Tag Archive for: Andrew Mellen

Is Productivity Making Me Rude?

English: A pile of mobile devices including sm...

English: A pile of mobile devices including smart phones, tablets, laptops and ebok readers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m all for being productive and getting things done, but recently I’ve been wondering whether it’s possible to be productive to a fault. I pride myself on knowing proper etiquette, but I think I may be becoming rude as I strive to become more efficient and productive.

In my day job as a TV producer things are fast paced and you need to move along and get everything finished on deadline.  I remember once after a taping I literally said to a guest, “OK, we’re done with you.” It was more of a housekeeping-type statement because we needed to move on to the next guest for the following segment, but it came off very rude.  Eeek! Read more

Resist Your Inner Pack Rat and Clear Clutter

Cluttered shed

Cluttered shed (Photo credit: UnnarYmir)

I have a confession to make. I’m somewhat of a pack rat. I like to keep things in case I need them. But I really needed to strike back this weekend. I’ve been irritated and borderline obsessed with the clutter that was living in my desk drawer at home. It was filled with lots of papers and things I didn’t need and lots and lots of power cords.

There are chargers for 4 iPhones, a Blackberry, a MacBook, an iPad Mini, an iPad keyboard case and some wireless speakers — I can’t take it! I’ve been researching ways to tame the power cords and got exhausted.

Use Lists to Cut Out Clutter

Andrew Mellen Headshot Tighter

I love meeting people who are just as organized as I am and getting the chance to learn something new from them. I went to the BlogHer conference in Chicago last weekend (more about the productivity tips and tricks on outsourcing that I learned there to come soon!) and met Andrew Mellen, bestselling author of Unstuff Your Life. Needless to say, he’s an expert at staying organized and keeping it together! So I thought he’d be the perfect “list producer” to feature:

Q: Why do you call yourself a compulsive list producer?

A: I don’t. I call myself a practical list producer.

Q: What do you make lists about?

A: Things I need to do that need to get out of my head, onto a page, then onto my calendar.

These are typically:

Errands

Home Projects

Work Projects

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