Tag Archive for: productivity

6 Fun Ways to Take a Break and Avoid ‘Summeritis’

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Summer Shoes

Summer Shoes (Photo credit: Klearchos Kapoutsis)

I’ve been trying to fight it but I have “summeritis.” The official definition (that I’ve made up) is when “you’re more focused on your vacation, the weather, summer cocktails you want to make or just about anything summer related rather than your work.”

While it’s healthy to daydream – there’s work to be done people! I try to take a few breaks during the day to recharge. Taking a walk to get a cup of tea or talk to a coworker is all you need sometimes. Pressing the pause button for a few minutes can give your mind time to rest and prevent burn out or frustration. Then, when you do get back to work, you’ll be more focused and productive.

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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

Makeover Your Home Office

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Have you started spring cleaning yet? I went through my closet this weekend and got rid of 20 pairs of shoes. I’m not even exaggerating. It was ridiculous. But I feel much better now that the task is complete…and excited to replace some of those shoes. When I spring clean, I start off decluttering the drawers and closets then begin general cleaning stuff that I don’t do enough.

But spring cleaning doesn’t apply to your home only. Don’t forget your office too. Whether it’s at home or in an office — an organized desk can send your productivity soaring.

Recently the folks at Manilla.com came to me with a dilemma. A comedian/actress named Jo had let her desk mess get out of hand. She wasn’t even able to use her desk anymore and had moved over to her dining room table to get work done. Except — her productivity suffered so they called me in to do an office makeover. Check out this video for a look.

Fill Your To-Do List With Fun

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430213_10152769872390193_743900261_nThe “real” to-do list in this photo inspired me and I wanted to share it with you.  Check it out — it lists things that you should really have on your to-do list — like:

  • Sing
  • Smile at strangers
  • Eat ice cream 
  • Laugh 

I’m all for a list that looks like this one!  It’s much more fun than one goes on and on about responsibilities and tasks. But both are equally important.  So how about for every task related to-do you add to your list — you also add a fun one?  I’m going to try it today.