Productivity

What do three former Olympic gymnasts: Monica Gorman (1980), Kathleen Finnegan (1984), and Bonnie Wittmeier (1984) have in common? They all trained at the Winnipeg Gymnastics Centre. The 11,000 square foot facility, which first opened doors in 1977, is home to one of Canada’s largest gymnastics programs, boasting over 1400 active members in the 2018 calendar year. The person in charge of keeping the lights on is none other than Celia Champion, current owner and longtime gymnastics coach who took over the operations of the facility nearly a decade ago.

Working as the Owner, Head Coach and Facility Manager is no easy task; Celia is not only responsible for processing payroll, but she’s also accountable for scheduling competitions, facilitating coaches’ meetings, planning gym space for weekly training programs and much more. Until just recently, the faculty used a monthly calendar to detail dates of interest for both faculty and members. It was Celia’s responsibility to update the schedule at the end of every month, and with the gym open 6-7 days a week, setting aside time to organize and edit the gym’s monthly calendar became increasingly challenging to manage.

After years of frustration, Celia reached out to the team at Magnatag Visible Systems to develop a calendar system that could display the entirety of the gym’s schedule in a large, easy to read format. With the help of Magnatag’s GiantYear^® 365-day magnetic dry-erase calendar, the Winnipeg Gymnastics Centre is now able to display their complete program schedule on a single dry-erase board.

“We lay out an entire year’s worth of competitions, meetings, and priority bookings on the whiteboards. We actually have two: one for the coaching staff and parents, and one for myself, which also helps me with administrative duties in addition to our regularly scheduled agenda”, said Celia.

The gym’s calendar system is designed to highlight fixed dates (such as gym closings, holidays, and competitions) with color-coded cardholder magnets. Any other last-minute changes that need to be made to the schedule are then added to the board and emphasized with a colored signal magnet. With this method in place, gym members can reference the schedule as needed and the coaching staff can add notes when conflicts arise, establishing a line of connection that is always open. Celia’s calendar is managed in a similar method, with administrative duties also being tracked with the use of the cardholder magnets.

“Using the small calendar was such a pain. There was no room to add notes, things were constantly changing, and it became somewhat of a mess. With the new 365-day calendar, I can display everything I need in a single whiteboard. I know it’s also a big help for parents too, as competition times and dates will be posted as we receive them, and rather than having to check in with the coaches at the end of a practice, they can simply reference the board when they come to pick up their children.”

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If you'd like to learn more about the Winnipeg Gymnastics Center, you can visit their website at http://winnipeggymnasticscentre.com/

There's only so much time in your workday, and without a bulletproof scheduling system, it can be tough to stay on task and on time. If you're a frequent visitor of our blog, it's likely you've stumbled across a few of our time management resources in the past. A few months ago, we shared a story about a Magnatag customer that was using our whiteboards to aid in the development of his time blocking strategy—we even created a separate blog post breaking down time-blocking strategies for beginners. After creating these posts, we realized there's a lot of interest in learning more about time-blocking strategies. With this in mind, we put together a new infographic that details additional time-blocking strategies, tips, and statistics that can help improve your time management efforts. Check it out and let us know what you think!

One of the first steps in taking control of your schedule is finding a time management system that works best for you, but with millions of templates scattered across the internet, it’s nearly impossible to discover which systems are proven to be the most effective. We here at Magnatag like to think of ourselves as certified experts when it comes to the ins and outs of scheduling systems, and naturally, our sales team has taken note of some the most requested layouts that have made their way onto our custom printed whiteboards. So if you’re in need of a major renovation to your time management structure, or are interested in discovering alternatives for prioritizing daily tasks, we recommend starting here.

Gantt Chart (via Vertex42)
Gantt charts can be a great tool for visualizing start and stop times in your project management cycle. Vertex 42 has done an excellent job creating a Gantt chart development walkthrough that’s completely customizable and features task dependencies with slack and float time visibility. You can check it out here.

Employee Shift Schedule (via Microsoft)
Microsoft’s version of an employee shift schedule is one of the most straightforward examples out there. The template is separated into seven sections, with each slice highlighting a specific day of the week and hours of operation. The spreadsheet can be customized to your workday, making it a great starter tool for organizing your workforce. You can download the template here.

Daily, Weekly, & Quarterly Schedules (via Cal Poly)
California Polytechnic University takes pride in the university’s core philosophy of ‘Learn by Doing’, which means nearly every class on campus is accompanied by practice in a real world setting. As you can imagine with a schedule that involves class work and internship experience, ensuring students have access to time-management tools is of the utmost importance to the university. Cal Poly’s templates are nothing extraordinary by any means, but they serve as an excellent resource for simplifying dense schedules in both the short and long-term. You can learn more about Cal Poly’s scheduling resources on their website.

7-Minute Solution Flowchart (via The 7 Minute Life)
The 7-minute solution flowchart isn’t actually a template, which may leave you scratching your head as to why it’s even included in this list. The flowchart is designed for life’s long-term planning, breaking down lifelong goals into 90-day blocks. While we’ve never had any requests for the 7-minute flowchart to be printed on one of our dry erase boards, our sales team has spoken to many of our clients that have found inspiration from this popular workflow. You can check it out here.

U.S. Small Business Administration Business Plan Engine https://www.sba.gov/tools/business-plan/1
At the center of every well functioning business is an exceptional business plan. The U.S. Small Business Administration has created an outstanding template to help early entrepreneurs hit the ground running and develop a roadmap for the future. Once you’ve completed the template, your business plan can serve as an outline for measuring benchmark goals that are critical to your organization's success. We’ve designed whiteboard systems in the past that use business plan objectives as their primary point of focus, with a collection of mini-assignments building into an overarching project. You can get started on your business plan template by visiting the Small Business Administration's website.

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If you happen to find any of these templates useful and are looking to add an additional level of visibility to your time management structure, our team of visual systems specialists would be happy to help you and your team develop a custom printed whiteboard for your time management needs.

If you’re someone that isn’t a fan of minute-to-minute time blocking, finding a schedule that works best for you can be difficult. Luckily for you, our team at Magnatag has spent years studying and perfecting the art of schedule crafting. Along the way, we’ve made note of some of our favorite scheduling tips and strategies, in hopes to share them with others who fear the concept of a strict schedule.

Somewhere between 95% and 96% of all personal injury cases are settled pretrial. For the 4% to 5% that are unable to compromise outside of the courtroom, there’s Jim Nugent. Working as the lead trial lawyer for the Nugent & Bryant law firm based out of New Haven, Connecticut, Jim frequently finds himself juggling multiple cases throughout the course of the year.

“The last four months of any case are where everything you’ve been working towards begins to come into play. I like to call those last four months the “big crunch” because at times there can be a lot of deadlines in play and you’ve got to find a way to manage it”, says Nugent.

No matter what time you set your alarm in the morning, it still feels like there’s never enough time in the day. For those of us looking to maximize our time and become more proficient, there’s time blocking. It’s a scheduling technique that’s been making the rounds in some of Silicon Valley’s biggest startups over recent years, and many like-minded businesses are starting to take notice. So what is time blocking? Time blocking is essentially designating specific periods of time to a single project or task. The theory is that by isolating one specific project or task, distractions will be minimalized and workflow will benefit as a result. If you’re on the fence about whether or not time blocking is the correct option for your organization, take a look at a few benefits you can expect by taking on the itemized scheduling solution.

To many veterans across the US, the VFW deserves to stand as something more than a place to hangout; it should be a place of warmth and community engagement.

The truth is: Hundreds of VFW’s across the globe are experiencing a dwindling membership shortage. Younger veterans are not as incentivized by the simple offerings of liquor and camaraderie as they once were.

The Easton, Redding, and Region 9 school district is a tri-district located in Easton, Connecticut made up of five schools: Redding Elementary, Samuel Staples Elementary, Hellen Keller Middle, John Read Middle, and Joel Barlow High School—all of which fall directly under the supervision of Walter Czudak.

It’s Tuesday, September 7^th; it’s 3:00 PM and all across the nation, children have finally completed their first day of school. They get home and leave their shoes at the door; it’s time for you to ask roughly 50 questions regarding their new teacher and classmates—but not before you grab them a post-school snack—and in the meantime, they’ll unload their entire backpack all over your clean house. Amongst the many folders and crayons that now litter your kitchen table, there will undoubtedly be a lined notebook buried within the chaos.

There’s the famous saying that goes a little something like: “If you want to have a happy life, you’re best to leave your work at work.” While that may remain true for most right-minded individuals, the reality of the situation at hand is that it’s not always possible. Some people work irregular hours, forcing them to conflict personal time with their hectic work life. Others may find themselves in a different situation entirely: working from home to best combat the harsh reality of two full-time working parents. Regardless of what the situation at hand may be, it helps to have access to a workplace that feels comfortable and inviting. By inserting yourself an environment that feels homey, you’re inherently easing the natural tension that comes with the territory of a typical workplace.

We love whiteboards here at Magnatag (we know, shocking!) and we believe that dry erase surfaces are at their best when encouraging others to collaborate. Commonly used as a tool to help revitalize the conference room of days past, whiteboards are built from the ground-up with creativity in mind. Don't believe us? Check out the infographic below to see for yourself!

Whether you work in sales, manufacturing, education, or healthcare, it's likely that you've become familiar with Gantt charts. Designed in the early 1900s by Henry Gantt, Gantt charts have revolutionized the way we organize information in the workplace. At Magnatag, we know just how integral Gantt charts are to a successful operation, so we’ve created a list of ways you can use them to your advantage when dealing with project management.

Picture this: You’re in a room surrounded by a few coffee mugs and scattered post-it notes, flooded with folders of printed memos and important documents that cover the desktop in front of you, while sitting in a chair that is covered with outerwear fit for any scenario mother nature throws your way.

How do you know when your students are falling behind on grades and struggling with a specific subject?

The answer to this question is always met with a variety of responses ranging from the sarcastic, “Of course, I’m the best educator in the world! How could I not know which students of mine are falling behind?” to the less enthusiastic, “I try to.”

The truth of the matter is that no educator can always know how every one of his or her students is performing. Sure, you may have an idea of perhaps a handful of students that may be falling behind, but in order to prove that theory you are forced to dig through a plethora of binders just to validate your belief.

At Magnatag Visible Systems, we practice what we preach. So as we begin to plan for the New Year, many people around the office are turning to our GiantYear^® 365-day dry erase calendars to help coordinate various plans around the office.

Our marketing department houses a three-month variation of the board, which displays important dates for advertising publications, as well as other digital releases. The marketing team likes to treat this editorial calendar as a public domain of sorts; since contracts with publishers and online outlets are ever changing, there is a constant need for people to be in the loop with the what’s, where’s, and when’s of every advertising campaign. The whiteboard calendar is a hands-on tool for everyone in the office, providing an open opportunity for editing as needed.

As Visible Systems Specialists we talk to people everyday who buy one or more of our whiteboard systems to improve productivity and increase collaboration between employees. They tell us about the need to simplify communications and the operational improvement they seek by having everyone working together.

There are three main areas of learning: visual learning, audio learning and kinesthetic learning. The Magnatag marketing team researched the benefits of visual learning to see how beneficial it was for these types of learners to learn through seeing - through pictures, diagrams, drawings, flowcharts and list making. We found that using visual aids in activities such as brainstorming in the office or learning a lesson on a whiteboard are very beneficial to the majority of individuals. Share with us some of the ways you learn and collaborate and check out our infographic on our findings below!

Productivity is a challenge in the workplace, especially in today's society when we have technology to distract us. The lack of productivity costs companies thousands of dollars per year. Because of the lack of productivity among workers, it is now more important than ever to learn about what make us more productive. Check out Magnatag's infographic, "Productivity Land" to discover the tips and tricks that will keep you focused on your job throughout the day!

In today's hectic world, it can be easy to find yourself swept along in an endless tidal wave of work, meetings, and projects. The good news is that there are some simple tools that you can use to reclaim previously lost time in your day. By knowing the basics of time management, organization, and scheduling, you can work more efficiently and effectively at the task at hand, regardless of whether that task is raising a family or completing an office presentation. The key is to take a few minutes every day to implement gradual changes in how you work, and the first step is learning what those changes ought to be.

Time management can be the most difficult skill to acquire. A few lost minutes here and there may not seem like much, but when added together, they can completely reshape your day and what you can accomplish in it. The main goals of time management are to prioritize your tasks and break down your work into clear, manageable segments to allow for faster, easier completion. After all, working on one huge project can seem daunting. By breaking up the task into smaller portions and keeping track of what you have left to do, you can work more effectively on tasks that are a high priority. Save checking your email or Facebook for a five-minute break after you've finished one of your main goals for the day.