I have a confession to make. I have a hard time saying no. I am constantly asked to do things...because I have done things in the past. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I have time in my schedule for the constant inflow of tasks. Yet the tasks still come, and I don't say no...and I end up overworked, under-rested and resentful. All because I have a hard time saying no. Today we look at some ways to say no without being rude, and getting the space you need.

Meetings can be, at best, a necessary evil. At worst they can be a soul-sucking drain of your creativity and time. One of the best ways to protect your productivity from this insidious sapper is to schedule a No Meeting Day.

I was setting out for my daily 3 mile walk, and thumbing through the various podcasts I had waiting for me. I scrolled past the ones about blogging, and noticed the list was getting very large. But at the same time, part of me resisted because I didn't have a way to take notes while listening. Or so I thought. A phone call interrupted me, and I answered on my headset. Then it dawned on me that I could use the same technology for taking notes that I was already using for the phone. Today we will talk about two capture methods that you might be forgetting. These methods can help you capture ideas and notes no matter where you are.

Planning is the basis of any productivity system. Yet many people struggle with the two extremes: under- and over-planning. Today we will look at why you shouldn't over-plan and how to make sure you are planning at the right level.

When I ask people about time management, I get two types of responses. Either people are gung-ho time managers and they struggle with it, or they do no time management at all. Asking further questions, I was surprised to find that most of the people in these two camps fall for some time management myths. Here are the common time management myths and what you can do to avoid them.

So you've done a project, wrapped it all up, delivered it. Now what? In July we are going to look at projects: how to pick what to do, how to get started, how to move forward consistently, how to fix stalled projects, and what to do after you finish a project. Today we look at what you need to do after the project is done and the importance of handling "done".

Have you ever been excited to start something, only to have that interest wane and the project fizzle out? In July we are going to look at projects: how to pick what to do, how to get started, how to move forward consistently, how to fix stalled projects, and what to do after you finish a project. Today we look at how to keep projects moving forward.

In July we are looking at some of the simple things you can do or use every day that make a huge impact on your productivity. Today we will look at planning.