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The Productivity Playbook

Published by Pearson

Intermediate content levelIntermediate

Transform everyday efforts into successes

  • Understand and apply the productivity equation of efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Know how to minimize the impact of micro-stressors and day-to-day stress on productivity.
  • Learn practical productivity hacks and tips that you can apply immediately.

Being productive is not about being busy. It is about how efficiently you can produce excellent results across a myriad of different contexts. Being productive is also about how well you manage varying demands and requests without compromising on quality and relationships. Being productive leads to better time management and work-life balance rather than procrastination and stress.

We are growing accustomed to new ways of working and many of us are now working in a hybrid style – some of the time in the office and some of the time from home. You may also be working completely remotely or across remote teams. The future of how we work continues to be a changing landscape, which makes it even more important to seek a productive work-life balance.

Emma Sue Prince, expert in developing and strengthening power skills like productivity, guides you through interactive exercises offering tips and ideas for supercharging your productivity and improving your overall wellbeing that you can put into practice immediately both at home and in the office.

Career Success Series

The Career Success Series from Pearson addresses essential skills for your personal and professional development in the areas of communication, presentation, critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and resilience. These skills are critical for any industry, any job title, and any career stage – whether you’re just starting out or have been in the workforce for years. Expert trainers deliver practical tools and techniques you can use to enhance your resume, excel in your career, or simply enrich your life skills.

What you’ll learn and how you can apply it

  • Understand the factors that contribute to our ability to be truly productive and perform well
  • Know how to mitigate day-to-day micro-stressors that impact productivity levels
  • Develop strategies to tap into your strengths so that you are consistently bringing your best self to work
  • Master practical tools and strategies to supercharge your productivity levels

This live event is for you because...

  • You want to work efficiently, productively, and achieve outstanding results
  • You want to be able to successfully override procrastination and distraction
  • You want to make some changes to how you are currently working so that you have more balance, better output, and higher energy levels

Prerequisites

  • There are no prerequisites, but having pen and paper handy for the exercises would be useful

Recommended Preparation

Recommended Follow-up

Schedule

The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.

Segment 1: The Productivity Equation (25 minutes)

  • What does being productive really mean in today’s workplace?
  • The impact of the information age on productivity
  • The productivity equation: effectiveness versus efficiency
  • Why energy levels matter
  • Q&A

Segment 2: The Impact of Micro-Stressors and Distraction (30 minutes)

  • Examples of key micro-stressors
  • Impacts of day-to-day stress
  • Why we procrastinate
  • Effects of our reactive environment
  • Exercise: Diagnose your own distractions
  • Mitigate micro-stressors and procrastination
  • Q&A
  • Exercise: Stress Mapping

Break (5 minutes)

Segment 3: Avoiding Information Overload (55 minutes)

  • Manage email and messaging overload
  • Managing information overload in the remote-hybrid workplace
  • Set boundaries that really work
  • Create deep work pockets
  • From Chaos to Clarity: A Case Study in Managing Information Overload
  • Q&A

Break (5 minutes)

Segment 4: Productivity Tips and Hacks (50 mins)

  • Quit multi-tasking
  • Finish the never-ending to-do list
  • Learn how to take breaks
  • Banish procrastination
  • Manage your environment
  • Understand motivation
  • You are what you eat (and drink)
  • Step up your professional and personal development
  • Q&A
  • Exercise: Identifying your productivity timewasters

Course wrap-up, Q&A, and next steps (10 mins)

Your Instructor

  • Emma Sue Prince

    Emma Sue Prince is the author of 7 Skills for the Future (Pearson), translated into 10 languages, and a facilitator and coach specialising in the human skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven world. With an MBA from Cranfield School of Management, Emma Sue brings a practical, research-informed approach to developing capabilities such as adaptability, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and resilience—skills that are increasingly essential as technology reshapes how we work. She delivers highly interactive programmes for global audiences, including software engineers, data professionals, and technical leaders. Her sessions focus on helping participants navigate complexity, make better decisions, collaborate effectively, and maintain performance under pressure. Emma Sue’s work is grounded in both research and real-world experience. Earlier in her career, she worked on international skills development and training programmes across multiple countries, and she continues to design and deliver learning experiences for organisations including global law firms, universities, and healthcare systems. In addition to her facilitation work, she is a qualified coach, mental health first aider, and bereavement counsellor, bringing depth and insight to topics such as stress, focus, and sustainable productivity. Her focus is on a key question facing today’s professionals: as more of what we do is automated, how do we strengthen the uniquely human skills that create value?

Skill covered

Personal Productivity