Home Archives for Productivity Tips

A Cry for Help – How Do You Manage Overwhelm?

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I thought that if I got clearer and more disciplined about my goals, my life would get simpler. But no... That just opened another door on greater complexity. And once again, I feel like I'm drowning. Ideas get lost. Balls get dropped. And myriad little things gobble the time I should be spending on big projects. Is it Just Me? Or is it the times in which we live, where emails and obligations and people stream into your brain and calendar like a fire hose rather than … [Read more...]

Categories: Managing Stress, Planning, Productivity Tips Tagged: , ,

Overcoming Fear: A Personal Letter to Lizard Brain

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Do you know that feeling of a sort of tickling in the pit of your stomach?  It's a feeling of excitement and anxiety combined. Those feelings are so close that that you can literally feel excited one minute and panicked the next. It doesn't take much to tip the balance. That's the way I'm feeling right now. A huge excitement that I'm on the verge of doing something big... and then with the next breath, a huge anxiety that maybe I won't succeed. Whew. One minute I … [Read more...]

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Autumn Anxiety: Build a Head of Steam to Get You Going

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Do you know the physical symptoms of anxiety? If you pay close attention the next time you get anxious, you might notice these things: You start sweating. Perhaps your face even gets a bit damp. Your heart rate goes up a bit. Your mid-section feels -- well -- like it's got a cluster of butterflies in it. You're uncomfortable and out of sorts in a general, ill-defined way. Something just doesn't feel right. And you'd be happy to do almost anything to make … [Read more...]

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How to Kick Your Email Addiction Once and For All

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I just realized that I'm addicted to e-mail. Are you? I check my email constantly. A corner of my eye is always on my inbox. When something new appears, I'm sucked away from whatever else I'm trying to get done. And I don't like it. My email addiction adds up to feeling empty and unsatisfied because though I work all day, I don't get much done that feels like it amounts to anything significant. Test if You're Addicted to Email Try my little email addiction … [Read more...]

Categories: Increasing Awareness, Overcoming Challenges, Productivity Tips Tagged: , ,

The Meaning of Life: Are You Just Clocking Time?

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You could count the days, if you only knew how many there were. And as you get older, though you still don't know exactly how many there will be, the days of your life seem all the more countable. That's what I was thinking about when I finished reading a detective novel last week. Though I enjoyed reading it, after I put it down, I couldn't shake the sense that while I was reading, I was just clocking time... Letting the minutes go by. What Makes Life … [Read more...]

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Working to Deadlines: How to Build Up a Head of Steam

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My piece for the GuideStar blog was due yesterday. And I spent the two weeks before that deadline fretting and in a state of anxiety. Don't worry... I did write the piece and I got it in on schedule. In fact, here it is! But it wasn't easy. Deadlines Make Excellent Fuel I never find it easy to be highly productive. I write, and do many other things, to deadlines.  I seem unable to function any other way. I know some people who simply do what they're supposed to … [Read more...]

Categories: Increasing Awareness, Managing Stress, Productivity Tips

Focus Your Mind and Get Your Work Done!

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It’s time to get something done! Stop emailing. Stop cleaning up. Stop filing unimportant papers. Stop procrastinating. Let's get down to some serious, focused work. How Do You Focus? Do you focus for small bits of time throughout the day? Or are you one of those people who can zoom in on a project and emerge hours later dazed, wondering where the day went? Regardless of which camp you fall in, getting down to work requires you to change the magnification … [Read more...]

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What it Takes to Create Something Truly Remarkable

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Remarkable is not a synonym for perfect. Far from it. In fact, some of the most remarkable things in life are remarkable because of their imperfections, not in spite of them. (Think of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.) For the kind of remarkable I'm talking about, it's your commitment and effort and energy that makes it special... and truly remarkable. What do Remarkable Things have in Common? Here's a personal list of some remarkable things I've seen. A drummer on the … [Read more...]

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Setting Clear and Specific Goals to Get You Where You Want to Go

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Do you love simple tips that promise to make you more effective? If you're like me, there’s something about bite-sized advice, written in short, compelling words that makes you think it'll help you make your life better. A Powerful Tip to Create a Better Life So here’s the latest bite-sized tip that caught my attention. These from author and psychologist Dr. Ned Hallowell. Set clear and specific goals. Dr. Hallowell suggests setting four sets of THREE clear and … [Read more...]

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Stuck in the Fog of Indecision: 2 Strategies for Getting Going Again

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I didn't write a blog post last night! I simply couldn't decide what subject to write about. In fact, I couldn't decide much of anything and sat in a dull trance watching Olympic athletes ski down big hills. I was a couch potato because I couldn't make up my mind. Even worse than that, I couldn't even shape clear alternatives. I was in a fog of indecision, and I don't like that feeling! (Who does?) Does Indecision Paralyze You Sometimes? What do you do when … [Read more...]

Categories: Making Better Decisions, Productivity Tips