• Productivity

    How To Hunt Office Vampires

    Three types of office vampires have existed in every place I have worked, leaving trails of negativity behind them. And there are other types of vampires as well, more subtle in their approach to sucking out your energy and happiness. Can you spot and neutralize them?

  • Productivity

    My Productivity System: My Task Setup

    One of the hardest things to do to get to peak productivity is to choose not just the tools, but how to set them up. Today I will show you my task setup, along with how I get things into my task system from various sources. The main issue with choosing tools is that too many people pick the software before they know how it will be used. Previously I have talked about systems of record, the need for fluidity and the advantages and disadvantages of cloud-based systems. Today I will show you how I apply those concepts to my own task management system.

  • Productivity

    3 Questions To Consider Before Changing Your Productivity System

    I used to be on the cutting edge of productivity software. If there was a new tool out there, I tried it. I would spend days wrestling all my tasks, dreams, lists and whatnot into the new software, learning all the ins and outs of the software, only to be disappointed in the results, and repeat the process the next time new software would come out. It occurred to me about years ago that this behavior is just a way of playing at being productive. After all, I was busy, and even if I wasn't getting anything done, it was in the name of productivity, right?

  • Productivity

    My Productivity System: My Calendar Setup

    One of the hardest things to do to get to peak productivity is to choose how to set up your tools. Today I will show you my calendar setup, along with instructions on how to add calendars from multiple places.The main issue with choosing tools is that too many people pick the software before they know how it will be used. Previously I have talked about systems of record, the need for fluidity and the advantages and disadvantages of cloud-based system. Today I will show you how I apply those concepts to my own productivity system.

  • choosing productivity systems
    Productivity

    Choosing My Productivity Systems

    Last week I gave some guidelines about how to change up your productivity systems. It’s not just a matter of choosing the tools, but also a matter of determining what the system of record is for each type of information. The system of record is the one that you have determined has the truth, even if you access the information from multiple places.Today we will talk about some things that I considered with my systems and why I chose cloud-based for most of them. I will follow it with articles on the specifics of my productivity systems.

  • Deliberate Living,  Productivity

    Morning Tips for Non-Morning People

    I am not a morning person. In fact, I have great difficulty in waking up unless there is sufficient light. And since winter is a time of insufficient morning light, coupled with cold mornings, it is very difficult for me to get up and get things done. Yet getting those things done is what sets the tone for the whole day. Here are five ways that I get past the groggies:

  • Revamping Your Productivity System
    Productivity

    Revamping Your Productivity System

    Revamping your productivity system can be a daunting task. Digital? Paper? Hybrid? And what tools should be used for each part?Sometimes the revamp is caused by an outside force, as is the case with one of the readers who emailed me recently. She is being required to use Google, but is used to Outlook and was having issues accessing Gmail through Outlook. Then add in the calendar and tasks, and things were getting confused.Today we will look at how to revamp a productivity system by looking at systems of record.