Articles by Teri McMackin

The word “brainstorm” can invoke a variety of responses that range from excitement to dread depending on past experience but, when done right, it’s truly an opportunity to foster a creative environment, encourage creative thinking, and bring your team together. When you think of brainstorming, you probably picture a simple room and people sitting around …

Continue reading “The Ultimate List of Brainstorming Exercises for Teams”

@teamly For additional information on this topic, feel free to check out this Youtube video from our channel. Now, onto the main content… While the saying “Okay Boomer” may have kicked off what appears to be a war of generations, the truth is that generations have been butting heads for centuries. “[Young people] are high-minded …

Continue reading “How to Manage a Multigenerational Workforce”

Now, more than ever, the bulk of our personal and professional communication is happening through a screen rather than in person. Whether it is an email or instant message, it is important that we effectively communicate our messages. Challenges of Written Communication There was a day when you met regularly and in-person with your team. …

Continue reading “How to Improve Your Written Communication Skills at Work”

There isn’t a more widely used and recognized productivity tool than the calendar. People use calendars for all sorts of purposes including the planning of daily activities, remembering birthdays, and scheduling meetings… just to name a few! There is no one size fits all system to manage your calendar but let’s start with the basics …

Continue reading “Manage Your Calendar Like A Pro”

“You got a minute?” While this may seem to be a harmless ask, pair it with the email that just popped up on your screen, the social media notification on your phone, and the sticky note on your screen reminding you to pick up the kids early for a dentist appointment and it is amazing …

Continue reading “10 Simple Ways to Reduce Distractions at Work”

A global pandemic pushed companies to embrace at least part-time remote work options. At this time, about 18% of people in the world work fully remotely so if you found your way to this blog post, you are likely on or dealing with a remote team. Instances of informal watercooler gatherings, casual Fridays, and office …

Continue reading “Have Fun! Here’s How to Celebrate with Remote Teams”

There are endless blogs, articles, books, even studies on how to effectively lead a team. But who is leading the leader? Self-management is exactly what it sounds like – it’s your ability to manage your own behaviour, thoughts, and emotions. Somehow, managing a team of 100 people seems less daunting than managing a team of …

Continue reading “Self-Management 101: How To Plan, Prioritize & Achieve Goals”

Now more than ever, leaders are struggling to find ways for their teams to connect in an increasingly digital environment. Even before the great digital shift of 2020 (thanks COVID) management hustled to find ways to engage their team in ways that built trust and camaraderie. If you have ever been on the receiving end …

Continue reading “Why Team Building Doesn’t Work and What to do Instead”

Organizations have a vision statement for a reason – to communicate the direction in which they are heading and the goal (vision) they wish to achieve. Visions are powerful tools that inspire people into action. A team that has a clear vision for their work will be more motivated to contribute to the process because …

Continue reading “Advantages and Disadvantages of Visionary Leadership”

One of the best ways to learn about anything is to read books from those with experience and expertise on the topic. Here, you will find a list (in no particular order) of great books on the topic of remote work to inspire you to join the club or improve your existing remote work situation. …

Continue reading “20+ Of The Best Books on Remote Work”

Thankfully, computers have virtually eliminated the need for any kind of paper clutter. Gone are the days of crowded filing rooms and physically searching for an invoice that was sent over a year ago. While the amount of paper that fills our filing cabinets is significantly reduced, we’ve managed to shift the problem from one …

Continue reading “Get Rid of Virtual Clutter and Organize Your Digital Files”

Everyone (even Oprah) has the same 24 hours in a day, so why is it that some people seem to accomplish an inhuman amount of work when you can’t even manage to reply to that one email? No, it isn’t just you. Time management is a hot topic these days for good reason and there …

Continue reading “Time Blocking – A Time Management Trick to Get in the Zone”

To-do or not to-do… that is the question! But if you are reading this, you have decided that you need to do a to-do list. The name describes its function: a to-do list is simply a list of tasks that you would like to accomplish. There are quite literally millions of templates designed to plug …

Continue reading “Master Your To-Do List and Get Things Done”

Not only are more people working remotely, but one Owl Labs study says that half of their respondents indicated that they would not even consider returning to a job that didn’t offer at least part time remote options. Currently, In the U.S. alone, almost 70% of workers are working from home. Early in the pandemic, …

Continue reading “Work From Home? Here is how to Separate Your Space”

Just when you thought that your note taking days were over when you finished school, you enter the real world and realize that note taking is a critical and important skill in the workplace. Like any skill, you can become a better note taker with a little bit of practice and a couple great tips. …

Continue reading “Take Meeting Notes That Are Actually Useful”

Sometimes, even the best blogs can’t dig deep enough into an important and complicated topic… Books to the rescue! Lucky for us, there are a ton of great thought leaders and experts on the topic of accountability so all you need to do is dedicate some time to reading their works and practice applying what …

Continue reading “Top 10 Must Read Books on Accountability”

We can thank industrial engineer Allen F. Morgenstern for the common saying “Work smarter, not harder” but what exactly does that mean? In essence, you need to find the most efficient way to work, as opposed to the most complex and demanding path. It may seem like it is common sense but people are notorious …

Continue reading “Work Smarter (Not Harder) and Master Time Management”

You have probably heard the quote “leadership is an action, not a position”. This quote is widely used in leadership development programs and is credited to broadcasting executive Donald McGannon. It’s one thing to know and understand that leadership is an action, but it is another thing to put that action into practice in your …

Continue reading “Act… Like a Leader”

When it comes to advancing in your career, it’s helpful to stand out from the crowd. You want to be memorable, you want to impress, and you want to demonstrate your unique abilities and talents that would make you the best fit for the job. There is a perceived risk that if you fit in …

Continue reading “Embracing a Team First Mentality Where Everyone Wins”

After the last 2 years, it’s understandable that people are struggling to practice gratitude or even find things to be grateful for. It seems like the world is on fire but there are ways to initiate the process of making space for gratitude. For starters, you are reading this article on some kind of smart …

Continue reading “10 Simple Ways to Start Practicing Gratitude”

Everyone knows a procrastinator… or maybe you are the procrastinator that everyone knows. Merriam-Webster defines procrastination as intentionally putting off doing something that should and can be done. The key to procrastination is that you have the means to do the task but you are intentionally choosing to delay for a number of possible reasons. …

Continue reading “Purposeful Delay: The Art of Procrastination and How You Can Benefit From It”

You know how it goes… Friday: Get home exhausted, brain still whirling with to-dos both pending and new ones to add to your list. Saturday: Sleep in but only for a bit, you dreamt about work and don’t feel the least bit rested. You get up anyway because you have a million chores and errands …

Continue reading “How To Stop Thinking About Work”

On any given day, there are over 300 BILLION emails sent. Some days, you feel like half of them are sitting (unopened) in your inbox… Emails became a popular method of professional communication in 1996 and, within a year, about 10 million people had email accounts. By 2001, just about every business was making use …

Continue reading “10 Tips To Achieve Inbox Zero”

Prior to a global pandemic, there was a lot of skepticism around the ability to be productive in a remote work environment. The studies are in and they are numerous: not only are remote workers productive, but they are often more productive than in person office workers. It is important to recognize that hours worked …

Continue reading “Top 11 Ways to Encourage Remote Team Productivity”

In the race to do more in less time, many people pride themselves on their ability to multitask. It is so common, in fact, that it is often listed as a skill on resumes. But is multitasking really a skill? There are some instances where you can actually multitask, consider the times that you have …

Continue reading “The 5 Perils of Multitasking”

You may be at work for a total of 8 hours but studies show that you are only clocking about 3 productive hours in a work day! This begs the question… What’s going on during those other 5 hours? Surely your internet scrolling isn’t taking up that much time. There are a number of gaps …

Continue reading “15 Productive Things to do When you are Bored at Work”

The workplace watercooler was once the gathering point where people could take a breath and connect with another human being. Stories of children, pets, hobbies, and even love interests were shared loosely and with gusto. Communities tend to happen naturally wherever people congregate, but what do we do when people are not physically gathering? While …

Continue reading “How to Build an Inclusive Remote Working Community”