Productivity

Can you imagine having more mental energy to focus on important things? You probably think about your physical energy every day. Maybe you work out in the morning to get things flowing. You might be careful about your choices at lunch, trying to avoid the early afternoon energy slump. Perhaps you try to get to bed early, at least a few nights per week. Those are all excellent strategies that are pretty much guaranteed to improve your physical energy levels. Which is important to getting work done and to having an enjoyable day. Now, think about your mental energy levels. … Read more

Are you acting with intent, or are you just acting? …which really means that you’re reacting. I react a lot. Sometimes I overreact 😉 In fact, it’s fun to react. I love those days when you don’t know what’s going to happen next. I love when there’s a lot of activity and the challenge is to figure out how to dodge, duck, and dive around the obstacles. It’s fun to figure out what immediate action is necessary to resolve an issue or tackle a problem that you didn’t even know existed a little while ago. There’s a sense of satisfaction … Read more

I write, therefore I think. Writing has probably helped me more than any other habit. It helps me to organize my thoughts, synthesize and crystalize ideas, and process things in a way that I just can’t achieve through other means. But here’s the powerful secret: this holds true even if nobody ever sees my writing. Sure, I publish a lot of content and I like to put my writing out into the world. But I also like to write things out just to think them through. There’s something about going through the exercise of writing thoughts out that helps to … Read more

Listen to yourself, you’re pretty smart. We take notes in all sorts of circumstances – at meetings, at conferences, while reading books, during class, and more. We want to capture the gems that others are sharing with us, so we can put them to good use later. We can reflect on the key points, internalize them, and take action when the time is appropriate. We do all this because it is worth capturing ideas, insights, tips, and tricks. So why not take notes from yourself? You are full of ideas and insights, tips and tricks. Why not capture those things … Read more

Imagine if you did more doing. What would that look like? Maybe you would take a big leap. Perhaps you would do something that is really important. But you definitely would at least take a baby step in a positive direction. And sometimes that’s all it takes to get the ball rolling. You’ve got to act now! That nostalgic late-night commercial imperative may just contain the key. Because action is the way progress is made. And progress is where results come from. Nobody ever got to where they wanted to go by standing still. Even if by one step at … Read more

Start early, revise often. That’s the secret. One I learned the hard way. Too many times, I’ve waited until the last minute to complete something. Cramming is stressful, but it does work. Compressing all of my effort and energy into the work so that it can be completed just-in-time is an effective style. It forces focus. Focus fuels concentration and deep thinking. The results can be good. That’s how I got through most of college, and it’s how I’ve done many things in my work life. Until I learned the power of iteration. That’s when I learned how to relieve … Read more

There are exactly 24 hours in a day and they’re going to pass by no matter how we use them. I’m not the most efficient or productive person, but I do try to be intentional with my time. The thing I’m learning, though, is that it’s equally (if not more important) to consider how I manage my attention. Fortunately, there’s an app for that. Best Productivity App of All Time There is a button on every smartphone for this. Whether you have an iPhone, Android, Samsung, or any other brand, you have this button. Every smartphone comes with this. And … Read more