Chris Croft is an international speaker, author, and management trainer with more than 20 years of experience helping individuals and organizations improve performance. Known for his practical, engaging teaching style, Chris combines real-world examples with actionable techniques that learners can apply immediately in their everyday lives.

Productivity: Focus & Time Management

What you'll learn
Develop practical strategies to improve productivity, performance, and personal effectiveness.
Apply goal-setting and time management techniques to achieve greater success in work and life.
Details to know
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There are 13 modules in this course
This opening module introduces the Smart Tips: Productivity course and helps learners get ready to apply its ideas right away. You’ll meet trainer Chris Croft, see how the course uses short, practical lessons, and reflect on your own productivity habits through a simple self-assessment. This foundation helps you approach the rest of the course with a clear sense of how the tips connect to your work, studies, and daily life.
What's included
3 videos2 readings1 assignment
3 videos•Total 4 minutes
- Welcome•1 minute
- Meet The Trainer•1 minute
- Discover Which Animal You Are!•2 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Animals quiz: Compulsory•10 minutes
- Interpreting Your Productivity Animal•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Personalised Takeaways•30 minutes
This module helps learners shift from reacting to whatever feels urgent toward investing time in what truly matters. You’ll explore how to separate urgent tasks from important ones, make more space for meaningful work, and reduce the crises that come from neglecting planning. These ideas are valuable in any busy setting where constant demands can crowd out long-term progress.
What's included
6 videos2 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt
6 videos•Total 16 minutes
- Introduction: Prioritising•1 minute
- The Difference Between Urgent And Important•4 minutes
- What Is Important Or Urgent To You?•3 minutes
- How To Get More Time For The Important Things•3 minutes
- Reduce Crises in Your Life — Root Causes & Prevention (Smart Tips)•3 minutes
- The Test for Unimportance — Four-Box Task Sorting•2 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Applying Urgent vs Important in your Life•10 minutes
- Ideas For Box Three Tasks•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
- Auditing Your Task List•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Name a task you will be de-prioritising and one you will be increasing priority of•10 minutes
This module focuses on freeing up time by cutting back on work that adds little value. You’ll practice ways to say no, negotiate over time, delegate appropriately, and avoid making commitments you cannot keep. The module also helps you spot hidden drains on productivity, such as weak systems, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and other time stealers, so you can protect your time more confidently.
What's included
10 videos4 readings1 assignment3 discussion prompts
10 videos•Total 31 minutes
- Introduction: Reducing the Unimportant•0 minutes
- Why Saying 'No' Is Vital (and How to Do It) — Smart Tips•3 minutes
- Negotiate Your Time — Here's How•3 minutes
- Delegate Smarter — The 80% Rule•3 minutes
- The Best Words to Use When You Say “No”•4 minutes
- Only Say "Yes" If You Mean It•3 minutes
- Systems for Time Management (Smart Tips)•2 minutes
- Perfectionism: When Being Fussy Becomes Counterproductive•4 minutes
- Are You Too Nice? Setting Boundaries to Maximize Your Time•5 minutes
- Time Stealers: 5 Practical Options to Reclaim Your Time•4 minutes
4 readings•Total 40 minutes
- A Decision Filter for Saying No•10 minutes
- Negotiation Moves That Protect Your Time•10 minutes
- The Magic Formula•10 minutes
- Diagnose Your Biggest Time Stealers•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Applying the tools•30 minutes
3 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
- Give an example of something you could say No to•10 minutes
- Audit One Commitment You Should Renegotiate or Decline•10 minutes
- Write One Boundary You Need to Set•10 minutes
Interruptions often cost more than the few minutes they seem to take, because they also break concentration and delay returning to meaningful work. In this module, learners will examine the true cost of interruptions, respond to them more assertively, and redesign their workspace and habits to reduce disruption. These strategies are especially useful in modern work environments shaped by constant messages, drop-ins, and competing demands.
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 assignment3 discussion prompts
6 videos•Total 13 minutes
- Introduction: Interruptions•1 minute
- What are Interruptions Costing You?•2 minutes
- Assertiveness with Interruptions — Protect Your Focus•2 minutes
- Interruption ‑ Proof Your Workspace•4 minutes
- What's Your Biggest Interruption?•2 minutes
- Reduce the Effect of Interruptions•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Interruptions Log•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Budgeting for interruptions in your day•30 minutes
3 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
- Write a Boundary-Setting Script•10 minutes
- Audit Your Workspace for Interruption Triggers•10 minutes
- Plan a Tailored Response for Your Top Interruptor•10 minutes
Meetings can be useful, but they often become a major source of wasted time when they start poorly, drift off track, or include the wrong people. This module helps learners improve meetings from several angles: handling latecomers, starting with structure, keeping discussions focused, assigning actions clearly, and deciding when attendance is unnecessary. These are practical skills for any workplace where meetings compete with time for real work.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment2 discussion prompts
6 videos•Total 17 minutes
- Introduction: Meetings•1 minute
- Handle Latecomers: Smart Meeting Tactics•5 minutes
- Start Meetings Smart: Agenda & Finish Time•2 minutes
- How to Keep a Meeting On Track•3 minutes
- Nail Meeting Actions: Assign, Record, and Commit•3 minutes
- How to Avoid Going to a Meeting•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
- Reflect on Your Most Frustrating Meeting Pattern•10 minutes
- Choose a Fair Response to Latecomers•10 minutes
This module addresses a common productivity challenge: delaying important work even when you know it matters. Learners will examine procrastination as a habit and apply practical methods for getting started, building momentum, and following through. The strategies in this module can help turn avoided tasks into visible progress and reduce the stress that comes from repeated postponement.
What's included
2 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt
2 videos•Total 5 minutes
- Overcome Procrastination — Do the Important Thing•1 minute
- Beat Procrastination: 11 Practical Strategies•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- 11 Methods for Overcoming Procrastination•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Identify one Task You Keep Postponing•10 minutes
This module connects productivity to direction by helping learners decide what is worth doing in the first place. You’ll explore how goals shape priorities, how to make goals easier to achieve, and how to refine them so they become clearer and more motivating. These skills help ensure that better time management leads to meaningful progress, not just greater busyness.
What's included
4 videos3 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts
4 videos•Total 11 minutes
- Introduction: Goals•1 minute
- The Power of Goals: How They'll Change Your Life•4 minutes
- How to Make Your Goals Easier to Achieve•2 minutes
- Refine Your Goals — Smart Tips to Make Them Effective•4 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
- Goals: Achieve & Enjoy•10 minutes
- Breaking Goals into Steps•10 minutes
- Refine Vague Goals into Specific and Motivating Ones•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
- Plan One Goal You Could Start This Week•10 minutes
- Rewrite One Personal Goal and One Professional Goal•10 minutes
Lists are simple tools, but when used well they can reduce stress, increase control, and turn large ambitions into steady daily progress. In this module, learners will build list systems that capture important tasks, separate big projects from daily actions, and keep future possibilities from cluttering current priorities. These habits can make work feel more manageable and more purposeful.
What's included
5 videos1 reading2 assignments1 discussion prompt
5 videos•Total 12 minutes
- Lists That Work: Quick Wins for Productivity•1 minute
- Master List: Take Control, Cut Stress•3 minutes
- Two Lists That Boost Productivity: Master List + Daily Jobs•4 minutes
- Two Lists: Break Big Goals into Daily Wins•2 minutes
- Try a “Someday, Maybe” List•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Daily To Do Lists•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 39 minutes
- Module Quiz•9 minutes
- Building your Someday Maybe list•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Break One Important Goal into Next Actions•10 minutes
A diary or calendar can be much more than a place to record appointments. This module helps learners use a diary to capture commitments, protect time for important work, preserve flexibility, and reduce the mental effort of trying to remember everything. These practical scheduling habits can improve reliability while leaving enough space to handle the unexpected.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt
4 videos•Total 10 minutes
- Diaries & Calendars: Not Just Appointments•0 minutes
- What Should Be in Your Diary?•3 minutes
- Why Your Diary Should Never Be Full•3 minutes
- Never Forget Anything — Capture Promises & Set Due Dates•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Review a Week That Was Too Full•10 minutes
Some of the biggest productivity gains come from improving tasks and problems that happen again and again. In this module, learners will identify recurring issues, look for root causes, and create systems that reduce repeated effort. By shifting from one-off fixes to smarter processes, you can save time every time the task returns.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt
3 videos•Total 6 minutes
- Introduction: Repeaters•0 minutes
- No More Repeating Problems•3 minutes
- Systematize Repeating Tasks•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Analyze One Repeating Problem You Want to Eliminate•10 minutes
Email can become a constant source of distraction when it is checked continuously and handled without a clear system. This module helps learners regain control through better inbox habits, more intentional setup, fewer alerts, and clearer writing. These practical changes can reduce reactivity, improve communication, and stop email from dominating the day.
What's included
5 videos2 assignments2 discussion prompts
5 videos•Total 15 minutes
- Introduction: Emails•1 minute
- Email: Is It Possible To Have An Empty Inbox?•4 minutes
- How To Set Your Email Up For Maximum Productivity•2 minutes
- Switching Off The Ping•3 minutes
- Tips For Writing Great Emails•5 minutes
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
- Refining your email skills•30 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
- Redesign One Part of Your Email Workflow•10 minutes
- Plan When You Will Check Email•10 minutes
Technology can either support productivity or create new friction, depending on how it is chosen and used. In this module, learners will examine practical digital tools and habits that save time, improve organization, and reduce avoidable loss. Rather than chasing every new tool, the focus is on using technology deliberately to support reliable, efficient work.
What's included
5 videos2 assignments3 discussion prompts
5 videos•Total 17 minutes
- Introduction: Technology•0 minutes
- My Favourite Productivity App Of All Time•3 minutes
- Use Excel To Boost Productivity•4 minutes
- Five Ways To Speed Up Your Typing•5 minutes
- Don’t Lose Everything!•5 minutes
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
- Your productivity tools•30 minutes
3 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
- Identify One Process You Could Organize with a Spreadsheet•10 minutes
- Commit to One Digital Task You Will Do Faster•10 minutes
- Review Your Current Risk of Losing Important Work•10 minutes
The way a workspace is arranged has a direct effect on concentration, decision-making, and stress. This module helps learners improve both physical and digital environments by organizing materials, reducing distractions, creating systems for deferred decisions, and challenging the habit of multitasking. The goal is to build a workspace that supports focused, effective work every day.
What's included
7 videos2 assignments2 discussion prompts
7 videos•Total 18 minutes
- Introduction: Working Environment•0 minutes
- Tips For A Productive Workspace•4 minutes
- Filing: It's Underrated & Misunderstood!•2 minutes
- How To Set Up A “Can’t Decide” Box•3 minutes
- Reduce Distractions In Your Workspace•4 minutes
- Can You Get Rid Of Multitasking?•3 minutes
- Conclusion•1 minute
2 assignments•Total 45 minutes
- Module Quiz•15 minutes
- Final review•30 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
- Identify One Decision You Keep Postponing at Your Workspace•10 minutes
- Spot the Task Switching in Your Day•10 minutes
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