Have you taken your allotted vacation time this year? If not, check out http://search.csmonitor.com/2006/0612/p13s02-wmgn.htm. I'm quoted on my advice for a 10-day vacation, but it's easy to miss within the article. I've always thought one week was too short for a vacation, but two weeks seemed a bit too long, especially if I don't have my children with me. So I've come to enjoy a compromise at 10 days. It's long enough where I can relax and forget what day it is but short enough where I don't come back to an overwhelming workload. If you take these 10 days tagged on to Memorial Day weekend, July 4 weekend, or Labor Day weekend, you end up with 2 full weeks and three weekends, which gives you time at the end of your vacation to get organized and back … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Find More Time for Your Life
You have a sink full of dishes, three loads of laundry, 17 bills to pay, you’re not sure how many e-mails to answer, a big stack of novels you’d love to read, and zero — count them — ZERO minutes of free time. “Where does the time go?” you lament. Here are some ideas to get you started on your quest to have a life: 1. Reduce waiting time. If your doctor or meetings always run late, plan ahead. Make good use of this time and carry note cards, bills and magazines in your tote. 2. Limit your television watching. Sensible limits may relieve guilt from overindulging, while freeing up time for more worthwhile pursuits. TIVO or tape your favorite shows and skip the commercials. 3. Say no to … [Read more...]
Research confirms IM is bad for productivity
http://interruptions.net/literature/Speier-ICIS97-p21-speier.pdf This is an academic paper, so you probably won't want to read the entire thing, but the results of the research have interesting implications for "organizational electronic mail systems that have been implemented to enhance productivity." I've always said that workers should disable the global alerts in Outlook that notify them every time a new message is received. Now this study confirms how bad desktop alerts are on concentration and productivity! The findings from this research suggest that instant notification features be disabled in order to avoid exacerbating the number of interruptions knowledge workers receive. Go to Tools, Options, Preferences tab, Email options, advanced email options, … [Read more...]
Can Daydreaming be Productive?
You’re staring out your office window…lost in thought about your upcoming dinner party…when you jerk back to reality: “Oops, where was I?” you think, as you look down once again at the report on your desk. You’ve been daydreaming. Daydreaming can be a real productivity bandit, especially when you’re supposed to be focusing on a higher-priority project. Excessive daydreaming can waste precious time that could be better spent on other things. But daydreaming isn’t always bad. There’s a difference between true daydreaming as the brain’s response to overload or boredom and thinking time that may lead to promising ideas. How do you ensure daydreaming time is productive time? Don’t use daydreaming to procrastinate. Daydreaming can be a good tool for transitioning to a … [Read more...]
What Saps Your Energy?
I’m doing some primary research on productive energy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that fatigue and lack of energy affect more than 14 million people between the ages of 17-69. Nothing sounds more attractive to you than putting your heads down for a quick nap, and you sleepwalk through the day, fuzzyheaded and lethargic. People who lack energy can’t work on big projects at work or home without the drive or desire—the oomph—to be productive. Just think of all the wonderful business and personal goals people could accomplish if they just had the energy to get up and go! If this sounds like you, I’d like to hear from you! What saps YOUR energy? Fill in the blank..."I could be more productive if __________." … [Read more...]
Finish What You Start—Even a Bottle of Wine
I received this from a friend who knows how much I preach about finishing what you start: "During these crazy days when we're going one hundred miles per hour and stress levels are soaring, I had to stop and tell myself that I need some inner peace. I discovered that the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all of the things I have started. I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of Jack Daniels, a package of Oreos, the remainder of both my Prozac and Valium prescriptions, the rest of the cheesecake, some saltine crackers and a half box of chocolates. You have no idea how good I feel. I am passing … [Read more...]
England Against Long Hours: a holiday of their own
Think Americans are the only ones concerned with long hours? Check out http://www.worksmart.org.uk/workyourproperhoursday/ “Over five million people at work in the United Kingdom regularly do unpaid overtime.” Sheesh, if we in the United States could only be so lucky to have such a low number. They believe there are five main reasons why people do unpaid overtime, so take the quiz and find out if you’re a “Stay Late Sheep,” a “Beast of Burden,” a “Cat Herder,” a “Chaos Theorist,” or a “Desk Junkie.” We have National Leave the Office Earlier day, and the United Kingdom has Work Your Proper Hours Day! According to the site, February 21 marks the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime finishes the unpaid days they do every year and starts earning for themselves. … [Read more...]
Productivity, Tendonitis, and Treos
I remember reading some of the citations about "Blackberry Thumb," http://www.wordspy.com/words/BlackBerrythumb.asp years/months ago and thinking, “How ridiculous. You mean to tell me they actually have a definition of this condition?” Yep! It’s "A repetitive stress injury characterized by swelling and pain at the base of the thumb and caused by prolonged use of the thumb while operating a BlackBerry or other personal digital assistant." Well, now I’m not laughing so loud. I went to the hand surgeon today with a severe, stabbing pain at the base of my thumb and wrist. I left after a diagnosis for tendonitis, a cortisone shot in the joint, a wrist brace to sleep in for one month, and a strict admonishment to not hold my phone … [Read more...]
I intended to post an article on procrastination but didn’t get around to it
As author Jennifer Duffy quipped in her article in the Arizona Daily Star on 3/13/06, "I know I should have thought of a better joke, but I ran out of time." Jennifer posts several quotes from me in her article on conquering procrastination, such as breaking up large tasks into little pieces, do something for only five minutes to gain momentum, etc. All those ideas are nice, but fundamentally, if you really want to conquer procrastination, you have to understand the psychology behind WHY you're doing it. All the tips in the world won't help if you don't take time to understand your behaviors around the procrastination habit. Then you can match the HOW with the WHY. Not all tips work for all people. Lee Silber advocates in the book "Organizing From the Right Side of the Brain: A … [Read more...]
Music, iPods, and Productivity
I was mentioned in the USA Today on 3/23 in a story called "Music hath charms for some workers — others it annoys" http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/gear/2006-03-23-ipod-work_x.htm My quote was (as is usual) taken a bit out of context. When I said "I'm all for it," I was referring specifically to people who say they can concentrate while music is playing in their ears (look at your average teenager, listening to music, IMing with friends, watching tv, and doing homework at the same time). Just because you can concentrate don't mean others can. At work, you definitely should follow iPod etiquette and not blast your music through your computer's speakers or portable iPod speakers. When you use your earbuds, make sure it's soft enough that you … [Read more...]
