Loading

Learning with Lynda.com at The University of Edinburgh Increasing your productivity skills with Lynda.com - August 2018

Introduction

Welcome to the July edition of our Learning with Lynda.com newsletter! This issue has been co-written by Andy Todd and Jordana Black (student intern) of the Digital Skills and Training team.

It's that time of year again - the clouds have parted and Edinburgh is finally experiencing some sun. The summer months can lead to a huge slump in productivity amongst both students and staff. For students, the academic year is over and the pressure of exams and deadlines are a thing of the past (for a few months at least). For staff, the warm weather brings a fight over fans and time spent looking longingly out the window, counting down the days until annual leave.

Did you know, the average worker spends around 13 hours (that's 28% of the working week!) answering emails? Not only that, but people in the UK waste 24 days a year due to procrastination! So how can we cut down this massive portion of time wasted? In this issue, we will be focusing on how you can use Lynda.com to master the art of productivity, as well as giving you some top tips on how to stay productive.

OneNote course hits the right note with our Chief Information Officer

This month, we hear how the Chief Information Officer and Librarian to the University of Edinburgh, Gavin McLachlan has been successfully using Lynda.com to build on his prior knowledge of Microsoft's handy digital notebook capturing tool, OneNote.

Image of Gavin McLachlan taken from the RUGIT website: http://www.rugit.ac.uk/members/members/gavinmclachlan.html

“Lynda.com is an absolutely vital and key resource for every staff member and student. I was an early user of Lynda.com. My most recent course was OneNote 2016 Essential Training. A great product which I had been using for over 4 years, but never really felt I was using it properly or fully. The Lynda.com OneNote course was fantastic. I could stop or start the learning at any time – really helpful in terms of fitting the learning into and around my manic work days."

"I learned and now use some of the more advanced features of OneNote and really cannot live without the product now. It is surprising how useful it is to be formally trained in a product after you have used it for a while. You discover many things about the product that have enhanced my productivity or quality of use. My next learning adventure is aimed at ‘enemy number one’ the deluge of daily emails I get. I am looking now for the right Lynda.com course to give me greater insight in the advanced use of Outlook to manage my emails better. “

From procrastinator to plan maker

In this month's issue we have not one, not two, but three recommended courses to share with you - one for students, one for staff, and one for everyone!

Overcoming Procrastination

Our student pick for this month is a course entitled 'Overcoming Procrastination'. Students are famously stereotyped as huge procrastinators, and this isn't entirely unfounded. As the semester goes on, it can become increasingly difficult to motivate yourself to learn independently, and productivity levels then begin to decline. In this short course, you'll find out how to separate procrastination from other behaviours, identify your stalls, and address your procrastination head on with strategies that will help you get more done. If you find yourself in the library, staring at a computer screen and not taking anything in, watch a few videos from this course and you'll feel ready to get back to work!

Subjects: Business | Career Development | Productivity Skill level: Intermediate | Duration: 18m 57s

Leading Productive Meetings

For staff, our top pick is the course 'Leading Productive Meetings'. Whilst meetings are a good way to bring everyone together, it is very easy for them to veer off track. Because of this, the objective of the meeting can get lost, and this can have a negative impact on productivity in the workplace. Often, they may not even be necessary. Did you know that the average worker attends 3.7 meetings per week? There's nothing worse than sitting in a stifling hot meeting room, struggling to keep your eyes from closing and following an agenda that could easily have been cut in half. This course will give you key insight into how to prepare for before, during and after a meeting, allowing you to be more efficient with your time and increase productivity.

Subjects: Business Skills | Time Management | Leadership Skill level: Suitable for All | Duration: 1h 22m

Life Mastery: Achieving Happiness and Success

Our general pick is the course 'Life Mastery: Achieving Happiness and Success' by Chris Croft. Chris is an incredible motivator, and this course covers important topics such as establishing goals, reducing what's not important and fostering a positive attitude. Often, it is easy to get into a routine and repeat the same tasks in the same way. By taking this course, you might learn some new techniques to improve your productivity and efficiency - all whilst achieving happiness at the same time!

Subjects: Business Skills | Communication Skill level: Suitable for All | Duration: 2h 49m

Promoting productivity for staff and students

Finding it difficult to stay on track? Have a look at our 8 top tips below for some inspiration on how to lead a more productive lifestyle.

Not got a Lynda account yet?

The University of Edinburgh provides free access to Lynda.com for students and staff during your time studying or working at the University. If you've not already created your free account then learn how to do so on our creating your account web page.

Getting in touch with us

We'd love to hear about your experience using Lynda.com. Whether you're a student, academic or professional services staff member, if you've used Lynda.com and you've found it useful, please let us know. Drop Andy an email at andy.todd@ed.ac.uk or phone 0131 650 4950.

We also enjoy sharing new and exciting Lynda.com content and news on our Twitter account, so why not have a look and give us a follow?

Unsubscribe from this newsletter

As ever, we hope that you have found this newsletter to be informative and useful and are looking forward to receiving the next issue. If not, no problem. Find out how to unsubscribe from this mailing list.

If you've missed any of our previous issues or would like to view them in an alternative format, visit our Lynda.com newsletter web page.

Credits:

Created with images by rawpixel - "adult break business" • rawpixel - "computer laptop technology" • rawpixel - "man woman group"

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a copyright violation, please follow the DMCA section in the Terms of Use.