Chris Croft Training

Productivity: Focus & Time Management

Chris Croft Training

Productivity: Focus & Time Management

Chris Croft

Instructor: Chris Croft

Included with Coursera PlusLearn more

Ask Coursera

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

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

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Recently updated!

July 2026

Assessments

18 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

 logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Complete Time Management Toolkit Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Chris Croft
Chris Croft Training
29 Courses2,607 learners

Offered by

Explore more from Leadership and Management

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Frequently asked questions

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.