Author: Franz Malten Buemann

This post is a part of The Crisis of Disconnection, a thought leadership series examining the latest research and insights to uncover how businesses can meet their growth goals, even amidst unprecedented changes to the way we work.

If there’s a topline takeaway from the research that prompted us to call The Crisis of Disconnection by name, it’s this. The growth challenges you faced in the last decade won’t be the growth challenges you face in the next decade.

If you’ve been following along, we’re glad you’re back. If you’re just joining us now, we’re glad you’re here.
To recap, here are four things keeping the savviest leaders we know up at night:

Businesses once in hyper-growth mode are now struggling to grow. One in three businesses are already citing “slowed growth” as a top challenge going forward.
Painfully high expenses and increasing costs are leading businesses to re-evaluate their software spend, the tools in their tech stack, and how that impacts their bottom line
Tried-and-true methods for generating demand are becoming less reliable and more expensive. Nearly two-thirds of businesses agree that sales engagement is struggling more now than pre-pandemic.
81% of businesses agree that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we live, work, and connect — and “the new normal” is still largely TBD.

You’ve seen the data. You’re tracking the trends. But how will The Crisis of Disconnection manifest in your business?
Disconnection in Context: Challenges for Go-to-Market Teams
Let’s take a closer look at the three overarching disconnects with material impact on scaling companies:

What’s not pictured, and adding a sense of urgency to it all? The macroeconomic fluctuations that seem here to stay. Oscillations in supply and demand, rumors about an impending recession, and decreased access to capital are causing leaders across industries and functions to re-evaluate how to invest in growth.
Let’s consider each core complexity — and its consequences.
1. Disconnected Data and Systems Leads to Decreased Efficiency and Value to Your Business
If having a streamlined tech stack with clean, connected data feels like an increasingly pressing priority, you’re one of many re-examining their CRM solutions (for good reason).
One in four businesses today say disconnected data and systems are among their chief concerns as they grow. And the ever-popular point solution approach isn’t without problems.
Consider the Impacts to Your People
Impact 1: Proliferating tools are creating complex, bloated tech stacks that are increasingly hard to use, integrate, and maintain.
The number of martech solutions is up 24% from 2020. Additionally, new sales productivity research shows:

Sales reps use just 62% of their tech stack.
Sales reps spend 41% of their average workday not selling, costing companies approximately 38% in revenue per quarter.
74% of CRM buyers feel their teams have to switch between too many tools to get the job done, and 76% are using 3 or more applications to manage their relationships with customers
Only 27% of marketers say their marketing data is fully integrated with the tools they use, and 22% of them find it difficult to share data across teams.
Marketers spend an average of 3.55 hours each week collecting, organizing, and analyzing marketing data from separate sources.
Psychologists have found that switching gears and logging into disparate tools can eat up as much as 40% of an employee’s productive time.
A lack of unified data can block progress for individual contributors and make reporting an all-day affair for managers.
It’s harder for both individual contributors and team leads to deliver tangible ROI.

Impact 2: Disconnected systems lead to decentralized data, which causes teams to spend more time searching for answers and less time focusing on high-value activities.
Impact 3: Frequent context-switching results in productivity loss at every level.
Consider the Impacts to Your Bottom Line
According to our research, companies with less connected data & systems are seriously disappointed in the ROI of their tech stacks:

Only 13% of businesses that have a mostly or entirely unintegrated tech stack report excellent ROI.
Businesses that report worse connectedness of their data also report substantially worse ROI from their tech stacks.
Businesses that use 11 or more point solutions see 2.5x higher total cost of ownership than those that use just one.

On the flip side, companies see greater ROI when data and systems are more connected and CRM tools are all on one platform:

But why does connection & integration of your tech stack make such a difference to ROI? To answer that question, let’s take a look at how ROI is calculated:

As you can see in the equation above, total cost of ownership is one of the major factors in ROI  — as TCO increases, ROI decreases, fast.
And, as we’ve learned in our research,  having more point solutions leads to significantly higher cost of ownership, primarily driven by the increased personnel costs associated with using multiple tools.
So, even if a business is getting the same gains from their tech stack, using too many point solutions is likely going to decrease their ROI compared to a company that has consolidated more of its tools on a single platform.
As you can see, streamlining your tech stack does more than reduce friction between your systems and data. It reduces your total cost of ownership. It makes you more likely to weather the volatility ahead, with 52% of businesses with excellent data connectedness reporting they feel well-equipped to grow and thrive, despite the current state of the economy. And it connects your sales, marketing, and service teams (the importance of which we’ll talk more about below).
2. Disconnected People Leads to Decreased Sense of Community and Satisfaction
As you may have guessed, disconnected systems don’t just lead to disconnected data — they also contribute to feelings of disconnection between teams.
At the risk of stating the obvious: the way many of us work took a 180 in 2020. No fewer than 80% of U.S. employees say the crisis materially affected their daily work lives. Within a year, Zoom generated a mere $4 billion in revenue (a 53% increase year-on-year), with meeting participants increasing by 2900%.  Many of us had to learn — and are still learning — how to collaborate digitally instead of in-person.
There have been some upsides (access to more diverse talent, time saved commuting, meetings attended in pajama pants), along with some challenges.

What does this mean? The playbook for attracting, supporting, and retaining employees is — you guessed it — changing.

Employees clearly crave connection and are more likely to feel dissatisfied without it. What’s equally true? Creating moments of connection is more challenging in an increasingly remote world run on siloed systems and partially accessible information. And as The Great Resignation is already showing, the consequences of ignoring how employees feel — inside and outside of work — won’t be insignificant.
3. Disconnected Customers Leads to Decreased Interactions and Opportunities to Delight
If you’re getting the sense that these disconnection challenges are compounding, you aren’t wrong. Disconnected systems, data, and people are all contributing to another problem — brands are facing more hurdles as they try to connect with their customer base.
Before we double-click on the data and what it means for you, here’s a high-level summary (with a spoiler: what worked then won’t work now):

In case you don’t want to take our word for it:

Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is up. 49% of those who track CAC say it has increased in the past year.
42% of businesses cite increasing costs to reach prospects/customers as the main obstacle standing between them and continued growth.
Organic growth is diminishing. The average SaaS blog grew -1.6% last year and Google takes more than 65% of clicks.
More than 30% of marketers say that they are experiencing average-to-no returns on their digital marketing investments.
80% of marketers report that getting rid of cookies will have a mild to major impact on their advertising strategy, and just 36% of marketers overall feel completely ready for impending data privacy changes.
Businesses have already spent an average of $1.3 million on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance and are expected to spend $1.8 million more.

What does this mean for your business? It’s getting harder (read: less effective and more expensive) to reach potential customers. And if/when you do reach them, it’s getting harder to exceed their expectations (with fewer insights about their personal preferences than ever). Without a single source of truth about customers, it’s harder for teams to deliver personalized, connected customer experiences. Although 80% of marketers consider personalization the key to increasing revenue and enhancing customer experiences, HubSpot’s research shows that over half of marketers are missing critical data on their target audience that prevents them from delivering that personalized experience. 
So where does that leave today’s go-to-market teams?
Next Steps
So far, we’ve covered the “what” and “so what” associated with The Crisis of Disconnection.
In the final installment of this series, we’ll cover the most important question of all. Now what?
Stay tuned for our next post, and in the meantime, learn how HubSpot can help you connect all the dots.

One of my biggest challenges with working from home is staying focused and completing every task on time. After all, home is where my TV, phone, kitchen, and cats are — it’s not exactly set up with productivity in mind. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get things done. Fortunately, there are many practical, productive tips to help anyone reach their goals, whether they work from home or in an office.

Here are 15 productivity hacks to keep you focused so you can achieve your goals.

Eat breakfast every day.
Exercise in the morning.
Take time to free-write.
Plan the day ahead of time.
Take regular breaks.
Set a single goal for the day.
Don’t be afraid to say ‘No.’
Wake up early.
Schedule some self-care.
Create deadlines.
Work in short bursts.
Have a dedicated workspace.
Avoid multitasking.
Work near natural light.

Forget about perfectionism.

Best Productivity Hacks for a Successful Day
Here are some great productivity hacks that will set your day up for success.

1. Eat breakfast every day.
Breakfast gives your body the energy it needs to stay alert and focused. Skipping breakfast can result in feeling sluggish in the morning, and you will likely have difficulty concentrating. According to the Harvard Business Review, food (or lack thereof) affects our cognitive performance and decision-making.
“Just about everything we eat is converted by our body into glucose, which provides the energy our brains need to stay alert,” psychologist Ron Friedman said. “When we’re running low on glucose, we have a tough time staying focused, and our attention drifts. This explains why it’s hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.”
Pro-Tip: Try meal-prepping your breakfast the night before. Overnight oats and yogurt parfaits are easy to make ahead and grab when you’re on the go.

2. Exercise in the morning.
Thirty minutes of regular exercise can boost one’s overall energy, so it makes sense you’ll be more productive during the day after a morning workout. According to Healthline, exercise helps oxygen and nutrients travel to your heart and lungs, which improves your cardiovascular system, stamina, and endurance.
Pro-Tip: Don’t overwork yourself. Too much exercise can result in injury, fatigue, depression, and anxiety, according to Everyday Health. Stick to 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week, to be safe.

3. Take time to free-write.
You don’t have to be a skilled writer to reap the benefits of free writing. Free writing in the morning or before bed can help organize your thoughts, boost creativity, and relieve stress. Writing can also improve your communication skills, making you a more effective leader.
Pro-Tip: Dedicate about 30 minutes to an hour of free writing every morning or every evening. And remember, no one needs to see what you write. So, don’t stress about the quality.

4. Plan the day ahead of time.
Write down a detailed plan of your day either the night before or in the morning. Include all your tasks for the day, the order in which you’ll complete them, and the time you’ll need on each assignment. Having a schedule will keep you on track and lessen the chance of drifting away from your duties or wasting time — because you’ll know what you need to do and when you’ll need to do it.
Pro-Tip: Get in the habit of keeping and updating a daily planner or calendar. Or make a daily to-do list in the notes app of your phone.

5. Take regular breaks.
It’s easy to get so invested in work that you skip lunch or focus to the point of exhaustion. Make sure to schedule moments to step away from your tasks and unwind. Permitting yourself to relax will help clear your mind and return to work with a more precise focus.
Pro-Tip: During those breaks, you can eat lunch, walk, stretch, read a book, meditate, or chat with friends. Make sure your activities leave you feeling refreshed and ready to work when the break is over.

6. Set a single goal for the day.
Think of one goal you want or need to accomplish for the day, and break that goal down into multiple tasks. Allot a certain amount of time to each task. Doing so will help you stay focused and ensure your tasks align with your vision.
Pro-Tip: Always ensure your goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. In other words — establish SMART goals.

7. Don’t be afraid to say ‘No.’
Setting boundaries is a major key to productivity. Understandably, you may want to be helpful whenever you can, but you won’t be able to get things done if you’re constantly taking on requests from others. So learn to say ‘no’ to last-minute requests, impromptu phone calls, and inconvenient plans so you can stay on track.
Pro-Tip: If you have a shareable digital calendar, like Google Calendar, mark off specific days and times you’re unavailable for meetings or requests and share it with your colleagues.

8. Wake up early.
You can achieve a lot by simply waking up early in the morning. An early start will give you time to eat a good breakfast, work out, shower, and gear up for the day ahead. You may even complete your tasks earlier, allowing more free time in the evening.
Pro-Tip: If you’re not used to waking up early, try easing yourself into the habit. Try going to bed and waking up 20 minutes earlier each day until you’ve reached your goal time. For example, if you usually wake up at 8:30 a.m. but want to start waking up at 6:30 a.m.— set your alarm for 8:10 a.m. on the first day, then 7:50 a.m. the next morning. Keep setting your alarm earlier and earlier each day until you reach 6:30 a.m.

9. Schedule some self-care.
One of the biggest enemies of productivity is burnout, and the best way to avoid burnout is to make time for self-care. Examples of self-care include:

Reading your favorite book
Creating a relaxing nighttime routine before bed
Journaling
Exercising
Going for a walk
Meditating

Pro-Tip: Try to fit self-care activities into your daily routine so that you’ll always have something to look forward to.

10. Create deadlines.
You never want to spend too much time on a task, so it’s essential to give yourself a specific amount of time to complete something and a day and time it needs to be done. Doing so will provide a healthy sense of urgency and help you properly manage your time.
Pro-Tip: Audit your time to see how long specific tasks take to complete so that you can create realistic and manageable deadlines.

Productivity Hacks at Work
These hacks will help you stay focused at work.

11. Work in short bursts.
It’s hard to stay focused on the same thing for a long time, so make things easier on yourself by working in short bursts. For example, the Pomodoro method is a popular technique for boosting productivity. The Pomodoro method consists of working in 25-minute increments with 5-minute breaks in between each session.
Pro-Tip: If the Pomodoro method doesn’t seem to work for you, try adjusting the time increments and breaks to something you’re comfortable with.

12. Have a dedicated workspace.
This hack is especially useful if you’re working from home or remotely. Create a space that has all the tools you need to be productive and is only used for work. So, avoid having your dedicated workspace in your bedroom or an area used for recreation. You’ll need a space that you can leave once you’re done with work for the day.
Pro-Tip: Some homes are filled with too many distractions for workspace, so don’t be afraid to find areas outside the house to work, such as your local library, shared office space, or coffee shop.

13. Avoid multitasking.
There’s a misconception that multitasking is a great way to finish multiple tasks quickly because you’re working on various things at once. But in reality, only 2.5% of people can multitask effectively. That’s because the human brain can most focus on one task at a time, according to most recent studies.
When we try to multitask, our brains are just bouncing back and forth between different tasks, which can slow performance and result in more mistakes.
Pro-Tip: Group similar tasks together and complete them one-by-one, instead of simultaneously. By grouping similar duties, your mind can quickly shift its focus to the next job on your list.

14. Work near natural light.
Most recent studies show that natural light is key to boosting productivity. One study found that workers in office environments with optimized natural lights reported an 84% drop in symptoms like eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision. These symptoms are common with prolonged usage of a computer or devices at work — which can hinder productivity.
In other words, natural sunlight contributes to a more comfortable environment. And when you feel better, you’ll likely work better, too.
Pro-Tip: Try setting up your workspace near a window or sunny area.

15. Forget about perfectionism.
Focus on getting the job done right rather than perfectly because nothing is ever truly perfect. I’ll never forget when I was a journalist and spent too much time writing an article for work. I spent so much time trying to make it “perfect” that I missed my deadline. You should always take pride in your work, but you should also know when to move on to the next thing.
Pro-Tip: Create a short list of things a task must have to be considered complete. Once you check off everything on the list, move on to the next task — even if the first one isn’t perfect but still checks every box.
When all else fails, the most significant hack to productivity is patience. There will be days when things don’t go as planned, and you don’t achieve everything on your to-do list. On those days, be patient with yourself and remember that tomorrow is another opportunity to do better.

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