I enjoyed this post about how to be more productive with your Crackberry, I mean Blackberry. Especially true is Nakagawa's comment, "...the people who are the most productive don’t seem to have them." I'm sure you have your beefs about Blackberry usage in your organization (or by your spouse, for that matter). If you were king or queen of the world, what "rules" would you create about Blackberry usage? In addition to the 10 the author lists, I'll add the following from personal experience: 1. Do not pretend you are listening to someone by brainlessly mumbling "uh-huh" while you are answering an email on your Crackberry. 2. Pay attention to the presenter during training sessions rather than using the time as your personal … [Read more...]
The Crackberry: A Corporate Noose or Time Leveraging Tool: Time Management and Blackberries
Top Ten Personal Productivity New Years Resolutions for 2007
I know many of you want to set some New Years Resolutions, but you're resisting, because you don't have the space of time or mind to add things to your to-do list. So let me propose some things you might consider to resolve in 2007 that aren't tasks but MINDSETS and BEHAVIORS of personal productivity. 1. Seek to be a person of your word. Are you reliable? Can people count on you to do what you say you're going to do? Do you have integrity and keep the deadlines you promise? What's others' perception of you? Do you live out what you affirm? Do you do what you complain about in others? What things do people "jokingly" say about you and your behavior? 2. Seek to model productivity. Do you have a reputation of … [Read more...]
Why are women great time managers?
In the December edition of my monthly newsletter, I posed the question "I’d love to hear from the men on this one, but at least in my circle, why does it seem that the woman is the social, family, and child coordinator in the family?" I heard back from three men, who basically agreed with me. Are there any men out there who arrange the kids' playdates, handle school arrangements, schedule with couple friends, or otherwise act as the family coordinator? Women, does your husband help you with these tasks? When I introduced my fiancée to my Aunt (34 years ago, we've married a long time ago) I mentioned that she was "quiet". My Aunt said, "There is only room for one mouth in a couple, and you are the one that talks, so it's alright." In your … [Read more...]
Setting Up Your Office for Maximum Productivity
You work hard and want to be as productive as possible. If you knew you were inadvertently creating office systems that slowed you down, you would of course be interested in correcting them. In my fifteen years of teaching people to be more productive, I’ve observed many bad habits and behaviors that are easily corrected. To get you started, here are four office faux pas you can fix and instantly become more efficient: 1. Piling instead filing. If you have a cluttered office, you will spend more time trying to find information; you will have a harder time focusing on the task before you; other people won’t be able to find anything; your system is in your head, which taxes your memory; you will have higher anxiety levels; and it could impede … [Read more...]
Maintenance vs. progress
Ahhhh...what a wonderful Thanksgiving break. I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend! Rested, ate, played...and made some progress. Not just maintained the status quo or existing systems, but you made progress. Yes, it's important to maintain your systems: food is prepared, the house is cleaned, dishes are washed, bills are paid, etc. But nothing is gained with those activities; there is no forward momentum. Those things are done simply to keep you from sliding backward. You got out all the nice china for Thanksgiving dinner. You washed it. You ate on it. You washed it. You put it away. Back to the same place you were before. Yes, of course you have wonderful memories with your family and relaxed a bit. … [Read more...]
Microsoft at Work article
My article "7 Ways to Leave the Office Earlier" was posted in the Microsoft at Work newsletter at http://www.microsoft.com/uk/atwork/work/leavetheoffice.mspx I'd love to hear your strategies, secrets, and tips for how you get out of the office earlier and keep from working late nights! Ideas? … [Read more...]
Delegate when someone else can do it better and faster and cheaper
I recently visited my grandparents (ages 81 and 86) and discovered a treasure trove of old family photographs. Especially precious were the ones of my mother as a little girl (none of which she had seen before) and my great-grandmother, whom I vaguely recall visiting before she passed away. With seven children, my grandparents had no idea how they were going to split them up after they passed, since many were one-of-a-kind. My easy answer was to scan them, save them as .jpg files, and make CDs for each of my six uncles and my mother. So I packed my precious cargo in my suitcase and headed home. Then it hit me…what exactly did I get myself into? I counted the photos: 282. I quickly realized the huge time commitment and realized I was of course able … [Read more...]
How Parents Can Help Their Children Get Organized and Learn to Be Productive Part 6
In this society, you’ve likely been brainwashed to believe that you aren’t a good parent unless your child plays competitive soccer by the time she’s ten, she’s active in the Girl Scouts, can play the piano masterfully, and swims beautifully…and, by the way, leases a horse. Hear a little sarcasm in my voice? For years, I bought into this notion as well and dutifully enrolled my little girl in ballet, piano, church programs, choirs, Girl Scouts, basketball, and more. I used the rationale that “she has to try everything so she can find out what she likes.” Many children are so overscheduled, their stress levels race sky-high and the entire family comes apart at the seams. Many parents feel guilty because of the number of hours they spend at work. As a result, they overcompensate by … [Read more...]
How Parents Can Help Their Children Get Organized and Learn to Be Productive Part 5
It’s important to instill the values of hard work and fairness in your children. As they gain responsibility and perform chores at home, they learn it’s important for everyone to pitch in and do his or her fair share to take the burden off one person. If you live here, you clean. Even my four- and five-year-old boys have chores. I went to the grocery store and bought a big poster board. In the left hand column, I listed a due date for chores. (Each chore may actually be completed any day during the week, but it must be done by Saturday.) Across the top row, I listed the chores. Each child has his or her own chores posted. When one gets completed, the boys put a sticker on the corresponding column (Meagan uses checkmarks; she’s much too cool for stickers). The last column is for … [Read more...]
How Parents Can Help Their Children Get Organized and Learn to Be Productive Part 4
Organizing Children's Keepsakes One of the common complaints I hear from parents is about all the stuff that comes home from school. Where do you put all those great art projects, mementos, and clay handprints you just have to keep? Create a treasure box for each child. When each of my children was born, I wanted to save all the little things from the hospital: the nametags on their cribs, the bracelets from their wrists, their “going home” outfits, and all those things. Add to that their first pair of shoes, their favorite (now cast-away) blanket or stuffed animal, their first lost tooth—what a bunch of stuff! So I got three of those sturdy plastic bins with a lid and designated one for each child. I keep each treasure box on the shelves in their closets and add to them as … [Read more...]
