Have you ever considered that your biggest obstacle to finding more time might be YOU? The way you react to the world may be the reason you stay overwhelmed. To fix this you need to look at your behavior, habits, and choices, and then figure out which ones to adjust in order to support your desired direction in life. Here are a few tips that can help you do just that. 1. Control perfectionism. Realize that some things are good enough as they are. Instead of worrying about making things perfect, learn to leave well enough alone. Obsessing over small details can be deadly to your productivity. 2. Refuse requests when appropriate. You don't have to say "yes" to everything, whether that involves accepting extra work or baking brownies for a kid's party. Set boundaries about what … [Read more...]
Do You Work to Live or Live to Work?
Workplace balance is tough to achieve, because most employees have a real commitment to both their jobs and to their families. They love their work lives and their personal lives, often with equal vigor, and don't want to give up either. But many professionals find it difficult to participate fully in one area without sacrificing the other. If you have trouble with your personal/professional equilibrium, then these ten tips are for you. 1. Allocate time according to your values and the top priorities in your life. Assess whether you're spending your time in ways consistent with what's important to you. Other people should be able to look at your life, observe what you do, and tell what you value. 2. Achieve your ideal life balance. This is one place in life where you shouldn't … [Read more...]
Who’s the Boss? You or Your Blackberry?
Technology is both a blessing and a curse. It can definitely improve your productivity, but having to deal with email, voicemail, the Internet, Blackberries, PDAs, cell phones, and pagers can make you less productive if you're not careful. Here are a few suggestions on how tame your technology . 1. Try to reduce "information overload." Understand that you can have too much information, and find a way to get rid of the excess. Get off mailing lists, learn computer shortcuts, narrow your web searches, cancel subscriptions, and use filtering rules to reduce electronic junk. 2. Use proper netiquette. Among other things, DON'T SHOUT, don't be sloppy, and keep your messages brief and to the point. Make it easy for other people to respond, and most importantly, don't waste … [Read more...]
Catalog Choice Lets You Decide What You Want to Receive
I like a new service by Catalog Choice, in which you decide which catalogs you want to receive. When you receive a catalog you don't want, you enter it on your account and select "Decline Catalog." They contact the merchant on your behalf and request that they no longer send you their catalog. Reduce the number of catalogs you receive in the mail! One-stop-shop method keeps you from having to unsubscribe to each one individually---a real time saver! … [Read more...]
How to Concentrate: Act Like a Postage Stamp and Stick To It!
Nowadays, so many things compete for your attention in the workplace that it can be hard to concentrate on what's important. If you need to improve your ability to stay on target and focus on the task at hand, implement the tips outlined below. 1. Set up your office for maximum productivity and minimum distractions. You need privacy to concentrate and discuss sensitive issues. Don't just take what you're given; reorganize it into a configuration that works best for you. 2. Avoid wasting time by daydreaming. Daydreaming can be a real productivity bandit -- but as long as you don't use it to procrastinate, it can be very helpful. Harness its creative powers, and use it for thinking time that can lead to productive ideas. 3. Remember things more easily. Busy people need good memory … [Read more...]
Discipline and Self-Control: You Can Be Your Own Worst Productivity Enemy
Discipline is your ability to maintain consistent, productive behavior. To maximize your productivity, you need to learn to do what must be done, and to exercise restraint over your own impulses, emotions, and desires. If you're self-disciplined, you exhibit consistent focus in your daily work -- even when you don't feel like it. Try these tactics to keep you on track during the day. 1. Know your natural energy cycle and work effectively during peak times. We all have a natural time during the day when we feel up (prime time) and a natural time when we feel down (down time). Knowing both your prime and down times and knowing how to handle them is an important productivity enhancer. 2. Control perfectionism. Realize that some things are good enough as they are. If you suffer from the … [Read more...]
Bulldoze Those Workday Speed Bumps
With a finite amount of time available, the temptation is to go faster and work more hours if you want to get more done. But productivity isn't just about squeezing more into your day: it's also about reducing the "speed bumps" -- things like poor administration, red tape, bureaucracy, and unclear priorities -- that waste your time. Here are a few ways you can streamline that reduction process. 1. Eliminate the causes of most problems, and avoid crises. There's a difference between an emergency and a "crisis" that occurs because something wasn't done. If you delay something long enough, you're contributing to a future crisis. 2. Control and prevent interruptions. To avoid getting bogged down by interruptions while still managing to stay informed, establish … [Read more...]
It’s About Time
Its About Time Pareto is very busy in the sales world. You know the 80-20 rule. In this case, it means that only 20% of salespeople spend 80% of their time on selling activities. Are you in this group? See if you recognize yourself. If not, here’s how you can join the group. Put your fingers on it fast. Laura Stack is a professional speaker and author of Leave the Office Earlier® and Find More Time. She sees several time wasters that cost salespeople valuable selling time. One of the biggest time wasters is lacking a system to track client history. The system should include notes on conversations that took place, with whom, and when they took place. Stack says, “To be truly organized you should be … [Read more...]
Lean and Mean in 2008: Go on a Low-Information Diet
Pretty much anybody you ask will tell you they’re pressed for time. There just aren’t enough hours to get it all done, yadda yadda yadda. So we prioritize, streamline, and simplify. You can improve your efficiency until you’re blue in the face, not to mention very tightly wound, but you still aren’t addressing one of the biggest time and energy wasters in your day: incoming information. As my 12-year-old daughter, Meagan, would text on her phone: “TMI” (translation: Too Much Information). If the 21st century has brought us anything, it is WAY too much information. You can watch several channels full of cable news 24 hours a day. You can surf the internet on any topic until you can’t see straight. Most people could heat their home with the amount of junk mail they receive … [Read more...]
How to systematically organize and declutter any area
It always amuses me how many people get inspired to get organized come the New Year. It's as if 1/1 somehow had a magical connotation. What was wrong with 4/16 or 11/8? For whatever reason—POOF all of a sudden you're ready. But, hey, at least it's getting done, so bring it on. What you don't want to happen, however, is a massive shopping trip to buy bins, baskets, gadgets, etc., if you have no plan on how to use them and implement your system. Your new organizational tools can now create more piles and even more clutter. Clutter is not always a problem that can be solved by bins. That can make it even worse. Here's how I would systematically declutter an area. Get five sturdy boxes. Label them: 1. Put Away—items that are out of place and should be put away 2. Give … [Read more...]
