10 Phrases That Will Make You More Efficient

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Included in the list of topics I write lists about are quotes. Any time I hear an exceptional one I will email it to myself or enter it into my Evernote account to save for later.  My favorite personal quote is one that I’ve borrowed from Oprah — “You Become What You Believe.”  Isn’t that an amazing quote? I love it because it’s so true.  If you think you can do something — you can!

Another believer in quotes is Meggin McIntosh who hosted my list-making teleseminar last January. She’s extremely productive and helps people to do the same with her vast knowledge. These aren’t quotes that famous people have said but they are extremely helpful in allowing you to do your job well.

A List of 10 Phrases & Statements to Remember

by Meggin McIntosh | The Ph.D. of Productivity™

A number of statements and phrases are worth remembering in your quest to be more productive. Consider the following 10 (and in most instances, after you make the statement – stop talking.) These aren’t questions. They are statements:

1. “No, but thanks for asking.”

2. “Not now.”

3. “Let me get back to you after I’ve checked on a few things.” Read more

Never Pick Up Your Phone Again

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Desk Phone

Desk Phone (Photo credit: mnadi)

I’m going to share a productivity tip I learned a long time ago.  In the past when I was working as a line producer of a local news station — I would always pick up my phone when it rang at my desk.  I had to — it might be about that night’s show.  Some people don’t have a choice.

But when I started producing longer-term stories and didn’t have a daily deadline the calls became too much.  I get pitched dozens and dozens of times per day — whether it be through email or phone.  If I talked to every single person who called — my productivity would suffer.  So instead — I use a simple trick that has been extremely successful for me.  Click on my latest YouTube video to find out how to make it work for you too.

Steps for Foolproof Filing

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Clutter can become consuming. I recently went through all my folders at work and threw out a mountain of unneeded paperwork. It was pretty freeing. But also — now I have really condensed files that are easy to go through and I can find things much more easily.

The same thing goes for your home paperwork. I often use Evernote to keep track of passwords and important information that doesn’t need to go in a file.

Here’s a guest post from Laurie Noel Meek of OfficeCandy.com for a look at some techniques that will have you organized in no time.

Foolproof Filing

by Laurie Noel Meek

Filing is very important and can be overwhelming at times but it doesn’t have to be. Below I have drawn out a very simple filing plan that I hope helps you get started toward a more organized “system” for your paperwork. The suggestions below in BOLD should be your hanging files and the suggestions below are the interior file folders which are where you will keep your paperwork specifically. Read more

List of Reasons You Need a Cleaning Person

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cleaning-268126_1280

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the idea of having a cleaning person come into my home and pay her for the same job I can do myself. However — my opinions have changed. This is one task that you should absolutely hire someone else to do for you.

Here are my reasons:

1. She does a better job than you: I had two women come to my one bedroom apartment and clean it this weekend. I realized — I’m really bad at cleaning. Although I’m fine at surface cleaning and making things look tidy — I can’t achieve the same level of cleanliness they did. Whether it’s the equipment, elbow grease or time devoted to the cleaning — it doesn’t matter. Read more

Vision Boards: You Become What You Believe

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I’m not crafty but at the beginning of every year I make a vision board.  It’s my one craft project for the year and it’s so much fun.  Reading magazines is my guilty little pleasure and it comes in handy for this task.  Over the past few weeks I’ve been ripping out pages, pictures and words that speak to me.  I spent this evening gluing my favorites on a piece of poster board.

What is a Vision Board? 

The idea is to have a place for all the things you’d like to accomplish, places you’d like to go and things you enjoy.  Oprah talks about making vision boards because as she says, “you become what you believe.”  So if you use this tool as a jumping off point for your goals you are more likely to achieve them.  I use it as a reminder of my goals — like having a three bedroom apartment or going to Venice.  I also put photos of people I admire, things I enjoy like drinking tea and other ambitions like writing a book. Read more