Tag Archive for: productivity

How to get Inbox Zero by Friday

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Social-Media-Post800x800Are your emails haunting you?

With the big, fat “UNREAD” number staring you in the face – how are you supposed to get any work done?

It’s looming in the back of your mind.  

You have to write back to this person or that person.

And then you end up doing nothing and missing deadlines and opportunities.

I understand!  The swamp of the email inbox is maddening.

Wouldn’t it be a miracle to actually get to INBOX ZERO by Friday?

“Yeah, right!” you say in your most sarcastic voice.

“Yeah, right!” I say in my most positive voice.

It can happen and I’ll get you there in just 5 days.  

Join me for my FREE 5-DAY EMAIL CHALLENGE and get Inbox Zero by Friday.

Sign up here.

Here’s what to expect:

Every day I’ll send an email with step-by-step instructions and an audio guide to wrangle your inbox. 

Each day there will be a prompt to help you organize and manage your inbox.  

And by Friday — you’ll have a handle on your inbox so you can stop drowning in unread messages, respond quicker and finally achieve inbox zero.

Let’s do this together!

Four Boundaries Worth Setting Right Now

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private-20115_1280When it comes to list making and my general time management and organization I like rules.

I like things to be clear cut– black and white.

Rules save me time, because I’m not sitting there wondering whether to take the call, go to the meeting or have another glass of wine.  

I have a rule in place so it’s either happening or it isn’t.

I recently did an event for my book Listful Thinking with the National Association of Professional Organizers in New York City and a common theme struck a cord.  Boundaries.

I’m often asked about what I call my “rules” and I find that the idea tends to resonate with a lot of people, especially working mothers. Probably because these rules allow me to set these boundaries in both my personal and professional life.

It’s something a lot of people have trouble with. Read more

Talk Lists With Me This Thursday

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rp_BEA1-1024x750.jpegI’m excited to share this news with you today.  

One of my favorite things about my book, Listful Thinking being published is it’s given me the chance to meet so many of you!

It’s helped me realize there are so many different ways to apply list making to life — it’s not only about being more productive or organized. Lists can help make you less stressed and happier too.  

I’m having another book Q&A and meet and greet this week! It will be on Thursday, April 7th at 6pm at WeWork on East 42nd Street in Manhattan.  You’ll get a copy of Listful Thinking with your ticket!

It’s being hosted by the New York chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers — NAPO.  My good friend Sandra is a member of the board and will be interviewing me during the event.   We recently went to see Marie Kondo together when she was in NYC.

I will be talking about my inspirations, tips and some of the classic list-making errors at Thursday’s event.

Trust me when you talk about lists all day you hear all the classic mistakes people make. The number one problem is putting everything on the same list!

Over and over I will see a list that goes something like:

  1. Be more confident
  2. Go to Italy
  3. Pick up dry cleaning
  4. Write a book
  5. Email Terri about outline

It might be obvious to some of you that these things don’t belong on the same list, but I see it pretty often.  

Wanting to write a book and pick up your dry cleaning doesn’t belong on the same list.

Just as you can’t lose 10 pounds overnight, you won’t magically become more confident or write a book in the next 24 hours. The truth of this classic list making mistake is that long term plans are scary!

It’s much easier and safer to put this farfetched goal on your daily list and claim you never got round to it, then it is to actually put the planning and effort into achieving something.

Having these good intentions is also a way of procrastinating achieving actual results. Something as simple as having a daily list and a long term goals list separately can help you to shift this mentality.

At my Q&A I’ll go into more details about the different lists you can use for all aspects of your life.  And I’ll talk about outsourcing and my favorite productivity apps too.

I’d love to see you there. Click here to RSVP and get your ticket.

The Best Way To Prioritize

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cards-1076921_640Having taken more than a month off work after my appendix burst, I’ve had a lot of time to think about my priorities.

I used to think prioritizing was the order I’d assign to my to-do list items.  Or maybe what I’d be doing in the next five minutes or later that day.  

But really we should all be taking time to think about our priorities in a broader sense.  

Zoom out to see the big picture.  

Before my medical ordeal — I was going to several networking events a week. Most evenings I would go straight from work and not get home until late.  At the time, building new connections and leaving no stone unturned for new opportunities was my priority.

After my illness I’ve realized it’s crucial for me to slow down a bit. I’m still planning on attending networking events here and there, but nowhere near on the scale that I used to.  I’m much more picky about how I spend my time. 

Right now my health is my priority. Read more

When It’s Bad To Be Good At Something

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hands-220163_640Last month my husband and I were in Florida to celebrate his grandmother’s 90th birthday.  What a milestone! The whole family flew there from all over to celebrate together.  

In between trips to the pool and cocktail hours…we found ourselves decorating the house for the festivities.  

Everyone was given a job:  Balloon blowing, hat making, ribbon twirling…oh and there was a list to be made too!  

And guess who was called to make said list.  That’s right — yours truly.

It always feels nice when you are recognized as being good at something. I like it when people ask me for list-making tips because it’s fun to help people, but it’s also gives me a little confidence boost to be an expert.

But then it hit me.

Being good at something can actually be bad!   Read more