Four TED Talks to Watch to Increase Productivity in the Office

Increase productivity in the office by watching our choice of insightful and helpful TED Talks.

TED Talks, informative video presentations intended to enlighten viewers on specific topics relating to technology, entertainment, and design, have become increasingly popular over the past few years.

The HubRunner team compiled a list of thought-provoking, entertaining, and, most importantly, because of our busy schedules, brief TED Talks that will help increase productivity in the workplace. Gather your colleagues,  stink up the workroom with bags of popcorn, and take a few lessons to increase productivity in the office.

How to Succeed – Get More Sleep

(4 minutes, 10 seconds)

In this comical talk, Arianna Huffington reminds her audience just how important sleep is to a productive and happy lifestyle. Often times, we substitute sleep with an extra hour of work or supplement it with an IV filled with Espresso. This basic human necessity has become undervalued in corporate America, and it’s going to take its toll.

While Huffington’s talk isn’t data-driven or scientific necessarily, she delivers a humorous and motivating speech on why sleep will make a person happier, healthier, and more productive in the long run. If you’re sitting next to a strung out co-worker, or are feeling stretched thin yourself, share this video and prompt the office to go to bed a little earlier.

Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

(21 minutes, 2 seconds)

Amy Cuddy, renowned social psychologist, explains the power of position in this insightful and moving TED Talk. It’s pretty common knowledge that our body language reveals a great deal about our mood and even our personalities, but the fresh outlook Dr. Cuddy provides is that not only does our body language shape how we appear, it also shapes how open we are to success.

Dr. Cuddy presents different techniques to her audience, designed to help us embrace confidence in our body language and, in her words, fake it until we make it. Some days it’s just too difficult to keep our chins up and shoulders back when the weight of the world rests upon them, but when we accept defeat in our posture, we accept it in our lives.

Take Dr. Cuddy’s advice and be cognizant of the way in which you hold yourself, as it will impact not only other’s perception of you, but your self confidence, happiness, and, believe it or not, productivity.

Got a Meeting? Take a Walk

(3 minutes, 28 seconds)

In this short and sweet talk, Nilofer Merchant brings some startling facts about office environments to our attention, including the statistic that on average we spend 9.3 hours a day sitting down. That’s more time than we spend sleeping, and it’s detrimental to our well-being.

Merchant proposes a healthy and productive alternative that will keep us moving and working. Instead of conducting meetings in the office, conference rooms, or even a local coffee shop, take a walk and talk. This will allow you to handle your work obligations while taking care of your health. Who doesn’t love multi-tasking during the work day?

The Happy Secret to Better Work

(12 minutes, 20 seconds)

In this exciting, amusing, and encouraging talk, psychologist Shawn Achor muses over the pursuit of happiness and how it affects our productivity.

There’s a general consensus in our society that one must work hard to achieve happiness and all that it encompasses (a degree, a house, a car, etc.). Achor poses that we’re going about this the wrong way. Instead of working tirelessly, losing sleep, and acquiring premature grey hairs in order to achieve a sense of fulfillment, we should choose to be happy first, then everything will fall into place.

In an office setting, it can be difficult to achieve happiness with outside negative forces bearing down on us daily, but Achor offers solutions to finding happiness in whatever stage of life you’re currently in, allowing productivity and prosperity to follow suit.

There are no simple or straightforward solutions to staying focused or getting work done in a timely fashion, but everyone can benefit from a dose of inspiration. If you’re in an office funk or need a productivity pick-me-up, watch these four TED Talks on a coffee break or with your team in order to increase productivity in the office.

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