Productivity Q&A with Jennifer Fox
(a.k.a. Productivity Ninja)
Occupation: Productivity Ninja
Company: Think
Productive North America
Location: New
York
Other job titles in life: Coach, Consultant, Facilitator, HR Visionary,
L&D Leader, Entrepreneur, Writer, Photographer, Athlete, Life-Long-Learner,
Wife-extraordinaire, Super-Mom-of-3
Q: What’s important about your workspace?
A; My most productive workspace is at a large
coffee retailer with a certain green logo. I love the background noise, which
ironically allows me great focus, the chance for frequent people-watching
breaks and the feel of warm coffee in my hand as I unleash my creativity on my
latest projects.
Q: Which ninja characteristic have you got nailed?
A: Unorthodoxy - my life and career path has been
anything but conventional. I love the freedom that comes from knowing that
there is rarely a “right” solution to a problem. Some former colleagues and I
coined the phrase, “blow it up”, as our way of creating excitement and energy
around looking for new ways to approach a problem.
Q: Which ninja characteristic are you still working
on the most?
A: Mindfulness & Human, not Superhero. I wear
many hats, the most important of which are serving those whom I love. In my
effort to please and have everything taken care of, I juggle too many balls,
and the one that gets dropped most is self-care. Recently, I’ve established a
meditation practice and am a die-hard fitbit tracker, so Zen-Like Calm Ninja
would be proud.
Q: Which five apps could you not live without?
A: I admit to having to pick up my phone to answer
this question. OmniFocus for all task and project
management, WhatsApp to communicate with my tribe of friends, AmazonMusic to
keep a song in my heart, Instagram for my social media fix and Starbucks for my
coffee addiction. (see workspace answer above!)
Q: What’s your favorite piece of stationery?
A: Much to the chagrin of my 8-year old who thinks
I am “SO boring”, I only use Black and Red Spiral bound notebooks. There is
nothing like starting a new one, creating to-do lists with check boxes next to
them and doodling with my mechanical pencil (never a pen). I also love journals
and have more than I care to admit that have months or years in between
entries.
Q: When in the day do you have the most proactive
attention?
A: Mid-morning, after the kids have been taken care
of and my house is (mostly) in order.
Q: What’s your trick for when you’re tired or
struggling with attention in the day?
A: Taking a break to clean something, or do a
menial task that I can complete. Checking a box brings great satisfaction and
gives me momentum to focus again. Also, changing my work environment. I’ve even
been known to drive to a different Starbucks down the street to change my
office space!
Q: What’s your best advice for reducing stress?
A: Find humor and insights everywhere. Luckily, I
have 3 amazing little people who provide non-stop entertainment. I also try to
be on the lookout for things that make me think, smile, wonder. I can presence
myself in the middle of Manhattan just by focusing on something that peaks my
curiosity. The Breathe app provides me with
frequent reminders to do just that, and I love Insight
Timer for guided meditation to unwind at the end of the
day, though I rarely make it past the 5-minute mark.
Q: What’s your email regime?
A: Confession: prior to becoming a Productivity
Ninja my regime was to keep everything, and hope that Google continued to raise
the inbox limit. Having been introduced to Inbox Zero, I’ll
never look back. It’s not easy to break old habits, but seeing the whitespace
on my screen is the equivalent to a clear desk.
Q: What’s your favorite way to take a break in the
middle of the day?
A: I would be lying if I didn’t say coffee, but
I’ll add connecting with someone in a casual way: friends, family, co-workers,
even the cashier at Chipotle can give me the energy I need.
Q: What’s the secret to your productivity?
A: I started using the hashtag #GSD when I
discovered hashtags were no longer pound signs (dating myself, but I know many
of you can relate). It stands for Get S*§% Done, and it’s my M.O. at work, home
and life. I am results-driven, sometimes to a fault, but have found that it has
allowed me to raise my game in every area of life. Sometimes it’s just taking
the first step towards a big project, other times it’s going all-in to complete
a project all at once. Being productive makes me feel great and inspires others
around me to achieve their own potential.
About the
Author: Jennifer Fox is a Productivity Ninja in the Greater
New York area. Meet
her in person at the 2018 TSCPA Women’s Career Summit or follow her on Twitter at @ThinkProdUSA. Register for the TSCPA Women's Career Summit at www.tscpa.com/women2018
No comments:
Post a Comment