticky note, is a hard sell against the more popular original paper square. 

Going From “Blah” To “How Did I Ever Survive Without This?!”

It’s not news, that what is deemed ‘normal’ now was initially difficult to adapt to, simply because “we’ve always done it this other way.” This something we say far too often. Electronic sticky notes are a classic example. It’s really not so different from the initial Post-It Note design idea, so “why not just stick with the paper ones?” (No pun intended). 

We’re here to say, with some adjustment the process, will eventually go from “Blah” to “Wow. How did I EVER survive with this tool before now?!” Give it a shot – change is good from 1977.

They Do What? 

Just think: When you’ve plastered a wall or whiteboard with sticky notes for productivity and development, the only way to record detail is with a photograph, which often goes nowhere in the abyss of your phone. iStratus already has your sticky notes covered:

• In an online environment that automatically recorded and ready for the next phase of any project. No need for a picture or time-consuming transcribing.
• Upon unlimited walls for jogging your memory. Electronic sticky notes remain exactly where you left them and you are able to access your spatial memory every time you open the App.
• With a direct, reportable commenting functions available. You can create Sticky Notes to record a discussion, or meeting minutes, saving time and energy. 
• Saving trees! This is one of the best parts. The impact we have on the environment is very real. It’s important to question how much paper is truly required. A sticky note generally has a lifespan of a couple of hours, maybe four tops. Is all that paper really essential?

So while you may be stuck in the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset, sometimes all it takes is seeing the advantage of evolution with a little less hesitation.

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; [followed by] transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”

~ Napoleon Hill

Are You Ready To Stick To It?  

The beauty of electronic sticky notes is their ease of use, and just like the original – their versatility enables them to cater to any system, which is why they are still a highly favored element for productivity. It’s not about being a fancy software tool, but a highly effective, useable one. 

Hopefully, things will stick if you let them.

Live life and roll well with iStratus.

Effectively optimizing your productivity increases your overall workplace performance and reputation. Anyone can increase their productivity with specific strategies, utilizing functional tools so that you can perform at your best.

On surface value, productivity measures how efficiently production inputs, such as labor and capital, are being used in an economy compared to a set level of output.

The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) defines productivity as “the ratio between the output volume and the volume of inputs.”

Productivity isn’t everything, but… 

In the long term, it is almost everything. Our country relies on it for future growth and development. Ultimately, there are always hidden functions operating in the background, we don’t necessarily think about. iStratus recognizes the ways in which we can apply ‘color’ for maintaining productivity is one of them.

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into why ‘color’ (is not just for organization) – it is known to improve one’s industrious output. Trust us, this will keep looking at the screen each day, a little more interesting.

Right now, you’re probably thinking: What The? Exactly, how do shades of Blue, Yellow, Green, and Orange, improve your productivity while using iStratus? 

We hope you’ll continue reading to find out.

Unearth Calmness with Blue Hues

Blue is well known to be a calming color, even just by looking at it on screen, can slow our breathing and lower blood pressure. UK Color Psychologist Dr. Angela Wright suggests despite its feel of tranquility blue has the hue, which stimulates the mind.

For focus and completion: Try adding blue Titles on To-Do List’s, blue fonts to electronic sketches, emails, and or/notes for sending out. The right combination of a calm yet stimulating effect, is likely to give you a motivational boost.

Yellow: Energizes and Improves Collaboration

Yellow is possibly the most inviting, uplifting color in the rainbow. Regardless of what shade it is, yellow is vibrant. If you want to create a more open, invigorating atmosphere adding accents of yellow could help without overwhelming the senses. Yay for Sticky notes! 

As discussed in our article: “Don’t Ghost It, “Post-IT”!” [hyperlink] they’re a happy yellow favorite when using iStratus.

Dr. Wright’s Color Psychology Properties suggest: 

• Yellow sparks creativity and memory. 
• Self-esteem and optimism can also be elevated by moderate touches of yellow. 

We hope that using some mellow yellow in iStratus will inspire your ability to collaborate and create.

Relax Amongst Green

Fun Fact: Do you know the human eye can identify more shades of green than any other color? 

This is most likely because of its prevalence within the natural world – we’re so used to seeing various green tones everywhere. 

Have you noticed that within our App, backgrounds and titles are set to feature a distinct Green, so that they’re eye-catching, without being distracting?

Pro Tip: Use Green on your Activity Lists for less eye fatigue.

Orange Helps Maintain Enthusiasm 

Surprisingly, research indicates that Orange may be the winning color for boosting productivity. Orange often imparts enthusiasm and endurance – two things that definitely improve productivity.

We recognize there is a benefit to highlighting your electronic Calendar in orange. On the same hand, it is a hue that’s either loved or hated, so splashes or “pops of it” are best. 

Cultural norms, trends, and past experiences can all influence the way a person reacts to a certain color. Despite all external factors, people appear to have universal, innate reactions to color hues.

Productivity and Impact:

Overall, at iStratus we believe productivity functions across three dimensions whereby: 

• Quantity does not overrule Quality, and 
• Value is created. 

Technology is widely viewed, as one of the most fundamental factors contributing to productivity. This may seem obvious, but the dimension of quality and significance is central to our conception of productivity. 

Perhaps, think about the productivity of your life in a way that reinforces well-being. Too much focus on the path rather than the destination can make it difficult to determine the success of our resolves to become more productive which can unnecessarily dismiss the best practices that don’t fit into our views of efficiency.

So even if you only apply a few of these color concepts and elements within our App, so as long as you make them part of your daily routine, you’re much more likely to reap the benefits and cover Productivity like a Pro. 

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people are not used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

~ Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011)

Hopefully from a color perspective, you see, its impact is about the difference it has on the world around you. And in turn, your productivity is a positive impact on the world.

One’s output matters.

Live life and roll well with iStratus.

Creating a Digital Filing System