323 Shares If an alien nation were to look down on Earth at this moment in time they really would think us a dumb race. They might say something like: “They buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t like.” But even if it’s not about impressing others, most of us have too much stuff and we know that the accumulation of goods won’t make us happier — yet we continue to consume. The aliens would also notice how busy the inhabitants of this planet are and... More »
617 Shares Tim Ferriss wrote in his book The Four Hour Body about an occasion where a group of people were assembled on Richard Branson’s private island to brainstorm growth options for Branson’s Virgin Unite project. Branson was posed with the question, “How do you become more productive?” Branson leaned back and thought for a second. Then he said, “Work out.” He said that working out gave him at least four additional hours of productive time every day. Benefits of Exercise We are all familiar with the multitude of benefits that exercise can bring into... More »
221 Shares Will 2012 be a year for change or will you keep doing what you have always done? “It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” Albert Einstein Seems obvious, only an idiot would try to keep doing the same thing and expect different results, no? But the truth is I’m guilty of it, my friends are guilty, my family are guilty and I guess each one of you reading this is also guilty of the syndrome. If change were easy we would all... More »
167 Shares Superheroes are just awesome. They race around looking after everyone and the world. They do all that is expected of them and then race back to their 9 to 5. You will seldom hear them brag about what they have achieved and how great they are. They never complain about how they have too much work and how stress is to blame for their grumpy behaviour. Yeah, you guessed it — I’m no Wonder Woman. The closest I’ll ever get to Wonder Woman is wearing a Halloween costume (Mental note: Organize Halloween... More »
256 Shares Are you one of those people who has never failed? I hope not, because failing in my opinion is a stepping stone on the road to success. In my world of work I am seen as a “productivity expert”. I use GTD, I try and test productivity apps and I teach people how to organize both their physical and electronic world. But I’m going to let you into a little secret: I’m not naturally inclined that way. Chaos I am chaos — or maybe I’ll qualify that — I was chaos. My... More »
164 Shares I’m sure most of you have seen one or all, of “The Matrix” movies, the sci-fi action movie trilogy set in the future. I’m a huge fan, what I love about the movies is that each time I watch them I delve deeper into the philosophy behind the action. While watching it again recently, I had some thoughts about how The Matrix is represented in our own day to day lives and how maybe we could reduce its presence in 2012 and use some of its ideas to make our lives happier... More »
55 Shares Productivity is often seen as a rigid fun-free word that many people shy away from. Some say it’s the antithesis of creativity; maybe it’s because of this that so many creative types have chaotic tendencies. For others, productivity is necessary in order for creativity to thrive. I’m part of the latter group, productivity has been my savior. It has been the gap between stress and calm, the link between dreams and action and the catalyst that helped convert mediocre to successful. Do we have to follow the rules? Learning to be more... More »
248 Shares Is clutter taking over your life? Maybe it is and you don’t even realize it. As a personal productivity coach I work with clients helping them organize their lives to work more efficiently and achieve more of what they want from life. On one occasion I was working with a business owner who was experiencing a lot of stress and feeling very overwhelmed. We started by clearing her office of clutter. While we sifted through the mountains of paperwork and the many notebooks on her desk, she found a check for 1,800... More »
240 Shares The artist Pablo Picasso once said, “Action is the foundational key to all success.” It’s one of those quotations that when you ponder it, you will have to agree with its blatant truth. But if so many of us are of the same mind as Picasso, why do we regularly forget to take his advice? About 10 years ago I was very frustrated with my life. I had many ideas and goals, but I had not achieved a fraction of the things that I wanted to achieve. I would look around and... More »
283 Shares According to Nick Bilton, lead technology reporter of the New York Times, the common held belief that multitasking is impossible is “media hype”, noting that the ability to multitask “depends on what the tasks are”. All experienced drivers are able to drive and talk at the same time. Most mothers are able to talk, cook and clean at the same time, but the question remains: Are they actually multitasking? Broadman’s Area 10 Many people believe that multitasking is the only way they cope in our world of task and information overload but the... More »
155 Shares Last week I wrote an article entitled “How to do a Simple Productivity Audit”. One reader who called herself “Cube Dweller” pointed out that she has little control over what she does and how she does it. As a result the tips I had advised were of no use to her or to the millions like her. So I started to think, what if you have no control over your day or the way you organize it? Micro Managers changing your focus every time they walk your way. Supervisors changing the rules... More »
179 Shares Do you ever feel overwhelmed or have too much to do? Have you been known to move around like a headless chicken? If so, maybe it’s time to do a Productivity Audit. Here are a few questions that will help you decide if it is time to audit your efficiency: Do you feel in control of your workload? Is your email inbox regularly emptied? Are you a distraction free zone? Are you as efficient and productive as you know you should be? If you answered “no” to any one of those questions... More »
2.4K Shares Mindfulness has become a popular and fashionable activity in recent times. The act of focused awareness on the flow of the present moment. It brings us into the here and now so that we are conscious of what we are doing when we are doing it. It may seem both simple and obvious but when we focus our awareness on our thoughts we will find that we spend most of our day thinking about past and future events. Or if we are lucky enough, sitting around day dreaming rather than focusing on... More »
727 Shares It has to be one of mankind’s greatest challenges; staying focused in the fast paced, technology driven world we are living in. Information overload, a common phenomenon, work overload another. But staying focused is perhaps the best way for us to get things done and move forward with our lives and our jobs. So how do we keep our eye on the ball when it’s accustomed to bouncing around from court to court? Focus on one thing “He who chases two rabbits catches none” – Confucius Wise words from a wise man,... More »
232 Shares Could you imagine going a full day without your iPhone or BlackBerry? What would it be like if you couldn’t check Facebook and see what your friends had been up to? Or if Twitter was temporarily out of action and your feed of 140 character messages were eliminated from your day? What if the newspaper didn’t arrive — and you had no Internet access? What a nightmare! How would we survive this hypothetical day of disconnection? We regularly hear talk of the modern phenomenon, “Information Overload”, but have you noticed that we... More »
