Personal Productivity Archives - Work Smarter Stress Less

The Best Prioritization Advice: Priority Channels

prioritize using priority channels instead of lists

Setting and keeping priorities is hard these days. You might have things set one day and the next day things change. Everything seems a little more chaotic than it used to be. Maybe that’s because the world is changing at a faster pace. Businesses are facing new dynamics. People are more easily distracted. When everyone seems to be overwhelmed, it’s can be hard to find your footing. And it can be difficult to work a consistent path forward. Not to mention, of course, the fundamental issue that you have too many priorities and not enough resources. All of this makes … Read more

A Powerful 2-Step Plan for Planning Your Day Better

by Tom Catalini

Have you noticed how many grown professionals are as helpless as babies? We wander around from moment to moment constantly distracted and with no sense of direction. Nobody seems to think ahead. And that’s somehow ok. It’s ok to be late to meetings, because everyone is late to meetings. It’s ok that you didn’t read the report, because nobody read the report. It’s ok that you didn’t do the thing you were supposed to, because nobody does their thing on-time anymore. We seem to be in a weird culture of everyone feeling overwhelmed and overworked. And a lot of people … Read more

Go Home With A Sense of Accomplishment Each Day

by Tom Catalini

No matter what time of year it is, or what type of project you might be working on, or what operational challenge you are facing, one simple fact is true: It is nice to go home at the end of the day with a sense of accomplishment. Progress is our number one motivator. And staying motivated is one of the best strategies for making good use of our time. Wouldn’t it feel good at the end of the day to have accomplished what you set out to do that day? Wouldn’t it be fun to start delivering more results? Wouldn’t … Read more

A 3 Step Time Management Strategy for Your Busiest Time at Work

by Tom Catalini

Nothing tests your time management skills quite like the switch from summer “vacation season” to the fall “stressfest” of work. One thing is for sure, getting caught up in the mass hysteria of “too much to do and not enough time” isn’t going to be the best strategy. But it is hard to go from one stressful extreme to the other. Over the summer, you might have found it difficult to get things done because someone was always absent when something critical needed to be done or decided. That’s because the most popular vacation time in America by far is … Read more

Quick and Easy Commute Stress Relief (One Simple Change!)

by Tom Catalini

Wouldn’t it be nice to have commute stress relief in the morning? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to unwind a little easier on the way home at night? Your mornings might already be pretty hectic. Maybe you need to help the kiddos get their act together. You might be cooking breakfast or making coffee. Probably you are doing lots of little things just to get yourself ready. Then comes traffic, train delays, bus breakdowns, or whatever other logistical challenge that seems to encroach on just about every commute. Not to mention all the harried fellow commuters. Well, you … Read more

Supercharge Your Skill Building Efforts With This One Simple Change

by Tom Catalini

Which would be the better way to learn to play guitar? If you could only spare one hour per week, should you practice for one hour one day per week? Thirty minutes two days per week? Maybe every day for 8 minutes? I’d say every day for 8 minutes. Why? Because if you picked up the guitar every day and played it for 8 minutes, you are more likely to start to identify as a guitar player. And that is probably the biggest impact you can have in your learning. Because once something becomes part of your identity, it flows … Read more

A Common Career Mistake You Might Be Making

by Tom Catalini

What if everyone were good at their jobs? You would be surrounded by competent, efficient workers. But still something would be missing. Because being good at a job isn’t what’s really important. At least not in a mechanical sense. Let me explain. Everyone’s job has mechanical tasks. Sure, you’re a knowledge worker with a college degree. But you have to do certain tasks. Filling out spreadsheets. Filing reports. Sending emails. Scheduling meetings. Purchasing supplies. Listening to customer complaints. Organizing tasks. Completing transactions. All these “things” that we need to do are the mechanics of our jobs. So it seems obvious … Read more

How to Make Better “Gut” Decisions

by Tom Catalini

Is there a way that we can make better “gut” decisions? I think so. Our gut is really our subconscious mind. It’s a mysterious and maybe vast place. It seems to have a lot of horsepower. But we can’t directly engage it. It’s the thing that works on stuff when we’re not “thinking” or maybe even when we are. It let’s us know important things from time to time. Sometimes pretty clearly, like with a big idea that pops to mind when we’re in the shower. Other times it does that “feel” thing where we don’t necessarily get a clear … Read more