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
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 post, if you … 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
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 the way. But I’ve seen a lot of people get into … 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
Most of us have heard the saying, “You can’t change others. You can only change your response.” I’d like to apply that concept to time management. All of us have the same amount of time, so the only thing we can really “manage” is our response to the challenges and opportunities presented to us. How has your response … 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
In my last post, I discussed decision making styles, which are inherent parts of our personality and can impact our productivity. Now here’s another trait to consider: time perspective. I’ve summarized briefly, below, but for more information, check out this scholarly article, or the two-minute summary. Five Time Perspectives Researchers have identified five distinct perspectives: Past-negative: Focus … Read more
The recent death of Nancy Reagan reminded me of her “Just Say No” campaign against drug use. Many ridiculed her for over-simplifying a very complex problem. As someone who is often witness to people struggling to say “no” to unhelpful habits, I’m well aware that it can be very difficult. But I also think the mantra “just … Read more
Some clients feel discouraged when I recommend tiny steps to implement a new habit. They say their problems are so huge that such tiny steps couldn’t possibly make a difference, and to an extent, they are right. Taking one small step, in and of itself, will not solve the problem. What follows that one small step is what … Read more