Keep training short ... but how short?

When it comes to elearning, we’ve been told that keeping it short can improve retention, but cutting it down too much can backfire. So, how do we know when short is too short?

“It used to be that formal learning programs in a corporate environment could be a week long. People would pack up and spend an intensive five days in a dedicated facility and immerse themselves in a new skill set.

Then the tolerance by employees and middle managers for a formal learning program shifted to two days. Then one day. Then half a day. Then one hour. Now it is probably about fifteen minutes,” according to Simulation Designer Clark Aldrich on his Simulations and Serious Games blog.

Of course, technology has improved instructional design, significantly reducing the amount of time it takes to complete training and learning courses. And since the advent of Google, we’ve been trained to find and learn information using the fastest methods available.

Whether it’s in response to the recession or not, training has gone from weekly retreats to days of on-site training, to an hour-long webinar. We’re trying to get the most bang for our buck by racing through a mountain of information as quickly as possible.

What do you think? Is it possible that we’re losing out on quality because we’re so focused on efficiency? Are we trying to squeeze too much training and learning into a window of time that’s way too short?

Is cramming it all into 15 minutes ever a good thing?

Unpaid training time puts employer in trouble

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recovered $117,023 from America’s Car Mart in overtime back wages for 103 current and former management trainees, following an investigation that found the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The DOL found that America’s Car Mart failed to pay its employees overtime compensation they were legally entitled to receive for the time they spent in training.

“This company failed to follow federal wage and hour regulations,” said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Wage and Hour Division in the Southwest. “In this case, non-exempt trainees were not compensated at time and one-half their regular rate of pay for overtime hours while in training.” (DOL press release)

The company cooperated with the DOL investigation and agreed to future FLSA compliance.

Remember:

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $6.55 for all hours worked, plus time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours worked more than 40 per week, unless otherwise exempt. Employers must also maintain accurate time and payroll records. Effective July 24, 2009, the minimum wage will increase to $7.25 per hour.

To determine whether an employee is exempt or nonexempt, they must meet certain job responsibility and salary tests. Current information on FLSA exemptions can be found on the DOL’s site at www.dol.gov/fairpay.

Because FLSA violation lawsuits can critically damage your business, it’s important to understand all of the federal the state labor laws on employee time and pay requirements. Know how to navigate the confusing FLSA compliance waters now, and eliminate the risk of fines and penalties later.

Productivity tips: How to become a ‘task ninja’

Throughout the day many of us get stuck in periods of inaction. Whether you’re procrastinating, completing small tasks to avoid the important ones or too distracted to get started on anything, the fact is, we’ve all been there.

So, what's the best way to get yourself out of a state of inaction?

Well, you can start by training yourself to become a “task ninja.”

I recently came across the idea in a post by Leo Babauta at his blog, Zen Habits. He’s also the author of The Power of Less, an insightful new book on personal productivity.

Instead of focusing on our inaction, Leo suggests that you “get all Ninja on your actions” and start forming an “Action Habit” instead.

Here are Leo's five quick steps to help you get started:

1. Figure out your key actions. Focusing on the right actions is just as important as the doing. Don’t spend a lot of time in this step — just quickly decide your Top 3 actions for today.

2. Pick one key action, and visualize the outcome. How will it look when you’re done? Again, don’t spend a lot of time here — just form a quick picture in your mind.

3. Just start. Tell yourself, “Do it now!” Make it a mantra. Don’t mess around with tools, with distractions, with anything that will get in the way of doing this task. Strip away everything but the task, and get going!

4. Focus on the moment. Just be in this task, don’t worry about the future or what mistakes you might make or might have made before. Just focus on doing this task, as best you can. Immerse yourself in it.

5. Get to done. Complete the task. Feel good about it! Pat yourself on the back!

After you’ve gone through all of the steps, repeat the process with your next habit. Like any habit, it will get easier with practice.

Improve your success rate by eliminating some common barriers to the Action Habit:

• Perfection isn’t necessary. Just focus on completing the task now. You can go back and improve it later.
• Don’t worry about the unnecessary. If you’re writing for example, don’t worry about the font or format of your document, just write.
• Eliminate distractions. Turn off instant messaging, Twitter, and let your phone calls go to voice mail. If you can’t concentrate in the office, get up and move to another location such as a quite conference room or cafe down the street.
• Break it up. If you’re intimidated by the size of the task, break it up into manageable pieces.

Training yourself to get more done is possible, but only if you know where to start. Zen Habits is a great blog to read if you’re looking for ways to new ways to improve your personal productivity on a daily basis.

You can also check out a few of our past posts on training yourself to be more productive:

How to be productive when business is slow

Productivity: Rules for effective meetings

Productivity: How to get started and avoid pitfalls

Personal productivity training, six simple tips

How to deliver employee training like a ninja

Productivity: How to get started and avoid pitfalls

Improving your personal productivity and discovering what works with you is a process that involves time, dedication and experimentation. Here are just a few tips and tricks from to help you get the ball rolling, keep it rolling and stay away from the biggest productivity-sapping traps.


Getting started

After you make the conscious decision to get to work on your productivity, you want to get started right away. But many times getting started on getting things done can seem like such a daunting task that we completely fail to start.

You can easily get started with productivity and see immediate results with a few uncomplicated tips from Heshy Shayovitz. His advice:

• Stop thinking about your to-do list. Don’t keep your to-do list locked up in your head, there’s too much going on up there and you risk forgetting something. Free your mind and let creativity flow.
• Just do it. If you can complete a task in two minutes or less, just do it. You’ll feel better about accomplishing something and more inclined to tackle everything else on your list.
• Keep your head in the game. Be conscious in whatever you’re working on at the moment. When you’re working on something, ask yourself three questions: why am I doing this? How can I stop doing it? How can I do it better?

Time management

With more on how to do things better and in less time, Chris Young at the Rainmaker Group recently put together a list of effective time management tips and techniques. To manage your time more effectively and maximize your possibility, Chris suggests:

• Have priorities. Put your to-do list in order, starting with the most important tasks and ending with things that could wait until later.
• Turn on the “green” light. Use your most productive time, what Chris calls “green time,” to focus on getting things done. Avoid taking long breaks or running errands during the most productive part of your day.
• Put up your guard. Don’t let others take away from your “green time” with unnecessary distractions. Guard your time from outside disruptions as much as possible.
• Take a break. If you need a break, take a quick 10 minute walk to recharge and then quickly get back to work.

Productivity pitfalls

After you’ve started on improving your personal productivity and are on a roll, be sure not to fall into any productivity-sapping traps. Productivity paranoia, as Christina Laun at Bootstrapper likes to call it, is a dangerous area where productivity management takes over your life and well being, at work and at the office.

Here’s some of Christina’s advice to avoid falling into productivity paranoia and get your efficiency obsession under control:

• Work with the time you have. You can only fit so much work into one day, so stop wishing you had more time. It’s not the end of the world if there are things left on your to-do list when the day is over.
• Focus on quality, not quantity. Checking everything off your list will make you feel like you’ve accomplished a lot, but the quality of each task probably suffered. Give yourself a pat on the back for the work you’ve completed each day.
• Enjoy your personal time. When you’re away from work, do your best to not think about work. Time off is healthy and will keep you more productive when you return to the office.
• Discover what works. There are hundreds of productivity techniques out there and finding the one that works for you may take time. Find what works for you and stick with it.

Personal productivity is a conscious pact you make with yourself. It may take some time to figure out exactly what works for you, but stick with it once you find out how you work best. Just be careful to not fall into productivity paranoia and you’ll be just fine.