Photo by Jon Jacobsen By Rebecca A. Watson “It is the stillness that will save and transform the world.” ~Eckhart Tolle Several years ago I lived with a good friend who spoke English as her third language. While she spoke fluently after years of experience, there was one phrase I used that she had trouble grasping at first: Just be. As in, “After we finish grocery shopping, let’s go to the beach and just be.” She’d always want to finish the sentence. “Just be … relaxing. Just be … writing.” When I explained what I meant, that I would really just like to sit,…
GTD
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Most Topular Stories
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Be More, Do Less
Think Simple Now12 May 2013 | 5:00 pm -
How to Stay Motivated at Work: The Science of Productive Breaks [NEW INFOGRAPHIC]
Wrike Product Blog30 May 2013 | 12:00 amWhen you are feeling overloaded, instead of pushing harder, a wise thing to do might be to take a short break. As we discussed in one of our previous posts, short breaks can revive your productivity and decrease tension. We looked deeper into the matter and put together some interesting facts, as well as practical advice on how to stay fresh and productive throughout the day. Here’s a guide to productive breaks in our new infographic! What kind of break works best for your productivity? Do you have your own motivational song? Are short breaks supported in your organization? -
Be great—not perfect
The Organized Executive's Blog14 Jun 2013 | 3:59 pmAdopt these habits to free yourself from the tyranny of perfection. Continue reading → -
10+ Simple Steps to Build Well-Being
Stephanie LH Calahan - Business Transformation Catalyst28 May 2013 | 2:44 pmI've mentioned in a few posts about how I'm stretching myself (litterally) by taking yoga classes a few days a week. The other day, I spotted a note on the bulletin board of the studio. The title was "To Build Well-Being, Be Sure To" and then it listed 10 things that you can do. I was curious what other people thought of this list, so I snapped a picture of it and put it on some of my networks and asked! Today, I'll share that simple list of 10 as well as what my friends shared as their reactions to the list. Source: via Stephanie on Pinterest… -
Being overwhelmed by paper… Globe and Mail Article
Clear Concept9 Apr 2013 | 6:37 pmClear Concept is excited to make our readers aware that our own Ann Gomez was called on to lend some expert advice for Leah Eichler’s Globe and Mail article – Grab a Lifeline When Paper Overwhelms Your Desk. This article … Continue reading →
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Lifehacker
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Blurry Android Photos, Windows 8 Gestures, and Jedi Parenting Tricks
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 pmReaders offer their best tips for fixing blurry shots from your Android camera, turning off annoying Windows 8 gestures, and tricking your kids with Jedi mind techniques.Read more... -
"A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skillful Sailor"
19 Jun 2013 | 4:00 pmWhether everyone's on your case, you aren't feeling motivated, or you just feel like you suck at something, we all feel a little discouraged from time to time. This English proverb reminds us that discouragement isn't for naught.Read more... -
How do you keep track of your reading list?
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmGreat discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!Read more... -
Ad-Blocker Ghostery Actually Helps Advertisers, If You "Support" It
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmIf you've read our features on how to protect your privacy and stop everyone from tracking you on the web, you've heard us mention Ghostery. It's a solid privacy tool, but Mashable reports that you should stay away from its opt-in "GhostRank" feature, which sells data on the ads you block to the ad companies themselves.Read more... -
Kotaku Microsoft Is Removing Xbox One DRM | Gawker Paula Deen Says 'Of Course' She Uses the N-Word |
19 Jun 2013 | 2:45 pmKotaku Microsoft Is Removing Xbox One DRM | Gawker Paula Deen Says 'Of Course' She Uses the N-Word | Jezebel This Week in Tabloids: Kanye Didn't Give Kim a Blingy Push Present | Lifehacker Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One) | Valleywag Jenn Allen Not Backing Down on Michael Arrington Rape ClaimsRead more...
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David Allen Company Updates
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GTD Connect: A New Metric For Productivity: Engagement
19 Jun 2013 | 10:33 amHow do you measure productivity? Linda Stone suggests a new metric: engagement. That's right on track with what you've heard David Allen say, that GTD is about "appropriate engagement." Machines Can't Flow: The Difference Between Mechanical and Human Productivity More output, produced faster ma... -
GTD Connect: Portable Desk For A Portable Boss
19 Jun 2013 | 8:16 amSpeaking of Krakow, here's a blog post from a company there that has a portable desk for a portable boss. The tone is very casual, but the post brings up some interesting questions. Lunar Logic Blog: A portable boss -
GTD Connect: The Art Of Labeling
19 Jun 2013 | 7:59 amHere's another short, quick video I did with David Allen on labeling. A less than 2 minute watch! https://secure.davidco.com/connect/multimedia/video.php?titleid=546&trackid=1167 -
GTD Times: New cities and dates added for GTD Mastering Workflow seminars
18 Jun 2013 | 4:22 pmWe've added more cities and dates to our schedule of one-day GTD® Mastering Workflow seminars. You can click on the city and date that interest you to get details and register. Newport Beach, CA -- June 27 Austin, TX -- June 27 Portland, OR -- July 16 Tampa, FL -- July 18 Columbus, OH -- July 25 Richmond, VA -- August 8 Vancouver, BC -- August 15 Indianapolis, IN -- August 22 Invest a day to take your productivity to the next level. -
GTD Times: Don't waste your mind as an office
17 Jun 2013 | 12:35 pmHave you yet discovered that your mind has limited space, and it's a terrible office?--David Allen
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GTD Times
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New cities and dates added for GTD Mastering Workflow seminars
18 Jun 2013 | 5:22 pmWe’ve added more cities and dates to our schedule of one-day GTD® Mastering Workflow seminars. You can click on the city and date that interest you to get details and register. Newport Beach, CA — June 27 Austin, TX — June 27 Portland, OR — July 16 Tampa, FL — July 18 Columbus, OH — July 25 Richmond, VA — August 8 Vancouver, BC — August 15 Indianapolis, IN — August 22 Invest a day to take your productivity to the next level. -
Don’t waste your mind as an office
17 Jun 2013 | 1:35 pmHave you yet discovered that your mind has limited space, and it’s a terrible office?—David Allen -
Orienting yourself with a GTD map
15 Jun 2013 | 7:42 amThis Q&A about a GTD map happened on our GTD forums. It generated some good discussion, so we wanted to pass it along. Question: I often hear David refer to having the right map in order to be properly engaged with the present. At first, I thought he was talking about mind maps but now it seems to represents a tool, a system, a checklist. I guess I am really not sure. Can someone explain to me what David is referring to by indicating that you need the right map? David Allens’s answer: Any tool used to orient yourself. Where am I relative to today’s commitments? (Map =… -
How do you know when you’re stressed?
12 Jun 2013 | 2:05 pmYou already know that your email can be a source of stress. And if you’ve installed GTD in your workflow to even a small extent, you’ve found that you can reduce the stress of email by simply going through GTD’s Process and Organize phases. A recent article in The Telegraph quotes new research that “filing emails into folders also lowered levels of stress and prompted a sense of well-being because it helped people feel in control.” That’s good, because “the study also found that people were unable to identify accurately when their body was showing… -
You really can have “mind like water”
10 Jun 2013 | 8:55 pmWhen was the last time you had what David Allen calls “mind like water?” If not lately, or not as often as you’d like, take the Guided GTD Mind Sweep webinar this Thursday, June 13 from 10am-11am Pacific time. This working webinar will give you a supportive and fun opportunity to capture what’s really grabbing your attention. It will also give you a refresher on the fundamental questions to ask to keep things off your mind and get them into your trusted GTD system.
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RestartGTD
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“Just a small fire on the motherboard”
17 Jun 2013 | 7:20 pmIntroduction: Well, it has been my computer boot camp week for the year. Every year, another boot camp. This year it started last Tuesday June 11th when I noticed that my 27″ iMac was off and could not be turned on. Great! So, I made an appointment to go to the Apple store at the end of I205 around Portland and met up with TJ the Genius. When I talked to TJ, I had a good idea of that either the power supply or the motherboard or both, were fried. So, I left the Mac with him over night and pre-approved him fixing both power supply ($67) and the motherboard ($540 which was… -
“Resistance is futile, Bill will be assimilated”
28 May 2013 | 12:52 pmSource: IBM Wired.com, Bill Gates Wikinut.com, Steve Jobs ForcesofGeek.com, Google Searchengineland.com Introduction: I’ve been in the labor force for 31 years, living through four “evil empires” of computing technology. The graph below (thank you RoyalPingdom.com!) shows the financial performance of three of the four evil empires. In the beginning was IBM and my heroes in the microcomputer world wanted to “make a dent” by providing viable alternatives to IBM. Next was MicroSoft, Bill Gates started his career claiming that he wanted to build a monopoly,… -
The Mess Is The Masterpiece: Appendix A
26 May 2013 | 1:38 pmSource: ActionCoach.com Appendix A: This appendix is an *aside* that I meandered along while writing section “6. Organize in Layers” in this morning’s post. I went on this journey because “Where should I start?” and “How should I organize?” are the most frequent questions about GTD. And ever since starting GTD, when people ask I vapor lock. Of course I tell everyone to go to the basics: Get GTD and read it, Audible version is the best to start with. Go to a DavidCo seminar, Yes they cost $700 but to get your organization to the next higher… -
The Mess Is The Masterpiece
26 May 2013 | 1:37 pmSource: Bernard Pras viaAmusingPlanet.com Introduction: “I organize, therefore I am” but, … there is just no way to stay ahead of the mess. Having just consolidated two offices with five thousand books into one office plus overflow into a 14 foot wall in the living room, I’ve been submerged for a month. Purpose of this article is articulate some of the lessons learned in this personal “mother of all GTD re-organizations.” Lessons Learned: Move first, organize after Don’t over-think Get help from people three decades younger than you Remember… -
Kindle A Cross-Platform Handcuff Experince
2 Apr 2013 | 4:20 pmSource: Microsoft Source: Harper’s Introduction: As I’ve shared in previous posts, I’m a big Kindle fan. I don’t own a Kindle device as I prefer to read on my iMac, iPad, and Google Chromebook, but I’m beginning to wonder if I should buy a Kindle Fire HD. This post is a comparison of the Kindle reading experience across Mac, iPad, and Chromebook. While highlights and annotations ARE SHARED across platforms, the fidelity of Kindle across these platforms is degrading over time. Best Kindle Platform to Read With: iPad Of the three platforms I use, the…
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GTD for CIOs
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Why you should get stuff out of your head
15 Jun 2013 | 8:38 pmOne of the key tenants of GTD is getting stuff out of your head. Many people do not understand why this is so important. The reason is our minds are not built to remember all of the little “commitments” we make every day. Our subconscious knows we have some kind of commitment and it “worries” in the background or subconsciously that we will forget something important. This leads to stress. So, the way out of this is to put the “stuff” (appointments, numbers, tasks, ideas, notes, worries, promises, deadlines, reminders, projects, maybes, etc.) in a Trusted… -
What’s the Next Action?
31 May 2013 | 6:51 pmI had lunch today with one of my dearest friends whom I respect and admire tremendously. Our conversation turned to the list of 30 opportunities he had for the next phase of his career. I said I didn’t want to have lunch six months from now and for him to be in the same position. So, I asked him to do me a favor and to take each one of those 30 opportunities and write out exactly what the next action was. Later in the lunch, we reviewed what I had asked him to do and he said “figure out the next move on the list” and while close, I wanted to make sure he understood… -
Synthesizing GTD and Agile practices
28 May 2013 | 10:04 amAnother guest post by André Vargas on how he compares Getting Things Done to Agile methodologies. A fascinating dive into the world of SCRUM and GTD. As an agile practitioner and program manager for complex software systems, I have always been attracted to tools and systems that make my life less stressful and more productive. From early in my career I followed the principles of GTD because it helped me manage my personal workload and as far as managing my teams’ workflow, l have similarly leveraged the power of Agile methodologies such as SCRUM to make my teams be as effective as… -
Evernote adds reminders!
23 May 2013 | 11:29 amAwesome update to Evernote for Mac and iOS with the ability to “tag” things with a reminder time and receive an email to remind you. The update also creates a “checklist” with all the reminders for the day that can be checked off. Significant enhancement for my use of Evernote for GTD. I have been waiting for reminders in Evernote to close the loop on many items of my GTD system. This is especially true for the “Waiting For” and the “Projects Delegated” Notebooks. Thank you Evernote! -
How to reduce stress in your life
18 May 2013 | 9:01 pmI received a lot of positive feedback on a previous post The Basics of GTD, so here is a slightly different overview of GTD and why it relieves stress. It all starts with “stuff”… We all have “stuff” in our heads and it shouldn’t be there. David Allan defines “stuff” as: “anything you have allowed into your psychological or physical world that doesn’t belong where it is, but for which you haven’t yet determined the desired outcome and the next action step.” (page 17 of Getting Things Done) and when we have stuff in our heads, it causes untold stress and anxiety. Stuff…
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Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog
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Habits and the Long View
16 Jun 2013 | 3:14 pmIf you aren’t satisfied with your life today, yet you continue the same habits that got you here, you’ll still be dissatisfied next year, possibly even more so. Many habits may feel quite satisfying in the moment, but they have no long-term positive impact. They are temporary pleasures or escapes but nothing more. These habits tend to self-perpetuate automatically, but as you become more conscious and rational, you’ll discover the importance of replacing these short-sighted habits with better ones. In my early 20s I could spend as much as 18 hours straight playing video… -
Spring Forest Healingfest – Free Online Event
10 Jun 2013 | 4:29 pmLearning Strategies is hosting another free online streaming event this week. It’s called Spring Forest Healingfest and features Qigong expert Chunyi Lin. Today’s session is about Qi energy, and it’s already available for you to listen to it now. You can access the Healingfest via your web browser or smart phone. All 6 days of the Healingfest are free, with new sessions posted each day. Each session can be streamed for free for about 24 hours. After that, Learning Strategies will be selling the recordings. A typical Healingfest session is about 30 minutes, so it’s an… -
How Obedient Are You?
28 May 2013 | 5:33 pmIn the early 1960s, Yale professor Stanley Milgram conducted a serious of famous psychological experiments to measure people’s obedience to authority. A volunteer was instructed by an experimenter to help administer a simple test to a subject in another room. Cards were drawn to determine which of two “volunteers” would play each role, but the cards were rigged such that the actual volunteer was always given the same role each time, and the other role was played by an actor. This gave the volunteers the impression that the role they happened to be assigned was arbitrary. The… -
London Meet-up Details – May 19
16 May 2013 | 2:51 pmNow that I’m in the UK, the Brits tell me I won’t be allowed to leave unless we have a social meet-up here. So let’s make it so! Here are the details of our first-ever London meet-up. Date: Sunday, May 19, 2013 Time: 2:00 pm (14:00) Location: In the Royal Festival Hall of Southbank Centre, Level 2, in the seating area across from the Riverside Terrace Cafe. Riverside is literal in this case since we’ll be on the river side of the building on the South bank of the Thames, so you’ll see the river if you look out the windows from the meet-up area. This is a public… -
Do You Want Comfort or Growth?
12 May 2013 | 1:09 pmAt a recent visit to the beautiful Keukenhof flower gardens in Holland, I learned about the practice of topping. As flowers grow, sometimes the growers cut off the tops of the flowers, which they believe causes the plants to invest more energy into flower growth and less into seed production. The expected result is flower buds that will produce higher quality flowers. This is a nice analogy for personal growth as well. Sometimes when we produce preliminary results in a certain area, it can be helpful to cut them off and discard them. This can free up energy for a stronger attempt elsewhere…
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Think Simple Now
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How to Create Good Habits
16 Jun 2013 | 5:00 pmPhoto by Eduardo Izquierdo By Rebecca A. Watson “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.” ~Confucius Recently, a friend in my 30 Day Challenge group brought up a really interesting point. “Have you noticed” he asked, “that it’s far easier to remove something or limit something from your life than it is to add to it?” It gave me pause. Every challenge I seemed to excel at had something to do with deprivation. I’d quit caffeine. I’d stopped eating gluten. My media fast was pretty successful as well, but what I’d had trouble with was reading… -
5 Lessons from Hitting Rock Bottom
9 Jun 2013 | 6:43 pmPhoto by Eduardo Izquierdo By Kayla Albert “When we can no longer change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor Frankl When you try to hinder the growth process, life has a way of making things very uncomfortable for you. I learned this because I was extremely uncomfortable in my skin, in my mind, in my physical world for a while before the temporary realities of my life came crashing down around me – in a huge way. Before I was forced to make a series of big changes, I had resigned myself to this idea that I would just have to muscle through the hardships, that I… -
Finding My Way Out of Depression
26 May 2013 | 5:00 pmPhoto by Eduardo Izquierdo Guest Story By Kelly Niven “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream”. ~Paulo Coelho If you had said to me at the peak of my suffering that it would be the best thing to happen, I would have thought you were mad. If you had told me then that it would transform my life, change the direction of my career and enhance my relationships with my children and loved ones I would never have believed you. But this is exactly what happened. I was stressed, highly anxious… -
3 Lessons on Overcoming Conflicts
19 May 2013 | 5:00 pmPhoto by Shannon By Kayla Albert “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” ~ Albert Einstein Conflict has always been something that my physical body reacts to viscerally, gnawing at my stomach, growing up into my heart and eventually taking up residence in my brain, sitting heavy until the issue can be resolved and room can be made for other thoughts and lighter feelings. I am a dweller, someone who will spend hours hashing out an issue, taking everything out from underneath the rug in order to inspect it, discuss it and let it dissipate — unless I… -
Be More, Do Less
12 May 2013 | 5:00 pmPhoto by Jon Jacobsen By Rebecca A. Watson “It is the stillness that will save and transform the world.” ~Eckhart Tolle Several years ago I lived with a good friend who spoke English as her third language. While she spoke fluently after years of experience, there was one phrase I used that she had trouble grasping at first: Just be. As in, “After we finish grocery shopping, let’s go to the beach and just be.” She’d always want to finish the sentence. “Just be … relaxing. Just be … writing.” When I explained what I meant, that I would really just like to sit,…
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Michael Sliwinski - Passionate Productivity
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✔ Launching 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity Course - Michael Sliwinski - Passionate Productivity
25 May 2013 | 9:03 amLast year I announced on this blog that I was planning to record a new 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity Course. It was a big deal for me, the 2008 course was viewed more than 120,000 times on YouTube and our great Nozbe customers needed an update. It was a very scary project, recorded almost entirely by me in 5 languages (I got help in Japanese :-) but finally we recorded and today let me show the course's trailer and invite you to view the course in English: You can also watch this 10 Steps to Ultimate Productivity Course on YouTube. As you can see, I recorded the course in 4 languages and… -
✔ How my iPhone became my minimalist wallet and why I'm loving it - Michael Sliwinski - Passionate Productivity
7 May 2013 | 9:10 amWomen have this inexplicable affinity for shoes and purses... and wallets, and jewelry, and other accessories. I'm a guy. Guys have gadgets. Typically guys carry three things with them: a wallet, a watch and a phone. While I wear my watch on occasion (not as often as I used to), I needed to carry my phone and wallet at all times. Now I finally managed to merge these two things into one - a minimalist iPhone wallet. I've had several wallets over the last few years. The GTD-Notetaker wallet from David Allen, several nice leather wallets... but I never found a wallet I really liked. Moreover… -
✔ The Start-Up of You by Reid Hoffmann - (audio)book of the week - Michael Sliwinski - Passionate Productivity
3 May 2013 | 1:10 amReid Hoffmann is one of the most successful investors in the Silicon Valley, he's the founder of LinkedIn (which is performing really well on Wall Street as a public copany now) and really a guy who knows stuff. Now he's written a book about career building and I think it's worth a read. With 19M people without jobs in Europe, we're suffering the biggest unemployment crisis in history. Everywhere I go people complain there are no jobs. While I don't want to go into politics, bubbles and crisis theories, the fact of the matter is that it's just a lot harder to get a job now than before. -
✔ Take the blame. It's really your fault. Learn from it. - Michael Sliwinski - Passionate Productivity
23 Apr 2013 | 9:10 amIt's not natural to take the blame. It feels better to blame the other guy... like when we are late - to blame it on the traffic, nanny, the kids, iPhone's reminder, whatever... whenever we screw something up, we try to come clean and say it's not our fault. Well, it really is our fault. In this short post I want to tell you why learning to take the blame is critical to your success. Learn to accept it's your fault... to really learn something from it! We're moving to a new house with my wife and while searching for houses we had to make appointments with many real-estate brokers. One of them… -
Something I'm very proud of: New @Nozbe 1.5 suite of apps, including New Webapp and Android tablet app - Michael Sliwinski - Passionate Productivity
22 Apr 2013 | 9:10 pmNew Nozbe 1.5 suite of apps, i... While we're almost ready to launch Nozbe 1.6, the Nozbe 1.5 marks an amazing milestone. For the first time ever we're having apps for all of the platforms: Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and soon WPhone. I know only about one other time-and-project management app out there that supports so many platforms. And the best part is that we're launching 1.6 very soon, with much-awaited speed and flow improvements all around. And it's the third version of our web app in our 6-year history. Nozbe was born as a web app in February of 2007. We re-launched the…
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zenhabits
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The Futility of Comparing Yourself to Others
17 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amBy Leo Babauta One of the biggest reasons we’re not content with ourselves and our lives is that we compare ourselves to other people. Picture it: you see photos of what someone else is doing on Facebook and think your life isn’t exciting enough. You see someone else who has a cool job and think you’re not doing that great in your career. You see someone with a hotter body, and feel bad about yours. You see someone who has created an awesome business, and think you’re not doing enough. You read about people who are traveling the world, learning languages, going to… -
A Secret to Dad Greatness
16 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amBy Leo Babauta I have six kids, ages ranging at the moment from 7 to 20. And while I’m not perfect as a father, I have learned a thing or two from my 20 years of service. I’ve learned to pay attention, to give them space, to accept them for who they are, to be a guide and not a director, to help them through teachable moments, to love reading a book with them, to walk and talk when we have problems, to give hugs when they are in pain and hugs when they experience a triumph, to set limits and then remove the limits when they’re excited about something. It’s a lot to… -
Habits: A Simple Change in Mindset Changes Everything
13 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amBy Leo Babauta One of the best tricks I’ve learned to improve my likelihood of sticking to a habit is so simple it’s sinful. Stop thinking of a new habit as something you have to do, but as something you are allowed to do. Let’s say you’re starting a workout. Many people think, “OK, I gotta do this. It’s good for me, I’m way too lazy, I need to burn off my fat, if I do this I’ll feel better about myself.” This is wrong, because then the workout is a chore you have to get through to get the benefits, and so you struggle through this boring,… -
The Worry That You’re Doing the Wrong Thing Right Now
10 Jun 2013 | 7:48 amBy Leo Babauta It’s first thing in your workday, and you open up your email. There’s a host of messages, old and new, asking for your attention. You also open up other inboxes in social media and the like. You quickly go through them and get a picture of what you need to get done right now. But where do you start? You begin one task from an email, but then quickly have the urge to see if there’s something else more important you should be doing. And this problem repeats itself — every time you sit down with one thing, the dozens of others on your mind (and the many… -
6 Steps To Being More Creative
7 Jun 2013 | 8:00 amEditor’s note: This is a guest post from Marc Lesser, CEO of SIYLI, Zen priest, and author of Know Yourself, Forget Yourself. For most of my life I did not think of myself as creative at all. Then, many years ago, I started a greeting card company, despite that I had rarely purchased or sent greetings cards. My motivation was combining business with taking care of the environment, by making products from recycled paper. I found myself in a role where I needed to be very creative – in developing new products as well as how to distribute products. I also found that the act of leadership…
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Unclutterer
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Unitasker Wednesday: Glitter Cleanup Cloth
19 Jun 2013 | 7:30 amAll Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy! Glitter is one of the most evil craft products in existence. Most often, its users are children under the age of 10 who have no business decorating with the vile stuff. Once a glitter container is opened, glitter infects every possible thing it comes near. Does anyone ever garner enough joy from these sparkly bits to warrant the clean up afterward because those sparkly bits get everywhere? My guess is: no. In an attempt to make glitter less awful, Martha… -
A year ago on Unclutterer
19 Jun 2013 | 7:15 am2012 Getting a handle on your craft suppliesGuest post author and professional organizer Janine Adams gives seasoned, practical advice for keeping your craft and/or hobby supplies from taking over your home. 2010 Musings on children’s birthday partiesAs a parent, you want the world for your kid. You want your child to be liked by his classmates, you want your child to be happy, and you want to celebrate his life. A basic swimming party with hamburgers can easily cost a hundred dollars — spending 10 times more once a year on a birthday party wouldn’t seem like such a big… -
Ten awesome Dropbox tricks
18 Jun 2013 | 7:30 amDropbox is a service that offers online storage of your stuff. It’s tremendously convenient and used by lots of people world wide. Dropbox is a quick-and-dirty sharing and backup tool that many workers (including yours truly) couldn’t work without. What many people don’t realize is that Dropbox is capable of a lot more than drag-and-drop storage of your files. There are numerous cool things you can do with it, but the following are 10 useful tricks I’ve discovered to help keep me organized and reduce my digital clutter. Save space with selective sync My personal computer is a… -
Procrastinating can give you time to think
17 Jun 2013 | 7:30 amIf all decisions were easy to make, we’d probably save time (for the things we love) and we’d likely have less clutter, too. In that ideal world of easy decision making, we’d know what to do with everything we own and we wouldn’t scratch our heads trying to figure out where to store our things. Gone would be the days of delaying decisions because of uncertainty. And, we’d probably have fewer opportunities to procrastinate. This sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it? Frank Partnoy, author of Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, begs to differ. Partnoy, in an… -
A year ago on Unclutterer
16 Jun 2013 | 7:15 am2012 Unitasker Wednesday: Corn DesilkerIn all of my years of shucking, cooking, and eating a ridiculous amount of corn, I have never once thought I needed a device to remove the silk from an ear. However, someone out there apparently thinks I am wrong and believes a special tool is necessary for doing a very simple task that your hands can do. Exhibit A: The Corn Desilker. Breaking projects down into simple, achievable stepsWhen you break projects down into simple, achievable steps, you set yourself up for success. You are more likely to complete a project when the steps to “done”…
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Ian's Messy Desk
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Are We Addicted to Mediocrity
17 Jun 2013 | 8:51 amI wish I had written this, or something like this: The one possible weakness of this otherwise terrific little volume is that it is aimed solely at people who are creative, intelligent and want to succeed. Those who are mediocre, unmotivated or just coasting through life will probably not get much from Godin. He is not an elitist, but his message is squarely aimed at those who want to succeed or at least achieve excellence. From: Know a dip from a dead end – MiamiHerald.com I’ve read most of Seth Godin’s output: books, magazine articles, blog posts, etc. I’ve often thought there… -
How Guy Kawasaki Manages His Social Media Presence
30 May 2013 | 3:34 pmThis is likely to pop-up all over the web. It is a good insight into how “one” person, Guy Kawasaki, manages a large social-media presence. How I Post—A Social-Media Core Dump By Guy Kawasaki Many people ask me how I manage my social media accounts (and others make stuff up rather than figure out what I do). Here are the gory, inside-story details of what I do. Perhaps you may find some of my methods useful to help you get the most out of social media, too. Twitter On Twitter, I’m @GuyKawasaki.My Twitter practices defy the recommendations of social media… -
Free Productivity Tools and Links at Daily PlanIt
27 May 2013 | 10:32 amA new find for the reading list and blog roll, Daily PlanIt. This blog covers areas of personal development, productivity, relationships, information management, and more. The blog’s tagline is, “Work smarter. Live better. PlanIt for success!” Among the wealth of information available is a page of Free Productivity Tools and a page of linkscovering topics such as: Self Assessment Emotional Skills Mental Skills Spiritual Skills Personal Qualities Work Skills Computer Skills There’s lots of good information here. Pay it a visit. You just finished reading Free Productivity Tools and… -
Evernote adds reminders
23 May 2013 | 3:01 pmEvernote has added “reminders” to Mac, iOS and web-based versions. Hopefully. the feature will be added to the Windows version in the not too distant future. Here’s a short video tutorial. You just finished reading Evernote adds reminders! Consider leaving a comment! Recommended: Evernote EssentialsThe post Evernote adds reminders appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. -
Be more productive with better sleep habits
13 May 2013 | 2:42 pmYou just finished reading Be more productive with better sleep habits! Consider leaving a comment! Recommended: Evernote EssentialsThe post Be more productive with better sleep habits appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk.
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Jason Womack
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A mind shift, on Father's Day
16 Jun 2013 | 11:34 amAre you willing to let yourself think that Making More has very little to do with how much cash you have in the bank?That is what this dad thinks.After you read the post, share your comment...what does "Making More" mean to YOU? -
If it were easier, would you make it better?
15 Jun 2013 | 4:59 amHello there from Canon City, Colorado. It is officially the 7th Day of the Ride the Rockies bicycle tour. After posting this entry for you to read, I'm riding to Colorado Springs.Here is what I experienced yesterday as I stopped at an aid station to have some equipment replaced.Today's challenge, after you click that link and read the post, ask yourself, "Where can I make things easier?" -
There are people who get it...and people who don't
14 Jun 2013 | 4:58 amSomeone asked me why I don't "tent camp" on the Ride the Rockies and Bicycle Tour of Colorado week-long events. I answer that question here. -
Stop wasting time looking for the right gear!
13 Jun 2013 | 5:20 amRiding almost 100 miles in a day requires I have, use, and LIKE the gear I have. Oh, so does you having a productive day at work.Here's what I learned riding over Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado yesterday. And, as I get started on today's nearly 90-mile ride, I'm taking a second look at my gear!I wrote about the importance of "Gear" over here... oh, and it's Day 5 of Ride the Rockies here in Colorado. -
An ice bath, at the end of 86 miles
12 Jun 2013 | 5:10 amRode my bike through, up and down the mountains of Colorado yesterday. It was day 3 (of 7) of my 520+ mile tour. Here's where I sat at the end of the ride...I wrote up a couple of observations about the day...you can read about them here (as well as my focus on today's ride).
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I'm an Organizing Junkie
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5 Organizing Ideas Under $25
19 Jun 2013 | 10:31 pmThe following is a guest post from regular contributor, Shannon at AKA Design. Hi Organizing Junkies! Has your summer begun yet? We’re hanging in for the last week or so of homeschool and then it’s summa-time for my three littles. This week is also super special because our oldest little actually turns 13 – which I can hardly believe! Not so little anymore. Anyway, this week I want to share 5 Organizing Ideas Under $25. These can all be found online and may just make your life easier. You know if you’re like me and you like easier. :) 1. Box Topper Lid $3.99 Each Solutions Okay so… -
Ebook Bundle of the Week: Time Management for Families
17 Jun 2013 | 5:54 pmI don’t post every weekly bundle because they don’t always apply to what this site is all about but I had to let you know about this one because it’s all about time management! I’m most excited to see Amy Lynn Andrews book in this bundle because it is one of my favorites! A real gem to help you reign in the chaos of life. I highly recommend it! Take a look at the all books you get below….5 ebooks for $7.40! Running a household, caring for children and still finding time to pursue your passions is not an easy order, but this week’s bundle is… -
Menu Plan Monday ~ June 17/13
17 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amHi everyone, welcome to another Menu Plan Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend and Father’s Day. My hubby worked all day which was a bummer but the kids and I went out to a church picnic and had a great time. I brought to the potluck a fun and easy dessert that looked so pretty in the pan. I whipped up a batch of brownies, cut them up and then put them on to skewers with some strawberries and marshmallows. Brownies Kabobs…it just doesn’t get much easier than that and they are perfect for a picnic. Yummy!!! For Father’s Day one of the gifts we got my… -
Summer Routines for Kids
14 Jun 2013 | 10:38 pmThe following is a guest post from regular contributor, Sharon at Mom of 6. On Momof6 I write often about the importance of creating routines in your household which helps to set up expectations for both you and your children for what needs to happen at certain times of the day, as well as outlines any tasks that you want them to regularly complete. I feel strongly that households function better when there are routines in place! But when those first few weeks of summer vacation hit, quite often it’s the absence of routines that is so appealing to everyone. The sleeping in, the lack of… -
A Mid Year Planner Switch Out
14 Jun 2013 | 9:14 amOkay this is the post where I confess WHY my current planner isn’t working for me. Trust me you won’t hear this reason too often I’m sure. But first let me back up a little and show you my current soon to be old planner. I use my planner to keep my blogging business life organized. I use a different method to keep my family organized which I talk about below. Back in October I put together a planner using a small Martha Stewart binder and dividers along with some calendar pages from Daytimer. It is a great looking planner that allowed me space for the different…
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Popular Science - DIY
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6 Futuristic Musical Instruments Built In 72 Hours
17 Jun 2013 | 2:00 pmThe Vitruvian Inspired by DaVinci's drawing of the Vitruvian Man, Maker Twins created a colorful way to mix your own music. Lillian Hwang In this year's Red Bull Creation challenge, makers built musical instruments in just three days. Click here to enter the gallery. Yesterday six teams of makers built futuristic musical instruments, conceived of and created in just 72 hours for Red Bull's Creation competition. The DIY competition asked teams to create never-before-seen instruments that could compose and play live music. A third constraint: the general public had to be able to interact with… -
How To Build Your Own DIY Water Blaster
6 Jun 2013 | 12:23 pmDIY Waterzooka Son of Alan Grab some PVC pipes and other supplies, then get ready to fire. Materials 2-inch-by-24-inch Schedule 40 PVC pipe 1¼-inch-by-24-inch PVC pipe Two 2-inch PVC caps Two 1¼-inch PVC caps 1¼-inch PVC coupler Buna-N 1.6-inch ID by 0.21-inch CS O-ring PVC glue (8 ounces is plenty) Tube of waterproof silicone grease Summertime means rising temperatures-and, often, rising tempers. If your friends and family want to beat the heat without beating each other, there's a surefire option: squirt-gun fight! But shelling out for a few $20-or-more water weapons can rapidly thin a… -
This Voice-Activated Organizing Robot Makes Sure You'll Never Lose A Screw
6 Jun 2013 | 12:00 pmHear And Obey StorageBot follows voice commands to retrieve parts listed in a database. Just one command can open a specific drawer or all the ones that contain, for example, screws. Courtesy Danh Trinh Danh Trinh built StorageBot to keep track of easily lost workshop parts. Even better, it responds to the sound of his voice. Over 25 years, Danh Trinh had amassed thousands of screws, hinges, and other parts in his workshop. He filed them away in labeled drawers, but locating them still wasn't easy. To solve that problem, he built StorageBot: a robotic organizer that summons components at the… -
How To Turn A Match Into A Tiny Rocket
6 Jun 2013 | 11:52 amSwift Strike Courtesy Steve Hoefer/Grathio.com Blast off! The swift strike of a match on July 4 typically precedes sky-high spectacles. But matches themselves can be fireworks. When ignited, the bulb of fuel on a match's tip combusts into space-hogging gases. By containing the gas in aluminum foil and directing it downward, you can create a miniature missile. Follow these steps to become a rocket scientist in your own driveway. Materials Matches Sewing pin or needle Paper clips Aluminum foil Instructions 1. Bend a paper clip into a 45-degree angle. Presto! You have a launch pad. 2. Lay a pin… -
How To Turn A Barf Bag Into A Phone Mount
31 May 2013 | 7:00 amDIY: Phone Mount Son of Alan Become the envy of fellow passengers on TV-free airplanes On the streets of Manila, Flynn Jason Siy entertains himself with urban gymnastics. On airplanes, he avenges boredom with barf bags. During a budget flight to the resort island of Boracay-on a plane lacking TVs-Siy made a cradle for his smartphone from the metal closure tabs of several bags, allowing him to comfortably watch movies on the device. Here's how to engineer your own seat-back screen in a few minutes. 1 Take three barf bags from nearby seat pockets, and remove their pliable closure tabs. 2 Bend…
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Get Organized Wizard
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How To Never Procrastinate Again
12 Jun 2013 | 5:13 amYep I’m serious. There’s a way to stop ‘procrastinating’. How? Well, I’m going to suggest there’s no such thing as procrastination. I mean yes, there’s a word and a set of associations that go with it. But I’m suggesting that by treating it as a meaningful phenomenon like it’s some deep-seated childhood trauma or pervasive psycho-sexual dysfunction, we give it more power than it deserves. I’m suggesting that the idea of a problem beneath the label doesn’t serve you. The Procrastination Label Let’s say there’s… -
Discipline – Now With 80% Less Willpower
5 Jun 2013 | 6:08 pmThis month my word of the month is discipline. Not the scary, willpower-y kind of discipline. I’ve never been good at that. Anything enforced immediately brings out the rebellious child in me. I can’t diet because as soon as there’s something I can’t have it’s the thing I want most in the world. Even if I had zero interest in it before. White chocolate mud cake that I’ve spat out on previous occasions? Don’t mind if I do. I recently gave up Coke Zero but can only stick to this by keeping a bottle in my fridge at all times and allowing myself to… -
7 Simple Ways To Feel More Confident
30 May 2013 | 12:00 amFeeling confident helps us to do more, be more, and give more to others. The following 7 simple strategies can help you to feel better about yourself – and that can help make you more productive, motivated, and effective. So why not pick at least one strategy that you can use today… 1. Dress Your Best Sure your appearance can affect how others perceive you, but what about the way you perceive yourself? You needn’t dress up, but do dress well. Each morning, choose clothes that look and feel good and that help to bring out the best you. Not the you that wants to… -
7 Surprising Things From The Simplify Your Life Challenge
22 May 2013 | 10:19 pmMore than 1200 people are signed up and completing the 21-Day Simplify Your Life Challenge. It’s exciting to read the comments and see the pictures as people make small changes that can have a big impact on their lives. Here are some of the discoveries so far that people have found surprising: Knowing where to start is often the hardest part. That’s right – not doing the hard thing, but knowing where to begin in doing the hard thing. Days #3, #4, #7, #8. Perfectionism steals our time and our minds. We can think it’s a cute trait but it’s really a life killer,… -
Premium Subscribers: Update
16 May 2013 | 3:24 amHello to my wonderful Premium Subscribers! I wanted to update you on a few things… 21-Day Simplify Your Life Challenge The 21-Day Simplify Your Life Challenge is off to a fabulous start! So far we’ve been decluttering, organizing chores, sorting priorities, and dealing with perfectionism. I’m especially loving people’s photos. Not bad for just a few days! As a Premium Subscriber this challenge is included for you, so make sure you take advantage of it if you’d like a simpler life. Many people are going at their own pace so it’s not too late to join in.
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Wrike Product Blog
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Two More Ways to Easily Create Comments and Tasks in Wrike from Your Inbox
13 Jun 2013 | 12:00 amWe’ve heard from many of you that forwarding your emails to Wrike and replying to notifications, as well as our unique Outlook and Apple Mail add-ins are extremely helpful in your day-to-day work. On our forum, you also shared some cool ideas for perfecting these features so that they suit your needs even better. As we are passionate about making you more efficient, we didn’t hesitate to bring them to life and generate new simple ways to create tasks and comments from your email account. Emailing tasks into the required folder is now as easy as 1-2-3 There’s the good… -
5 Project Management Lessons to Learn from Superheroes
3 Jun 2013 | 12:00 amWith busy schedules, tight deadlines and many other day-to-day project management challenges, have you ever wished you had a super power to help you cope with them all in a magical way? Inspired by interesting comments to our CEO’s recent post “7 Business Lessons an Entrepreneur Can Learn from Super Heroes”, we thought of a few lessons a project manager can learn from superheroes. Thor – Learn humility This Northern god of Thunder was thrown down to Earth and deprived of his powers, until he proved to be humble. Jim Collins, the author of leadership best-sellers… -
How to Stay Motivated at Work: The Science of Productive Breaks [NEW INFOGRAPHIC]
30 May 2013 | 12:00 amWhen you are feeling overloaded, instead of pushing harder, a wise thing to do might be to take a short break. As we discussed in one of our previous posts, short breaks can revive your productivity and decrease tension. We looked deeper into the matter and put together some interesting facts, as well as practical advice on how to stay fresh and productive throughout the day. Here’s a guide to productive breaks in our new infographic! What kind of break works best for your productivity? Do you have your own motivational song? Are short breaks supported in your organization? -
Managing Tasks, Projects, Issues, Documents and How About … Books?
23 May 2013 | 12:00 amIt’s always great to know how many different and interesting use cases of Wrike implementation are there in your organizations. But could you imagine that Wrike might serve not only as your irreplaceable assistant in task and project management, but also as a librarian? With a sizeable collection of books in the office, it may be rather difficult to keep them classified and track their availability. One of our customers, Tisso Naturprodukte, who has a large office library with the latest publications in biology and natural medicine, handled this challenge with Wrike’s help. -
Shout-Out for Astrid Users: Wrike is the New Home for Your Tasks
13 May 2013 | 12:00 amShould someone among your friends, family or colleagues use Astrid as their to-do app, you will want to let them know about our exciting update! Recently it was announced that Yahoo! is acquiring Astrid. However, Yahoo! has not revealed what their plans are for Astrid after its acquisition. We suggest that Astrid users ensure their productivity is safe and blooming no matter what :) In just a couple of clicks they canimport their tasks from Astrid to Wrike and easily collaborate on them in our iPhone and Android apps. Getting familiar with Wrike will not be a problem for Astrid…
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How to of the Day
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How to Sew an Owl
20 Jun 2013 | 1:00 amThree little adorable owls can be made in just a few simple steps, making them the ideal project for a beginner sewer. And for anyone who loves owls, this project is also perfect! Try it using your own favourite fabric and make as many as you want to show off all those extra pieces of much loved fabric too. Edit Steps Preparing the Pattern and Fabric Pieces Print out the pattern given here. Print at or enlarge to the size you want the final owl to be. Cut the fabric according to the pattern. Sewing the Fabric Owl Sew one side. Place the two fabric pieces facing right side to right side, then… -
How to Treat Fluid Retention
19 Jun 2013 | 7:00 pmFluid retention occurs when the body cannot get rid of excess water. Fluid retention can occur for a variety of reasons, but most commonly it is caused by premenstrual syndrome in women, too much salt in your diet or as a side effect from medication. As a result of fluid retention, there may be some swelling of the body especially in the legs, ankles, hands, feet and abdomen. There are many natural ways of treating fluid retention by expelling excess water from the body and hydrating properly. Here are a few steps on how to treat fluid retention. Edit Steps Sensible Nutrition Eat foods with… -
How to Use Pixlr Express (Efficient)
19 Jun 2013 | 1:00 pmWant a quick software on the internet that could edit your photos in a few minutes? Pixlr Express is one way to do that. It's similar to Photoshop, in that it lets you edit images and add effects to them, but has a much simpler interface. Edit Steps Opening the Site Open up Pixlr's website. Go to http://pixlr.com/ and select 'Pixlr Express (Efficient). When it has finished loading, it should come up with a black screen with options on top and in the middle of the screen. Firstly, insert a link or browse any picture to upload. You can also use to collage tool as listed. The collage tool… -
How to Make Green Tea
19 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amGreen tea is a wonderful beverage with potential health benefits. But if you're not familiar with a few basic techniques, you can wind up with a tea that's grassy, bitter, or just too strong. Here's how to get a perfect cup of green tea: Edit Ingredients Green tea leaves or pearls (about 1 tsp. per cup of water) Hot water Edit Steps Determine how many cups of green tea you would want to make. The general guideline is one teaspoon (5 g) of green tea leaves (or pearls) per one cup of water. This will yield one cup of brewed tea. Measure out the desired amount of green tea leaves (or pearls) and… -
How to Increase Your Metabolism
19 Jun 2013 | 1:00 amIf you're trying to lose weight, increasing your metabolic rate can enable you to lose more weight without cutting more calories. The commercialism surrounding "metabolism-enhancing products" has made it difficult to separate fact from fiction (or advertising), but you can find a few research-based suggestions here. Edit Steps Understand what metabolism is. In the simplest terms, metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories. Very few people have a fast metabolism.[1] A faster metabolism will enable you to lose more weight than a person with the same activity level, diet, and…
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Clutter Coach
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Why You Shouldn't Read This Blog
15 Jun 2013 | 3:06 pmOriginally posted 2010-07-14 13:14:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter We know it's important to limit our time online when it involves pointless web surfing. But a lot of what we read and discover online is really interesting, helpful stuff (like this blog!). You could easily spend all day finding treasures on the Internet. This goes for interviews and videos you download too. Those are more insidious because once they're downloaded, out of sight, out of mind. You think you learned something valuable today because you have the thing, but you haven't actually listened/watched… -
Donations bag for easy decluttering
14 Jun 2013 | 12:13 pmYou know that pile of clothes on a shelf in your closet that you’re going to give to the Goodwill? But it keeps staying on your shelf? It needs an easier, simpler way to get out of the house. Here’s your tip: Keep a shopping bag in your closet, clearly labelled Goodwill or Donation. Every time you come across something you want to get rid of, drop it in the bag. When the bag is full, take it to the donation center. Voila. I recommend keeping this bag in your clothes closet because that’s where you’re going to encounter items to donate. Plus, you will see it everyday… -
Make a not to do list
13 Jun 2013 | 10:38 amTo do lists are a dime a dozen. I’ll bet you have a dozen hiding somewhere on your desk. They have important tasks on them, but are also liberally peppered with: things you don’t really have to do things you keep saying you’ll do, but don’t things you have no intention of doing, but think you should things that were a good idea at the time, but have become irrelevant You get the picture. The problem with having them on your to do list is that they distract you from the real to do’s, the ones that will make you money, advance your career and develop your super… -
Make Time for Your Mail
8 Jun 2013 | 2:49 pmOriginally posted 2007-11-27 16:09:39. Republished by Blog Post PromoterLast week, I wrote about setting up a way to sort your incoming mail. That’s step one of handling the mail. It paves the way for the more important step of doing something with all that mail. This means getting it to its final destination rather than letting it stack up on the counter or in lovely labeled file folders. The biggest mistake I see people make with mail is that they open it, glance at the contents, then set it down again “for later.” Sometimes they’re even at their desks; the place… -
The Seven Deadly Organizing Sins: Wrath
1 Jun 2013 | 1:44 pmOriginally posted 2009-11-05 12:37:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter This is Sin #5 on the list, which also includes lust, gluttony, greed and sloth. Wrath, or anger, is sinful because it’s destructive. It can harm others and it can harm you as well. Here’s a scenario: Overwhelmed Olivia decides to beat clutter once and for all. She buys an organizing book and sets aside a weekend. By Sunday night, she’s only on the third cabinet and she feels frustrated. Then she gets mad; mad at the book, which she throws behind the bed, and mad at herself for not being able to get…
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GO MOM!
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Choosing a Signature Gift {Gift Giving}
13 Jun 2013 | 5:11 pmPresent Box with Silver BowPhoto CreditFreeDigitalPhotos.net Today we are talking about Gift Giving and choosing a signature gift. Part of our year long series GO MOM! Organizing Tips and all month long for June we’ll be talking about the process of gift giving. Have you ever found you’ve got a bunch of activities going on and you are not only stressed about how in the world you be able to attend but also how you will graciously gift everyone that is involved? That’s where a signature gift comes into play and here are my three tips to help you make gift giving as… -
4 Disney Apps for Summer Fun
12 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amWhen it comes Disney Apps and kids, we have found that for our family, you simply can’t go wrong. With so many choices covering all of our favorite characters and interests, Disney Apps are a common ground for electronic fun on the go. Our summer is full of outdoor activities and plenty of sports so we spend a lot of time on the go. That means having a new Disney App on my side can do wonders for keeping my people happy while we tackle what we need to get done. I also like to have a surprise list of things to when bad weather has us working our Plan B. Check out my top 4 pics for Disney… -
Last Minute Father’s Day Gift Guide
11 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amHappy Fathers DayPhoto CreditFreeDigitalPhotos.net Its time to think Last Minute for our Father’s Day Gift Guide. I’ll admit it, much as I wish I planned WAY far ahead for this one I’m often scrambling the week before Father’s Day to pull of something special for both my husband and my Dad. Because my parents live close by and we often have both a family celebration and the influence of summer baseball on our schedule, I always feel like I’m running behind the curve. But that doesn’t mean that the gifts we give can’t be special, personal to the… -
5 Tips to Get Ready for Summer Camp
10 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amThis sponsored post is part of my role as Household Expert for Mabel’s Labels. All opinions are entirely my own. Camping Blue TentPhoto CreditFreeDigitalPhotos.net Summer is here and its time to get ready for summer camp. No matter if your kids are attending a day camp or visiting an overnight camp, you need to send them prepared for each day, knowing that they have just what they need to have fun and enjoy all the new friends and experiences that are waiting for them. With three summer athletes, our opportunities for overnight camp have been limited due to tournament and meet… -
How to Organize College Information
7 Jun 2013 | 7:53 amAdmissions of FacultyPhoto CreditFreeDigitalPhotos.Net Today we are talking about how to organize college information. If you are the parent of a high school junior or senior, you are in the midst of the hunt for where your child is going to go to college. There are so many aspects of this search beginning with prepping for and taking the ACT and SATs, taking college tours, and then the application process and making that final decision. Because I see the world with a binder in every hand, when I considered how to organize college information, it all began with a binder. Here are my tips for…
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Cyclope-Series Team Blog
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About productivity paradox
18 Jun 2013 | 1:02 amCompanies and people rely more and more on technologies in order to be more productive. We are talking about faster computers, better software, mobile devices and faster Internet. Still in US the productivity for the first quarter performance was revised down slightly from an initial estimate of a 0.7 percent first quarter increase (source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-productivity-grew-modest-annual-rate-1q-125013291.html). The trend in productivity has been fairly weak in recent years. For all of 2012, productivity rose just 0.7 percent, after an even smaller 0.6 percent rise in 2011. -
More than 80% of workers continued to work at home after leaving the office
11 Jun 2013 | 5:33 amI was reading a topic on cnbc.com (direct link http://www.cnbc.com/id/48047049) web site regarding a study performed by Good Technology found that more than 80% of workers continued to work at home after leaving the office, adding more than a month of overtime work annually. Starting from here we consider that is important for companies and employees to track this activity and identify how productive it is. Checking and replying to emails seems to be the top activity. Cyclope is able to track the entire computer activity: Employee Time Tracking Software And show reports with the activity… -
Are company contact lists safe in the hands of employees?
6 Jun 2013 | 12:17 amThis is an infographic created by our team based on a recent research Are company contact lists safe? No related posts. -
5 Reasons to Attend Your Company Happy Hour
20 Feb 2012 | 4:56 amWorking 8 to 10 hours in a big company might be exhausting. That’s why attending a corporate happy hour can offer more benefits than you might realize. It’s an opportunity to meet coworkers on an informal basis, and to chat with people who work in other departments. Happy hour is intended to be jovial and relaxing and has many other benefits like: Free drinks and treats: How could anyone pass up a free meal and yummy adult beverages? This is probably the most obvious reason (and financial) to attend your companies Happy Hour. Meet New People and Network: This is great chance to branch… -
Workplace Negativity = Decreased Productivity
9 Dec 2011 | 4:44 amHaving to deal with workplace negativity is one of the fastest and easiest ways to lower productivity around the office. It quickly creates a hostile environment that makes everyone edgy and uncomfortable, and tends to affect everyone from employees to employers. Negativity is one of those things that, once it takes hold, tends to spread like wildfire and can come in more than one form. Employee vs. Employer Employee Negativity Negativity in employees is something that is almost unavoidable because everyone has bad days and everyone can find something to complain about. The problem with…
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Stephanie LH Calahan - Business Transformation Catalyst
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10+ Simple Steps to Build Well-Being
28 May 2013 | 2:44 pmI've mentioned in a few posts about how I'm stretching myself (litterally) by taking yoga classes a few days a week. The other day, I spotted a note on the bulletin board of the studio. The title was "To Build Well-Being, Be Sure To" and then it listed 10 things that you can do. I was curious what other people thought of this list, so I snapped a picture of it and put it on some of my networks and asked! Today, I'll share that simple list of 10 as well as what my friends shared as their reactions to the list. Source: via Stephanie on Pinterest… -
The Lie You Were Told When You Were Young That's Hurting Your Business
22 May 2013 | 6:00 am"Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Words will Never Hurt Me!" is a lie. There, I said it. Many of us were told this phrase when we were young to combat the mean things that kids can say to one another. But it is simply not true. Words can hurt. Sometimes more than we realize. That is a pretty bold statement, so let me explain a bit further. "Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image. What we continually think about eventually will… -
Are You Engaging? Do You Really Know What That Means?
20 May 2013 | 5:52 amEngagement is a word that many in the information marketing and social media industries are using lately. I have been using the word a lot recently too. In fact, I have been curating some groups lately and asked for my connections to share people that they felt were "active and engaging." Then I realized that the word engagement or engaging could have a number of interpretations. That got me curious. So, I went to my various communities and asked: What does engagement/engaging mean to you? Today I'll share the great conversation and perspectives that people around the… -
Optimizing Pinterest for the Greatest Results
13 May 2013 | 6:07 pmMy private clients often ask me what I think of various social media sites and ask if they should spend time on Pinterest. In fact, lately I've had some really great conversations about the most visual social media site out there. Considering Pinterest has been such a hot topic lately, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Infographics on Pinterest. Enjoy! Source: via Stephanie on Pinterest Or how about this one? Source: via Stephanie on Pinterest And last for today Source: via Stephanie on Pinterest -
Social Media, Joint Venturing and Building a Kick Butt Workshop Speaking Biz
13 May 2013 | 12:51 pmMeggin McIntosh and Stephanie Calahan Building your business and partnering with people all around the world is truly possible for anyone with today's technology. Yet, many people feel that it is beyond their grasp. Lately, I have been sharing a number of joint venture partnership strategies on various telesummit programs and radio shows, but I had a client ask me the other day for a real life example. So, I thought it was a great opportunity to share that example with you today and how you can begin to grow your relationships regardless of where you live or what…
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The Organized Executive's Blog
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Be ‘in the know’ without being overwhelmed
18 Jun 2013 | 9:00 amIf you’re the leader of hundreds of employees spread across dozens of business units, keeping on top of everything can be a challenge. Below are some additional tips everyone can use to home in on what’s important and avoid information … Continue reading → -
Be great—not perfect
14 Jun 2013 | 3:59 pmAdopt these habits to free yourself from the tyranny of perfection. Continue reading → -
Manage your paper clutter
7 Jun 2013 | 2:37 pmTake one day out of the month to deal with the loose paper cluttering your life. Continue reading → -
Maximize the benefits of LinkedIn
4 Jun 2013 | 9:25 amIn addition to expanding your professional network, LinkedIn offers many opportunities for sharing information, improving your reputation and finding job candidates. Continue reading → -
Solve problems in an hour or less
30 May 2013 | 11:02 amKeep problem-solving meetings brief by enforcing strict time limits on discussions. Divide meetings into these three 20-minute segments: Define.When possible, specify the problem in advance. Then use the first 20 minutes of the meeting to identify potential root causes and … Continue reading →
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2Time Labs
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Email’s Impact on Our Stress Levels
17 Jun 2013 | 2:07 pmI found an interesting article that gives an early peek at the impact that email is having on our stress levels. The article entitled Email raises stress levels gives an early peek at some intriguing... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Podcast – an Interview with Val and Jayne – Time Management Experts from Pink Shoe Power
10 Jun 2013 | 12:52 pmIn this interview with Val McDougall and Jayne Jennings of Save-Time.org and Pink Shoe Power, we explored the degree to which the work we do overlaps. We all strongly believe that one size... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
ASTD 2013 Revisited – Taking New Ideas Out into the World
29 May 2013 | 2:33 amIn my prior post I mentioned the fact that recently spoke at the American Society of Training and Development’s International Conference and Exposition in Dallas. The topic of my speech, given... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
Presenting New Training Ideas at the ASTD Annual Conference
27 May 2013 | 7:49 amLast week at the ASTD Conference I presented a number of ideas developed from the work we do here at 2Time Labs in time management. If you are a training administrator or corporate trainer, you may... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] -
The Obstacles in My Book
15 May 2013 | 6:14 amIn my book, I threw a number of obstacles in the way of the protagonist, Bill. They were all realistic, and reflect the work I have done with clients over the years. Many contemporary problems are... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Robin Dickinson
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Business Success: avoid the personal development trap
6 Jun 2013 | 8:29 pmMeanwhile, back in Hobbyville, people get stuck in the trap of trying to run their business as a way of living a meaningful and authentic life, and end up doing neither very well. For example, Sage from Kumbaya Personal Development Coaching uses her business more as a vehicle for her own personal development rather than [...] -
Influence Masterclass: how to handle hecklers like Barack Obama
29 May 2013 | 3:40 amHOW TO INFLUENCE WITH INTEGRITY & IMPACT This is the fourth video of a new series of Influence Masterclasses based on detailed deconstructions of the persuasion and communication strategies, tactics and techniques used by influential people to get heard and ahead. Each video gives you practical and easy-to-implement tips that will immediately boost your power [...] -
Business Success: have clear boundaries between work and non-work activities
26 May 2013 | 6:28 pmMeanwhile, back in Hobbyville, people lack clear boundaries between their work and non-work activities. For example, Morgan Ashman from Bury Good Funeral Services spends every breathing hour at work. His work life has become his total life, robbing his business of the many advantages of regularly participating in downtime and non-work activities. Cheeky cartoon by [...] -
Influence Masterclass: how to present full-force like Tony Robbins
16 May 2013 | 10:53 pmHOW TO INFLUENCE WITH INTEGRITY & IMPACT This is the third video of a new series of Influence Masterclasses based on detailed deconstructions of the persuasion and communication strategies, tactics and techniques used by influential people to get heard and ahead. Each video gives you three practical and easy-to-implement tips that will immediately boost your [...] -
Business Success: do more of what makes you money
6 May 2013 | 3:59 pmMeanwhile, back in Hobbyville, people confuse doing what they love e.g. learning, creating, socialising, with what makes money. For example, Chrissey from Shiney Things: Latest Fashion Jewellery spends every available moment doing what she loves – shopping, spending and partying. All of which drain rather than fill her business bank account. Cheeky cartoon by Robin [...]
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Productivity Bits
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The Etch Moleskine Cover And Twist Precision Pen by Allegory
12 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amDisclaimer: I received these items from Allegory in exchange for my review. That didn’t influence my opinion of these products. Check www.allegorypens.com for more information.I’ve always been fascinated by things made by hand. I admire the craft and appreciate the effort put into creating them.The art borne out of the palm’s creative touch echoes a form of poetry that is mute and solemn.Such are the Etch leather cover and Twist pen made by Allegory.If you are like me, you always keep a small journal notebook despite you having an always-connected smartphone. I have an HTC… -
Why Your Adventure To Keep A Journal Notebook Failed
24 May 2013 | 2:32 pmMoleskine and Field Notes are two of my favorite notebook brands. I write stuff. I keep notes, lists, and ideas. I have Evernote and OneNote but I rarely use them.And I only started using digital notes with OneNote extensively when I started writing my tech book project. For everything else, I use a notebook.You don’t want to let any good ideas to slip off your head because of information overload. If you are like me, your brain is always busy processing stuff.I process hundreds, even thousands, of information in my head at any given time. I have a full time job, side projects, and… -
Visionaries Are Ten Steps Ahead Of Us
3 May 2013 | 1:54 pmSteve Jobs is known for, aside from Apple and Pixar, his reality-distortion field. He simply made the impossible possible in the tech world.Steve Jobs is a visionary. And many are like him.Erik Calonius has documented the “why’s” of how these visionaries achieved great success at their respective fields in his book, Ten Steps Ahead: What Separates Successful Business Visionaries from the Rest of Us (affiliate link).I kept Erik’s book in my personal library simply because I love it. Erik found out that these visionaries are not really apart from us – they are… -
Habits That Limit Your Productivity
15 Mar 2013 | 11:08 amThere are habits that improve our productivity. These are the habits that we need to maintain. On the opposite there are habits that we need to get rid of. In this guest post, Carlo Pandian discusses some habits that limit our productivity. Enter Carlo…We all have our little habits; the routines and rituals that we adhere to on a daily basis, or the day itself just doesn’t feel right.Many of these are rooted in our activity before and after work: that morning cup of coffee, that evening glass of wine and even certain clothing that we like to wear on certain days.If we miss any… -
What are the benefits of a time managed life?
15 Feb 2013 | 10:35 am[Note: Yes, I said, at one point, I would never accept guest posts anymore; but life gets in the way. So, here's a guest post]Enter Andrei…One trending topic in the last years is time management. How to get better at it, what to do in order to be more efficient and what it really means. Few people take a minute to ask themselves a simple question: why should I manage my time better?It’s very important to start tracking your time, having time for yourself, having systems, working without interruptions or prioritizing. But you need a clear motivation as to why you should do so and how…
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Clear Concept
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The Only Best Practice to Leadership is Understanding That There Isn’t One…
23 May 2013 | 8:11 amThere are probably 3 teachers that stick out in my memories as ‘great teachers’. They weren’t just adored by me, but by many a student who had taken their course(s). The interesting thing is that they had very different teaching … Continue reading → -
Best Practices For Climbing Out From Under the Backlog
22 May 2013 | 4:18 pmIf your Spring has been anything like mine, you’ve been juggling a TON of work. Perhaps, like me, your backlog has grown a bit more than you would like and we all know that a big backlog means trouble: missed … Continue reading → -
A Dozen Best Practices for Using a “Tickler” File
22 May 2013 | 3:05 pmThere are many things I could live without. A tickler file is not one of them (at least not if I intend to continue being productive). Let’s start with a definition: A tickler file is a physical filing system that … Continue reading → -
Being overwhelmed by paper… Globe and Mail Article
9 Apr 2013 | 6:37 pmClear Concept is excited to make our readers aware that our own Ann Gomez was called on to lend some expert advice for Leah Eichler’s Globe and Mail article – Grab a Lifeline When Paper Overwhelms Your Desk. This article … Continue reading → -
Managing Priorities – Paramount for Every CEO’s Success
6 Mar 2013 | 7:26 amEvery great organization requires a strong strategic plan and the discipline to stay committed to the plan. Every successful CEO is the keeper of this plan and must ensure that their priorities are directly linked to that plan. Leaders must … Continue reading →
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IQTELL Productivity Blog
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Productivity Mind Hacks – Learning
19 Jun 2013 | 1:51 amOur brain is such a fascinating tool that most of us don’t know how to use it to its full extent. In it, you’ll find a treasure trove of abilities that you (probably) were unaware of. Many of which you can start using today to improve your life. Since we want to make sure that you’re in top productive shape, we will post from time to time a few mind hacks that will support you on your quest to live a fuller and more productive life. I hope you’ll enjoy them. If you have a cool mind hack that you’d like to share, send it to haim [at] iqtell [com] and it might get featured in one… -
GTD App Hacks – IFTTT
17 Jun 2013 | 7:20 amAs many of you know, email integration for our mobile apps is in the works. Also, in a previous hack we talked about how today you can use IQTELL’s Email Gateway to process email on the go. Well, one of our users took this to another level! This week’s hack is inspired by one of our users, Chacha (User Forum handle). I thought it was a clever way to integrate IQTELL and IFTTT to work together. IFTTT is a neat rules-engine that lets you build business rules which will trigger actions between apps. The IFTTT GTD APP Hack Here’s Chacha’s example: as you read GMAIL on your mobile,… -
Hack Productivity – The Power of Positive Thinking
13 Jun 2013 | 5:21 amToday on the hack productivity comic strip we’re talking about thoughts in general and the power of positive thinking specifically. Do you ever stop to think how many thoughts you have each day? Never? Good, there’s a limited amount of thoughts you can think per day. So why go and waste such a resource when you can use it to do some good? Try to avoid the negative thoughts pathway, once it’s created it makes sure that you’ll always have a membership card. This may result only in you paving and empowering something you never wanted in the first place. …Which… -
Increase Productivity – There is More to Productivity Apps
12 Jun 2013 | 5:02 amThe only way to increase productivity is by educating ourselves about it. If you think that all it takes is a good try; one boost and you’re done, you’re in for a surprise. Without educating yourself about Productivity (or at least making it a part-time hobby), you’re laying the foundation for future frustration and disappointment. Most people we speak to associate productivity with willpower. Let me say clearly, although willpower may give you the illusion that you’ve done some good, your willpower won’t count for much in the long run. Willpower is good when you know what… -
GTD App Hacks – Tags and Productivity Badges
10 Jun 2013 | 3:43 amWe just did a mini-release this past weekend. We have a few cool additions to help you become more productive with our GTD App. There were also a few fixes and other improvements; thank you again for sharing your input with us. Tagging in List View Many users asked for the ability to add tags to items while in list view. We implemented this feature but also gave you the ability to apply tags to more than one item at once, a.k.a. Batch Edit for Tags. If you use Tags, then you’ll see a new button in the List View toolbar – Tags. You can select one or more entries and tag them; you…
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Next Action Associates
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The (Shortcut) Key to Life – How Sometimes the Small Things Make a Big Difference
17 Jun 2013 | 1:26 am“Wow. That is fabulous.”, she said, a huge grin spreading across her face. “That will make a huge difference”. The woman in question – a senior banker in a global bank – was not prone to outbursts of enthusiasm. What could provoke such a statement? A diet that works? An cheap and easy solution for back pain? An end to security theatre in airports? If only. No, it was a simple shortcut key in Outlook that had made her day: Ctrl + Shift + V (or, in English, Move Email to Folder) Not much to look at, but – if you have your digital reference filing set up in a reasonable… -
Will you be an Early Bird?
28 May 2013 | 1:16 amGet the best-priced seat for our Getting Things Done seminar in London on Thursday 27th June 2013. The discounted rate of £390 ends tomorrow, so from Thursday you will be paying the full price of £450. So be the early bird and save some money. Come and join us at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel. This one-day seminar is packed with practical recommendations and suggestions about how to put the proven GTD® principles to work for you-at work, at home and in everything you do. Sign up before midnight tomorrow to make the most of our early bird discounted price:… -
GTD® Mastering Workflow: Edinburgh, Thursday 16th May 2013
15 May 2013 | 12:01 amClick to view slideshow. We head back to Edinburgh tomorrow for our next official Getting Things Done® Public seminar. Last few seats remain, so if you think you, or someone you know, could benefit from this life-changing one-day seminar then don’t hesitate or you may miss out! Book now: https://www.next-action.eu/gtdedinburghmay2013 -
“Thinking hard?” Hardly.
3 May 2013 | 12:46 amIf you can walk, can you walk faster? Of course. Apply some effort, move those muscles more quickly, and your speed increases. If you can think, can you think harder? I don’t think so. In my experience “thinking hard” doesn’t work. I can still hear the voice of Mrs Hamm, my third-grade teacher, “c’mon kids, think hard.” We’re given the sense from an early age that thinking can increase in intensity by applying effort, just like walking. In my mind, trying harder to think doesn’t work. Applying effort to thinking just seems to get in the way. Telling myself to… -
Who Let the Dogs Out? – New Video Blog by Edward Lamont
12 Apr 2013 | 5:14 amThere are many reasons to clean out your inbox on a regular basis, but here is the one that really helped me to understand why it was so important for me if I wanted to get more strategic with my effort. I thought I'd try a video version for a change – do let us know if the change of format works for you, or not. Click here to view the transcript. (It is just over two minutes, for those of you applying the two minute rule.)
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Control Your Day
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10 simple ways to maxinize your productivity
15 Jun 2013 | 10:19 amhttp://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/stop-working-long-hours-10-simple-ways-to-maximize-your-productivity/ Are you still checking email all day long? Stop the madness, read and process your Due Today folder just three times a day. Try it for just one week, I think you will see the benefits pretty quickly -
Is Email Management in your Job Description?
26 Apr 2013 | 10:28 amTake a moment and think about how much time you spend doing email everyday. Now take a look at your job description and see how many references to email exist in your JD. Not too many right? Email is a communication tool we use to get our job done, but just like the phone, IM and other tools you can’t let it drive your day. Here are a few suggestions that might help you and the rest of your company reduce time spent in email. Schedule slots of time each day to check and process everything you receive First off I know you are thinking to yourself, he is insane, I can’t do that! -
Check your Email 3 times a day
24 Apr 2013 | 9:54 amI just finished listening to a podcast from Manager-Tools that recommended scheduling three time slots per day to check and process your email. I started this 2 days ago and I am already realizing the benefits. I start with my “Control Your Day” (CYD) Due Today folder. It shows all messages received or due today. I work through each message and apply the 4 D’s (Do it, Defer It, Delegate it, Delete It). I make sure to define a Next Action for each email message that I am deferring. Once i have processed all of the messages, then I move on with my day based on my calendar or… -
Getting to Inbox Zero
18 Feb 2013 | 5:35 pmInbox Zero is the concept of getting your inbox to a point where you have actioned or prioritized everything you have received. I am starting to see articles on the web that say Inbox Zero is not achievable. Perhaps its the terminology that is the problem and not the concept. With a strong system in place you can regain control of your Inbox and feel confident that nothing is falling through the cracks. Control Your Day is a system that provides the tools you need to take back control of email. Maybe its time to change to Inbox Managed or maybe move away from the concept of an Inbox and… -
Stop and say thanks!
16 Feb 2013 | 10:59 amThis morning one of my neighbors stopped by to drop off a six pack of my favorite beer and say thanks for helping him get his email back under control. He had recently read my book Control Your Day and implemented my suggestions into his email system. He said he realized the value when at 9:30 one morning he looked at his Due Today folder and realized he had actioned all items that needed his attention, it was a brief moment of peace. So back to the title of my post. That visit was a huge motivator for me, I’ve been working weekends and nights on Control Your day for the past couple of…
