Video is a Productivity Game Changer

So many things have changed in the last few months.

When it comes to working from home, one of the biggest changes is video  — video meetings, video conferences, video check-ins. 

All this video means you need to adjust your productivity habits. Being productive and efficient over video is different from working with people face-to-face. 

I’ve been working from home for the past few years, so I’ve been conducting all my meetings via video for a while. Plus, I train people on how to do it better. And using video can actually make your life more efficient!

Video has the potential to help you connect meaningfully with your coworkers, friends, and family.

Seeing someone’s face creates a bond that just can’t happen over text or email. Plus, it’s so much harder to capture your tone when your audience can’t see your face. 

Whether it’s at work or in your personal life, video is a fantastic tool that can help you be more efficient and save time.

MEETINGS

In-person meetings can often be really inefficient. You have to wait for people to arrive and get settled. And the actual presentations can drag on and on!

But over video, things can be a lot more efficient if you do it correctly.

It’s harder to keep people’s attention over video, so you have to get right to the point. If you’ve found yourself drifting off during Zoom meetings, you’ve experienced video call fatigue. 

Video meetings have to be more succinct. 

You need to be intentional about keeping people interested in what you’re saying. Staring right into the camera, eliminating filler words, and adjusting your makeup are all great ways to elevate your video game. 

I also have some tricks to help you sound more natural over video — you can check those out here.

WORK 

Live video meetings aren’t the only way to incorporate video into your life. Video can also help you get more productive in other areas of your work. 

Recording videos to convey ideas or do tutorials is very time efficient and helps you connect with people.  

I love using Loom to explain my ideas. You can also record your screen at the same time as you’re recording yourself. According to Loom, you talk six times faster than you type. Just think of how much time you’ll save using video!

I also like to use Vidyard when I’m working with clients or want to get a message across more easily. I can shoot a video that will convey how I’m feeling and what I really think. It’s much more efficient than writing one more email!  I was a guest speaker on their virtual summit talking about ways to be more productive using video. 

PERSONAL LIFE

Video can also make your life more efficient in other ways. Leaving people video messages is a fun and effective way to stay in contact with friends and family.

I like to use Marco Polo, which is an app that lets you record video messages.

You can send short, sweet messages that have a bigger impact on people than a text message or an email. It works great to say happy birthday from afar. 

I hope these tricks help you incorporate video in new ways. It’s a great way to get more productive that many people overlook — but it’s even more important now in the age of remote work and virtual connection.