Cleaning Out Your Life and Purging Things You Don’t Need

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." -- Hans Hoffman, American abstract painter "As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness." -- Henry David Thoreau "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." -- Confucius, ancient Chinese philosopher We've all heard the lifestyle guru's favorite mantra: "Simply, simply, simplify," after that paragon of simplicity himself, Thoreau. That's actually pretty good advice, and not just for your personal life. Simplifying has its place in the office as well; in fact, it may be more critical there than elsewhere, since it's another part of the grand mosaic that results in … [Read more...]

Business Productivity: Slipping the Electronic Leash

"We...can strategically train our attention. When it comes to email and the Internet, it's critical that we do so to give ourselves more time to think more reflectively, creatively, and deeply in an increasingly complex world." -- Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project "If left unchecked, 'info-mania' will damage a worker's performance by reducing their mental sharpness. This is a very real and widespread phenomenon." -- Glenn Wilson, British psychologist "When you log on, you feel like you're in touch with everything that's going on in the world. But what you really are is out of touch -- literally. There is no touching anymore." -- Judith Regan, Regan Books Would it surprise you to learn that paying too much attention to your email can lower your IQ by as much as 10 … [Read more...]

Brand You: The Basics of Personal Branding

"Life is one big pitch, so you'd better start practicing." -- Dan Shawbel, personal branding expert "What's a brand? A singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect." -- Al Ries, coauthor of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing "All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You." -- Tom Peters, American business writer Back in 1997, Tom Peters articulated a concept that had been around for decades: "Brand You." In an influential article in the magazine Fast Company, Peters argued that it's no longer enough to be quietly talented and hardworking in order to get ahead. While skills remain crucial, he noted, success in the … [Read more...]

What’s New In Microsoft Outlook Version 2010?

When I think of productivity tools for the modern business professional, one of the first that comes to mind is Outlook, Microsoft's insanely useful personal management program. Outlook began life as an email client, and it's still a great one; but in the past decade, it's grown into so much more. These days, Outlook is also one of the chief ways that savvy business professionals manage their time and maximize their accessibility, from scheduling their meetings to keeping track of their personal contacts. This past year we were blessed with a new version, the inventively-named Microsoft Outlook 2010. It's chockfull of interesting and practical features--some of them completely new, and others refinements of features introduced in earlier versions. In this article, I'll show you how to … [Read more...]

What’s New In Microsoft Outlook Version 2010? Cool New Tips and Tricks

Webinar 19: Planning and Executing Long-Term Projects: Project Management for Non-Project Managers

When I think of productivity tools for the modern business professional, one of the first that comes to mind is Outlook, Microsoft's insanely useful personal management program. Outlook began life as an email client, and it's still a great one; but in the past decade, it's grown into so much more. These days, Outlook is also one of the chief ways that savvy business professionals manage their time and maximize their accessibility, from scheduling their meetings to keeping track of their personal contacts. This past year we were blessed with a new version, the inventively-named Microsoft Outlook 2010. It's chockfull of interesting and practical features—some of them completely new, and others refinements of features introduced in earlier versions. In this article, I'll show you how to … [Read more...]

Laura Stack’s “Staying on Top of the Inbox” course on Udemy.com

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Business Productivity: For Executives – Organization

"Ignorance is not bliss. It's fatal. It's costly. And it's for losers. You either get organized, or get crushed." -- Donald Trump, American businessman One of the Six Keys of workplace competence is Accessibility: your ability to organize the inputs and outputs in your work life, so that you can easily locate data in any medium—whether it's in paper files, on your computer system, on the company Intranet, or distributed in your team members' heads. Given the fact that modern workers are constantly bombarded with data and communications, just being able to access information efficiently can enhance productivity to a surprising degree. At the C-Suite level, Accessibility morphs into Organization…and from a productivity standpoint, it's more important than ever. Organization means more … [Read more...]

Productivity Minute Video: How to Organize A Room

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), shares tips on room organization. (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved … [Read more...]

Business Productivity Video: Handling Your Paperwork

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) shares tips on managing all the paper that comes across our desks. (c) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved … [Read more...]

Time Management: Productivity-Boosting Sites on the Web

PC Magazine recently published a list of "52 Incredibly Useful Sites." The web can sometimes be filled with time-wasting sites, so it's great to have a list of sites that can boost productivity and make web-surfing more enjoyable. Kudos to PC Magazine for this great list! Enjoy: http://www.pcworld.com/article/194735/52_incredibly_useful_sites_the_full_list.html … [Read more...]