Time itself cannot be managed. It ticks inexorably forward. However, we can manage our behavior to make the most of the time we have. All behaviors employed to best utilize time should target one thing: sharpening focus. The more you focus on the task(s) at hand, the more productive you will be, which will also[…]
I just read a terrific post by the Time Managmenet Ninja titled 5 Swft Tips To Help Empty Your Inbox. Each of these simple recommendations can make managing your e-mail easier. I added one suggestion to the post and thought it worthy of posting here too! The suggestion was to save e-mails as files outside of[…]
Whenever I speak to audiences about productivity, be it during a training seminar or a keynote presentation, I always, always, always recommend that they face away from passing traffic. The urge to look up is so strong and whenever we fall prey to that urge, we lose our focus. The natural tendency to look up whenever someone passes[…]
While talking with a client last week, it occurred to me that the accounting concepts of LIFO and FIFO are a perfect way to distinguish between the way we historically processed our stuff and the way we currently process our stuff. (“Stuff” includes all the inputs that stream into our lives throughout the day.) My observation is that[…]
Running from meeting to meeting and phone call to phone call is very stressful and it can be very unproductive. This is often an area I work with clients on and what follows are some ideas on how to make your day both less stressful and more productive. (Note, if you aren’t in a position[…]
Email has reduced us to the level of salivating dogs. Whether we are in the office, at home, or in the line at the grocery store, we are obsessed with checking our e-mail. Ask yourself, when was the last time you went 20 minutes without checking your e-mail or without thinking about checking your e-mail[…]
Several years ago, I was having lunch with a new client – the managing partner of a law firm – and we were talking about the struggle to just stay caught up with all the stuff coming at us each day. As the conversation continued, he mentioned to me that one of the little tips[…]
Like most, I’m staring down the long corridor of the new year. Numerous hopes and aspirations fill my mind as I consider what 2010 may hold. Currently, I’m in the throws of two huge development projects. The first is the implementation of an SaaS ERP platform for our online kayaking gear business – www.outdoorplay.com. The other is[…]
I’m not that old. I grew up with microwaves and color television. When I started working full time, we had fax machines, overnight mail services and voicemail was gaining acceptance. However, as the world began to move faster and faster via technological advances like e-mail, the Internet and smartphones, our workflow processing behaviors took a turn for the worse. The[…]
I lobbed this bomb into an audience today during a presentation: Only put one subject in each e-mail. One Subject Per E-mail! It was met with the usual response – shock, rolling of the eyes and all manner of rejection. To me, this is just obvious common sense, but it seems that when it comes[…]