Tag Archive for: productivity

Is Binge Watching Hurting Your Productivity?

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Television remote control

Television remote control (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Binge Watching” = The act of consecutively watching television shows online for hours.. many, many, hours.

I’ve fallen victim to this illness various times, and I know I’m not alone! I mean how can you not binge watch when Netflix has every episode of the best shows ever  – including one of my personal faves Breaking Bad?  Even ABC Go dedicated an entire week of their online service to binge watching. They posted all of their shows’ seasons, which they have never done before.

As awesome as it is to catch up on a show or throw yourself into an entirely new one, this “addiction” can seriously get in the way of your productivity. Because episodes continue one after the other you can totally lose track of time and the next thing you know you’ve been sitting on your couch for six hours.

So here is my list on how to balance your binge watching and your to-do’s!

1. Make It A Game: When I know that I have things to do, but I am dying to catch up on my shows I make a little competition with myself. I set my goals for the day and then I will reward myself with an episode or two if I accomplish all my work. Two or three checks off my to-do list equals admiring Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for an hour. Not a bad payoff, huh?
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It’s My Blog’s 3rd Birthday!

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Happy BirthdayToday is my blog’s 3rd birthday, my “baby” is now a toddler! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone and I have all of my awesome productive followers to thank for making this such a success and supporting me.

For today’s post I thought it would be fun to go back in time and see where it all began! I started the blog after my husband Jay and I found our first apartment in Manhattan. We had a checklist of all the things we wanted in that apartment. Now three years later — we purchased our first apartment in Manhattan (also with a checklist!)

I’ve learned a lot through writing this blog and it has been through the good, the bad, and the ugly! So here is a look back at some of favorite posts, along with a few mishaps. You grow from mistakes as long as you learn from the, right?

Oldies But Goodies

Is Productivity Making Me Rude?:  In my never ending quest to be more efficient, I realized that perhaps I’ve become more short and rude.  This post is one of my favorites because I think it really addresses the things we miss when trying to do it all.  Check it out. Read more

Uncommonly Productive Tasks

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productivity

productivity (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

Twenty-four hours is not nearly enough time to accomplish your daily routine while still having time for yourself. If you are not a naturally productive person, it can be hard to get into the habit of allotting your time correctly for all your to-do’s. If you attempt to be a super star of productivity, you can get frustrated and burnt out fast! Trust me – it takes some trial and error to see what works best for your needs.
Recently, I came across a Forbes article that lists 24 ways to be uncommonly productive.

Here are 5 of my favorites:

1. Get up an hour earlier: The early bird gets the worm as the saying goes! I know the snooze button is easy to hit but getting up a little earlier everyday can help you be more productive. Whether it be reading the newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee, finishing a pitch for work, or doing that last load of laundry, your day starts out with crossing SOMETHING off the to-do list. Check out what the most successful people do before breakfast!

2. Avoid meetings at all costs: Impromptu meetings, unless totally necessary are a waste of time and energy! You will not be prepared and the things you want to accomplish will most likely not get done. Having a schedule of weekly meetings is the best way to go – even during the meetings you should have a set schedule of talking points and goals.

3. Take a proper break – after one or two hours take 10-20 minutes to dance to your fave song, do some push-ups, or get out in the fresh air.  You always need to give yourself a break to refocus your energy. Working on a task for too long can burn you out.  Madonna (another fellow list maker) is great to jam out to when you need a break.

4. Don’t answer your phone: This is also one of my mottos. I NEVER, I repeat never, answer my phone during the work day unless I have scheduled a phone call (I even have a YouTube video dedicated to it). If it’s really important that person will leave a message. You don’t want to get stuck in a conversation for a half hour that is not on top of your priority list or that you’re unprepared to have.

5.  Ask yourself “Is what I’m doing right now getting me closer to what I want to achieve?” I think this would be great to put on a Post-It note on your computer, or as the background of your phone. It’s a simple reminder to keep focused on what really needs to be done throughout the day!

Try out one of these tips this week, and build up to the rest! Rome wasn’t build in a day and neither is a productive lifestyle. Check out the rest of the productivity tips from Forbes here

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Say Goodbye to Distractions and Stay on Task!

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Puppy Personal Ads

(Photo credit: Out.of.Focus)

Apps, texts, cute puppy photos, prank YouTube videos, Facebook feeds, and delicious foods on Pinterest are just some of the distractions that I am faced with on the daily. I mean how can you focus at work when your friend just sent you the funniest Buzzfeed link?!

It’s hard to “turn off” from all this distracting technology to accomplish a task – so, for today’s “Fab Find” I found some awesome apps to help block out the “noise” of everyday life, and get focused!

Computer Apps 

1. SelfControl
Some days it’s just too hard to be good and not check your favorite Twitter feed.  This app will deny you access to your social media sites for the amount of time you choose. You are still able to access the Internet — just no more “liking” cute dog photos, at least for a little while.

Screen shot 2014-02-13 at 8.53.50 PM

 

 

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Make Conference Calls More Productive!

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I use conference calls all the time – whether it’s for interviews, chatting with fellow co-workers, or with my interns to brainstorm ideas for this blog. Having a way to contact your clients is important to any business. There are a lot of companies that offer internet and phone services (view online) for businesses that are looking for phone solutions to help them keep in contact with their clients. Group calls always seem like a good idea until you get on them. It’s easy to lose track of who is talking or what the topic is at hand with so many people trying to talk at once. It can get overwhelming and unproductive fast! Freelance business relay conference calls to keep in touch with clients and potential customers so having a business phone could be very helpful – see more at https://www.megapath.com/voice/.

So for this week’s “Fab Find” I want to share a website and app called Speek which makes conference calls super easy and simple! You can sign up for a unique URL for free and share it with people when you want to conduct a call. I have been testing it out this week and have come up with a list:

Pros:

1. Multiple ways to join the call: You can do it the old fashioned way by dialing the number and pin provided on the URL. Or you can have Speek call you. All you have to do is type in your number and in seconds your phone is ringing. Similar services are offered by a VoIP Provider. My favorite way to connect through is through your computer. The site will connect to your speakers and microphone and you can chat right through the computer. I love this option because you can be hands-free and are able to take notes or pull up files while on the call.

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