One Way to Solve the “Now” Problem

Managing a busy, dynamic practice is hard. We have two choices when running our day – be proactive or reactive. Think of this is as choosing between practicing on one’s toes or practicing on one’s heels. Proactively communicating realistic availability and deadlines is increasingly important in the “now” economy. The alternative is to be overrun[…]

10 Hacks for Procrastinating Less and Doing More

Ninety-five percent of us procrastinate. That’s what Professor Piers Steel reported in his book The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done. So, the question isn’t whether we procrastinate. The question is how negatively does it impact our lives? […]

Tips for Running Your Day More Productively

The workday is frenetic. It is filled with meetings, calls, assignments, and constant requests. Running a productive day requires a delicate touch to balance others’ needs against work that must be done. Consider these suggestions to remain productive throughout a busy day. 1. Reduce Meeting Lengths by Twenty-Five Percent There are only two bad answers[…]

ASAP Deadlines – What to Do When Everything is Due Now

Urgency is the baseline feeling in today’s professional world. Securing information and staying responsive is a stated hallmark of good client service. Unfortunately, the mind’s operational systems conspire to misguide our efforts and expectations.

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Reducing Friction – Smoothing the Way to Higher Productivity

Layering on last month’s newsletter, Smooth is Fast (see it here), this month’s topic is Reducing Friction. I heard the phrase used recently by a friend of mine – Tom Nitopi, founder and CEO of NxGen Payment Services. Tom’s company is a global provider of payment processing solutions. He and his team spend their time[…]

Five-Step Delegation

My recent collaboration Sean Murray at RealTime Performance has produced a one-day seminar for new managers at his Fortune 500 clients. Creating the program required that we narrowly focus some existing training components to help people who have never supervised others before. The delegation process was one key area that was simplified. It’s a potential land[…]