Early Bird Productivity: Use These Powerful Strategies Every Day

The early bird catching the worm isn’t merely a worn-out cliche – it’s a proven fact. Research by Christoph Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany, found that people who started their days earlier were more goal-oriented and more active, and even felt more in charge — all elements of business success.

In this article by Lydia Dishman in FastCompany, learn some great strategies for upping your productivity from five successful executives who are early risers. Maybe we’ll never all be morning people, but we can always take a few super-effective tricks from from the playbooks of these thought leaders. How to do it.

Do YOU Have What It Takes to Be an IBM Champion?

DeveloperWorks program showcases excellence in IT

Greater IBMers, are you a terrific WebSphere developer or expert? Do you blog, write articles, actively participate in forums, etc.? Are you interested in speaking at Impact 2013? In other words, are you a strong advocate of IBM’s capabilities? Or do you know someone who is?

Do you have what it takes?

If so, we invite you to learn more about the IBM Champion program.

To Nominate a Champion, visit: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/champion/ or contact Daphne de Flavia (deflavia@us.ibm.com) for more details. Nominations are open August 15 – October 15, 2012. We’d love to see Greater IBMers nominated for this program!

What is an IBM Champion?

An IBM Champion is an IT professional, business leader, developer, or educator who makes exceptional contributions to the technical community and influences and mentors others to help them make best use of IBM software, solutions, and services. The IBM Champion program recognizes these innovative thought leaders and rewards these contributors by amplifying their voices and increasing their spheres of influence.

An IBM Champion is not an IBM employee. IBM Champions can live in any country.

Contributions can come in a variety of forms, and popular contributions include blogging, speaking at conferences or events, moderating forums, leading user groups, and authoring books or magazines. Educators can also become IBM Champions; for example, academic faculty can become IBM Champions by including IBM products and technologies in their courses’ curricula and encouraging students to build skills and expertise in these areas.

Benefits of being selected as an IBM Champion

IBM Champions retain their title for one year, after which they can apply for renewal. In addition to merchandise customized with the IBM Champion logo, they also receive:

• Visibility, recognition, and networking opportunities at IBM events and conferences
• Special access to product development teams
• Invitations and discounts to events and conferences
• Online recognition (via their Lotus Connections profiles) on developerWorks, with a special designation of “IBM Champion” and a listing of notable achievements

Greater IBMers who become IBM Champions will enjoy added benefits of having their activities featured on The Greater IBM Connection community site.