This is the next installment of my series on the Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity. All or nothing thinking runs closely behind perfectionism as a major obstacle. Here are some examples: I can’t start on my taxes until I find all my receipts. I can’t vacuum the rug because I don’t have time to pull out the … Read more
Perfectionism is the second culprit on my list of Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity. Often, we don’t recognize our perfectionism. We laugh and say there is no way we could be perfectionists, because we know how imperfectly we operate. Just because we acknowledge that we aren’t perfect doesn’t mean we recognize when perfectionism becomes an obstacle. Recognizing Perfectionism Any of … Read more
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. How’s all that working? I’ll bet you’re not seeing the results you hoped … Read more
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 motivation promotes follow-through. When we are motivated, we want a specific goal, and we’re willing to work hard, or … Read more
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 task or project and quite often, we are willing to tolerate some unpleasantness to achieve … Read more
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 be doing, but they question whether they “should” be doing something better. Consider the following dilemma: In the … Read more
Many people struggle to follow through with intentions because they don’t have a plan. Quite often, our intentions actually represent complex projects, and not simple tasks. Here’s the difference: a task is something you can do in one relatively short block of time, such as look up a phone number or take out the garbage. We … Read more
I think we’re all familiar with struggling to say no to things that are fun or decadent, but aren’t good for us. But what about the things that don’t sound tempting at all, and still, we can’t say no? In this fourth installment of my series about learning how to say no, (click here to read earlier … Read more
Our time is divided up a lot more today than it was a generation ago. Increased efficiencies lead to packing more activities into a day. More activities lead to more transitions. More transitions lead to more pockets of just a few minutes, waiting until it’s time for the next event. Although I generally don’t encourage trying to … Read more
Back to my “Just Say No,” blogging campaign. My goal is to identify all the complexities of saying no, in the hope that we can someday be able to say no as easily as Nancy Reagan would have liked us to. Why is this important? If we want to change our habits around organization and productivity, we need … Read more