Tag Archive for: time management

Get a Stopwatch — You Need It!

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clock-782536_640The most common excuse for not being more productive is saying that you have too much going on.

“I’m too busy.” — you often say.  

Am I right?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret — no you aren’t!  

The thing with productivity is that it’s not how much you do, but how you do it. Do you get the most out of the time you have?  Or are you so busy because you fill your day with stuff you don’t really need to be doing.  That’s precious time you could be wasting!

The easiest way to find out is to track your time.

When I started making a note of how I spent my day I had a few surprises. For example, that thing I thought took only five minutes, actually took way longer than that.  It’s never just five minutes in the end.

There are a few apps and techniques to help you track your time. You can find them in the Entrepreneur.com article I wrote on time management.

Also if you want to know more about tracking your time, my friend and fellow author Laura Vanderkam is giving away her time tracking guide for free! Laura’s written several books including What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast and I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time.  If anyone knows how to manage time it’s her!

Listful Thinking is Published in Dutch

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2edd36a12109c37fa5c2542134911455_cache_In September, I was excited to discover that my book Listful Thinking had been published in Spanish and Chinese. It’s so interesting to me how a love of lists can translate into different cultures.

Well it’s happened again.

My book is now available in Dutch, under the title ‘Everything at a Glance‘. That title makes the book sound so much more philosophical!

As part of the release in the Netherlands I was interviewed by one of their largest newspapers this week called Algemeen Dagblad.

During the interview I discovered that lists where incredibility popular in the Netherlands. Clearly it’s a country I should visit!

For the Dutch, list making is seen as a way to keep your mind and your life in order. Isn’t that great?

Just had to share the exciting news with all of you.  Can’t wait to see where else my love of lists will go!

Don’t Micromanage – Make This List to Work With Others

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team-386673_640Remember in high school when you’d have to do a group project and get paired up with a bunch of other kids?

I was always the one who was trying organize things and make sure we hit our deadlines.  (Nerd Alert!)

But no matter the project — there was always that one kid who said she would be responsible for a crucial element…and then not deliver.  

Nothing would make me more annoyed, but I was always happy when the project was over and we didn’t have to work together again.

In the “real world” the same thing can happen.  But the downside is you can’t trade in your team members as often.  

You’re forced to work with the same team and figure out a way to make it work.

This is where lists can really come to the rescue.    Read more

Get Your Idea Off to a Running Start

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creativity-819371_640A question I’m often asked is how did I go from having the idea for ListProducer.com  and my book Listful Thinking to what they’ve become today?

The short answer is a lot of work.

Making an idea a reality takes a lot of research and planning. When you’re first starting out all this extra work can be a tough hurdle for people.

Especially as it can take a while before you start to see the fruits of your labor.

If you are trying to start your own business or discover your next big thing, then I have some help for you! My friend Dorie Clark is giving away her FREE 42 page workbook to help you get your idea off the ground.

Dorie Clark started out as a presidential campaign spokeswoman. She has since started her own business as a marketing strategy consultant and professional speaker.  Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine. She’s also written two books, Reinventing You and her most recent book, Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine.

Click here to download Dorie’s workbook.

Feed Your Organizational Soul With These Photos

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Occasionally I get inquiries by other productivity or time management sites, asking my opinion on lists and such. However, last week was the first time a design website has reached out to me!  I’m used to coming up with my top 3 to-do list tips. But this was a fun project to come up with some of the visual stuff that inspires me.  I make a vision board every year with photos of goals and things I love — it’s like a visual to-do list.