Tag Archive for: being more productive

4 Ways to Escape a “School’s Out” Mentality

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Summer family jump

Summer family jump (Photo credit: Evil Erin)

Summer is here and it can be hard to escape the “school’s out” mentality.  Co-workers are leaving for vacation, and the office is slowing down. The sun’s out and all anyone wants to do is head to the beach or camp out poolside. It’s easy to start counting down the days until your own vacation.

This can be tempting, but we can’t spend the whole season with our minds somewhere else — unfortunately! It’s important to keep a good balance between your work and the rest of your life, especially in the summer.
Here are 4 ways to stay focused when it matters:

5 Reasons to Say No and Get More Done

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NO!

NO! (Photo credit: guercio)

Everyone wishes they had more time — more hours in a day and more days in a year. Who would have thought that making more time for yourself could be as simple as saying “no?”  Yep — that one word will give you your life back.

It’s easy to agree to a coffee break or to see that movie your friend has been obsessed with for weeks. But its important not just to say “yes” as a default answer. Do you really want to drop whatever you’re doing to get coffee? Or just not say “no” to a friend? We all end up saying “yes” to things we don’t actually want to do.  Then you don’t get to do the things you really want to do.  Of course, there are some things that you just can’t get out of.   Read more

Your Desk Can Make You More Productive

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Desk

Not my desk, not my mess. (Photo credit: Jim Carson)

When my desk is messy I feel out of sorts.  It’s amazing how a clean desk can lift your mood.  I pride myself on being super organized and having it pretty much together but sometimes my desk falls through the cracks.  I get lots of mail and lots and lots of magazines (which I love!) — but sometime’s it’s overwhelming.

I’ve had a feng shui expert write about how positioning things on your desk could make you more productive in the past.  But there are some other things you should consider like clutter, light, size and monitors.  Here’s a look at those things from TheNextWeb.com called “How to arrange your desk for maximum productivity.”  How does your desk look?

Revamp Your To-Do List to Stop Procrastinating

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You know how I love lists…but I realize that sometimes they can overwhelm us.  Even I’ve been a little stressed by all of the things on my to-do list from time to time.

This panic can lead to putting off what you need to get accomplished –- but it doesn’t have to!  By simply modifying HOW you make your lists — you will cut down on procrastination.

Here are 5 ways to revamp your to-do list and be more productive:

1. Break up your list into sections. By making lists in categories like “job, family, home” — you will be less overwhelmed and be able to tackle each one individually. Read more

Sign Up For My List-Making Teleseminar Today

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nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you’re a list maker like me — do your lists work for you or do they drive you crazy?  If they’re making you nuts — don’t give up…there are things you can do so your lists will make you more productive.

If you don’t make lists but would like to — I can show you how to do it effectively.  Having a well-written list is like having a road map to accomplish your goals.  It’s very important to be realistic and specific.

I’d like to help everyone learn how to better use lists to serve his or her life.  Making lists will help you become more efficient and focused in all areas of your life.  Whether it be grocery shopping, finishing projects or finding a new home — a list will help you accomplish your goals.

So I’m teaming up with Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D. — the “Ph.D. of Productivity” — for a teleseminar, January 12, 2012 at 6pm Eastern.  You can sign up here and join in on the call-in event. If you can’t make it at that time — sign up anyway and an MP3 of the call will be sent to you afterwards.

It’s a free event and you’ll learn:

  1. Why list making is essential to success in all areas of life – personal and professional.
  2. What kinds of lists (and yes, there are different kinds) need to be part of your Keeping-Chaos-at-Bay toolkit.
  3. Strategies for effective list making at home, at work, and just about anywhere.
  4. How to make various kinds of lists work for you.
  5. How to make difficult decisions using a list.
  6. Where to make your lists so they don’t get lost or unused (useful apps, websites, list paper, etc).

Hope you’ll join me for this exciting teleseminar!