Business Professionals Willing to Give up Leisure Time and Social Activities to Increase Workplace Productivity.

Office Depot Survey Shows People Looking for Ways to Be More Productive at Work

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- As business people head back to work after Labor Day, many will sacrifice leisure time and social activities to increase their productivity at the office, according to a TNS NFO study conducted for Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services. While more than half of respondents think they are already productive, a full 48 percent report that they will attempt to further increase their efficiency this fall to deliver year-end business results. Nearly one in three (32.2 percent) recognize that they will need to give up personal interests to achieve their business goals.

The trend towards longer hours and diminished personal time is not new, but reinforces the need for professionals to be mindful of tools and techniques that can enable them to be effective at work and still enjoy balance. "My number one recommendation is to become better organized - it will save time and energy so you can focus on what is really important," says Stephanie Winston, author of five books on organization and time management including The New York Times best-seller, "Getting Organized." "The trick is to find simple, straightforward and creative ways to do this."

Winston states that it is crucial to set priorities, delegate tasks and manage time so you can concentrate on what is really important. According to the Office Depot survey findings, 41 percent of the professionals who are looking to make their days more productive will attempt to prioritize tasks and focus on essentials, while 15 percent will endeavor to multi-task more and 10 percent will aim to delegate more.

Being on the road and not maximizing time can create stress and cause a decline in productivity as well. Of those respondents who travel for business, 26 percent cite productivity lost to airport delays and cancelled flights, while another 22 percent complain about the productivity lost to "down-time" in between meetings.

Survey results suggest business professionals are seeking multi-purpose products that can help make the most of their time and ease some strain. Over one third (34 percent) of respondents identified a light-weight laptop computer with Wi-Fi capabilities as the product that could increase their productivity during travel. Others identified an electronic organizer or Smart Phone (16 percent) as well as a portable USB Flash Drive to conveniently carry documents instead of having to bring heavy and cumbersome printed documents with them on the road (9 percent).

The Office Depot Productivity Survey also found that managers realize the importance of creating a culture that encourages productivity. In fact, 34 percent of managers surveyed said they want to create an environment where people want to work and where they see a future. Twenty-two percent note that they plan to motivate their team by offering daily/weekly reinforcement in the form of praise or an internal recognition program, and 13 percent will offer holiday bonuses as an incentive.

Productive Tips for Busy Professionals

Winston states that "the busier we get, the greater our need to be efficient." Following are strategies to keep productive, organized and focused:

* Realize that no one has "unlimited" time. Good organizing is a series of choices. It is the ability to differentiate what you need to do from what you might like to do.

* Stop wasting downtime. A significant portion of our lives is spent waiting. There is time before business appointments, at doctors' offices, in bank lines or at home waiting for a family member who is not ready. Identify things you can do in five or 10 minutes and dig in - whether that means making an appointment, reading an important article, or writing a short note or email to a team member or client.

* Spend money on people and products that save time. Just as specialists can generally do their jobs more efficiently, the right products can help enhance your productivity to meet deadlines and complete tasks. Use them - they are worth it.

* Put an end to telephone tag. Leave messages that ask for specific responses, instead of vague requests to call you back. If you are not by your phone when your call is returned, the caller can still provide the information you need on the answering machine. Schedule callbacks for set times during the day, when you can consolidate them.

* When in doubt, throw it out. Paper will bury the best of us unless we resolve to take no prisoners. While the TRAF (Toss-Refer-Act-File) strategy is tried and true, it quickly breaks down if you fail to implement your first option to use your "circular file," the one that gets emptied each night. If you are prone to push paper aside rather than dispose of it, ask yourself, What's the worst thing that could happen if this didn't exist? If the answer is less than traumatic, get rid of it.

Winston believes multi-purpose products can help people stay connected on the road or increase productivity in the office. All are available at Office Depot.

* Ativa[TM] Flash Drives ($14.99 - $149.99): Carry more documents with you and protect them at all times using portable flash drives. Ativa Flash Drives, available exclusively at Office Depot, are compatible with Windows XP or 2000 and most feature virus protection. An 8GB version has an extra large capacity, allowing professionals to store the equivalent of 320,000 pages of text.

* Sony VAIO Notebook Computer ($1,249.99): Both mobile and stylish, the colorful Sony VAIO CR Series of notebooks weigh in at just 5.5 lbs, yet offer desktop-like performance, multimedia features and advanced wireless capabilities. Available in a variety of eye-catching colors, the notebook has the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, wireless capability, and a large 160GB hard drive for storage of documents, music, photos and more!

* Office Depot[R] Lap Desk ($14.99 - $34.99): The lap desk lets you transform any chair into an expansive workspace and provides a spacious and comfortable work area with its broad writing surface and padded wrist rest.

* Ativa[TM] Memory Card USB Drive ($9.99): Save time and untangle your life, with the Ativa Memory Card USB Drive. This unique device lets you turn unused memory cards into USB drives and quickly transfer data, photos or other files between computers.

* Becker Traffic Assist Highspeed ($249.99): Road warriors will find their way to meetings on time and without the stress of getting lost using this state-of-the art navigational device. The anti-reflective touch screen display is divided into four zones for navigation, settings, images and music.

About the Office Depot Survey

An online omnibus study was conducted July 18th through July 20th. Twenty five hundred completes (representative of the U.S. household population 18+ on age, gender, geographic division, income, household size; household designation and market size) were received. In order to qualify for this study, respondents must have stated that they were either an owner of or employed at a small business (i.e. less than 100 employees).

About Stephanie Winston

Stephanie Winston is recognized nationally as the country's preeminent professional organizer. She is the author of five books on organization and time management, including The New York Times Paperback Best Seller Getting Organized. She is a member of the Author's Guild and was honored by the National Association of Professional Organizers as the founder of professional organizing. Stephanie's business, The Organizing Principle, is based in New York City.

About Office Depot

Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company.

Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., Office Depot has annual sales of over $15.4 billion, and employs approximately 52,000 associates around the world. Currently, the Company sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 43 countries.

Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel -- from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. As of June 30, 2007, Office Depot had 1,186 retail stores in North America and another 369 stores, either company-owned, licensed or franchised, in other parts of the world. Office Depot serves a wide range of customers through a dedicated sales force, telephone account managers, direct mail offerings, and multiple web sites. With $4.7 billion in online sales during the last twelve months, the Company is also one of the world's largest e-commerce retailers.

Office Depot's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: mediarelations.officedepot.com.