Shareable: Plans
Productivity Tools: Why Your Tools Should Do One Thing
There are a lot of software packages out there, as well as methodologies, that encourage you to keep more than one type of information in one place. Today we will look at why this is not a good idea. Most of my clients, and my company, use Outlook as an email package. It also has a handy-dandy calendar, task manager, and notebook. Yes, everything is in one package, but trying to find things can be a nightmare. Did that request to set up a product come in email, or is it in the calendar request for the meeting? Did I put the notes for the meeting in the notes section, or is it in the meeting request, or did I add it to the task that I created? Couple that with the fact that Outlook hates me and will eat something in my data weekly, and it…
How Complicated Is Your Productivity?
There are so many systems out there that promise that if you simply follow the steps, you will achieve peak productivity. But most of these systems are mired in bureaucracy, causing you to work to maintain your system - sometimes doing more work to maintain the system than actual work! Today we will look at the warning signs of a complicated productivity system.
The Secret of Productivity
What is the secret of productivity? Does it lie in a system? Doing lots of tasks? Money or time or staff? Or something else?
Shareable: Work and Opportunity
Managing Energy: Because Time Management Isn’t Enough
Have you ever cleared your schedule to do something important - and then not done it because you didn't have the energy? Time management isn't enough. It's important, but you also have to think about managing energy. I've been struggling with this lately, because my 12 Week plans are going well. Yet at the end of the work day I am too tired to actually do much of my list, and I either take a nap (bad) or sit down to unwind and read (worse). So that leaves me with a bunch of tasks I have to get done on the weekend to stay on track, which is not a good strategy for recharging, and I hit Monday tired. It's a cycle that seems to be ongoing, and I realized that I had to do something.
Keep Your Project List Short: Life Reboot Expanded
One of the aims and advantages to doing a life reboot is that you lessen your load. But nature abhors a vacuum, and an empty schedule is a prime target for filling. If you want to avoid going back to the overwhelm, you will need to keep your project list trim. But how can you do that? Today's article gives you some tips.
Closing Projects and Resistance: Life Reboot
Closing projects isn't just about making a decision. There are specific things you will need to do, and you might get pushback from those involved. As a software developer, I understand how to close projects down. If I didn't, I would still be supporting hundreds of applications at this point, instead of moving on. And sometimes the process of closing projects down leads to resistance, both internal and external. As I wrap up my current client project (I've been here 10 months), I am going through this process. But it's not just about my work projects - I had to do the same process and watch for the same pitfalls when I was closing projects for my life reboot.
