Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity
You want to be more productive, so you study up on all the latest systems from the big productivity gurus–things that involve funnels, fancy timers and frogs. You research apps, planners, and To Do list formats that are more complicated than the tax code....
Motivation–What’s It All About?
During a recent workshop, Dr. Russell Ramsay offered the following definition, “Motivation is the ability to generate emotions about a task that promote follow-through.” I’m struggling with this definition. I think it’s partly correct in that...
Building Awareness
In my previous post, I suggested that awareness was the critical factor in figuring out how to get things done. Nothing else matters, if we don’t have an awareness of what we’re doing and why. Almost always, when clients have significant breakthroughs,...
Look Beyond “Shunning” Yourself to Get Things Done
What kind of shunning am I talking about? motivashun inspirashun activashun perspirashun determinashun Okay, I’ll stop the bad puns. But what am I talking about? Motivation is the reason we want to do something. We want the benefits that come with completing a...
Just Clean Up After Yourself
Life is so much easier when you clean up after yourself. In the past, I’ve cautioned about the 2-minute rule, which states that if you can do something in 2 minutes, to just go ahead and do it. There are times when this is not a good plan. Here’s that blog...
All That Hard Work, and Nothing to Show for It
Some work sessions are not productive, or so it might seem. I’m not talking about the times when we’re exhausted and we try to do a task that requires a lot of effort. I’m talking about project work when we’re calm, well-rested and not hungry...
How to Practice Self-Compassion
Some things that we need to do are just plain yucky. They make us feel bad. → Self-compassion increases our tolerance for the bad feelings, so that we can do what we need to do. → Self-compassion leads to greater productivity. But self-compassion isn’t so easy...
Is This the Best Use of My Time?
It’s ironic how many hours are lost in the quest to maximize our time. Clients often tell me they don’t get anything done because they are paralyzed, wondering, “Is this the best use of my time?” They have an inclination of something they could...
Simplify Sorting with the Two-Category Method
Sorting is a very strenuous activity for our brains. The two-category method can be ideal to make the job easier. Like the name suggests, the key is to limit yourself to only two categories. Here are some examples: discard or keep donate or recycle paper or everything...
Think Twice about the Two Minute Rule
David Allen is a well-known productivity mastermind with a well-known rule: If you can do something in two minutes, do it now. (I’m paraphrasing. You can hear him describe it , here.) In theory, I’m totally behind the concept of getting small things out of...