Tag: productivity
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Choose Wisely, Leader
Everywhere we look, there are tumultuous events on the surface and a calmer, wiser, stronger force sitting quietly behind the hoopla. We see it in people, companies, and entire populations. As this article describes, no matter how horrible it looks on the surface, we gain hope and power by tapping the wiser, quieter parts. Choosing […]
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Pump
Destructive leadership rations energy. Productive leadership pumps energy into everyone freely. To share so much, we first have to find and tap for ourselves a virtually unlimited source. And where will find such a source? It’s right here and it’s called appreciation. In your corner, Mike
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To Do What’s Easier
Which is easier? Trying to keep track in your head of the ever-increasing pile of stuff to do or learning to write it all down and reviewing it once a day? Ya, no. It’s not the former. In your corner, Mike
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One Wee Step
Sometimes all we need is a teeny win. Committing to taking a step in the right direction–even a step that is not in the wrong direction–does the trick. We will either launch ourselves where we want to go or gain enough momentum to take another teeny step. What’s your one wee step, now? In your…
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re: Never Mind the Pile
A large pile of tasks can make us feel anxious, annoyed, or apoplectic. We think that these feelings are a reaction to the pile–a call to buckle down, push harder, and make stuff happen. Nope. That feeling is the wiser part of us sending us a memo: “Never mind the pile. You’re fine. You’re just thinking about it the wrong…
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Productivity Boost From NOT Improving Your Productivity System
A productivity system helps us capture, organize, and plan things to do. Whether we use an electronic or paper-based system, we want it to be fast, seamless, and very easy to use. So we seek out the best techniques and tools to craft our system. But that quest works against our productivity. It wastes our…
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Getting Unpleasant Stuff Done
What’s the best way to get something unpleasant done? We can use various techniques to push ourselves to do it. Or we can find ways to avoid it until it goes away or becomes unbearable. But both of these approaches drain us. A better way is to ask ourselves, “What end result do I desire…
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Task Systems Too Full
Have you ever started using a new productivity system (app, list, notebook, cards, etc.) then abandoned it? This usually happens because we let our systems get full of stuff to do that we haven’t done yet. As the pile of things to do grows, we add “do it today” flags and reminders to all sorts…
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An Unusual Productivity Boost
Here is a rather unusual productivity boost that takes just 2 minutes per day: set simple, quiet bedtime and waking up buzz-raising routines. Each night before falling asleep, take a minute. Review what you appreciated that day. You may think of anything–an accomplishment, a happy thought, a kindness, a win–or several things, big or small.…
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Drawing Your Way Out of Procrastination
One of the main causes of procrastination is confusion about what to do next. When we do not know the best next, small, discreet step we can take to move a project forward, we become overwhelmed with details, lost in possibilities, or stymied by what seem to be insurmountable obstacles. The cure is remarkably easy:…