David Seah suggests there are two ways to gain focus in your work: one being danger [deadlines, money etc] and the other certainty. In certainty, Seah is referring to something that you know is going to make you happy. With this certainty you are willing and able to focus entirely on any given task. It’s important to make a distinction here: I am using “certainty” here in the emotional, not rational sense. I am fully aware that by following through on all these ideas I have will lead to greater opportunity and... More »
$7 a day for any kind of meals is a pretty good effort, but Jean Weiss at MSN Health & Fitness does her homework to provide the healthy and organic options. The beginning of this article focuses on what foods do what and scouring the supermarket for cheaper alternatives [duh] so I’ll skip you right ahead to the serving suggestions in the link below. Jean deals us a nice week-long plan, each day with three serves plus snacks. Meanwhile here are her suggestions for some frugal health-food investments: If you’re committed to... More »
This is just about what the whole ‘productivity’ thing comes down to; allowing yourself more time by working smarter. Ririan Project takes 15 small tips, not only focused on work, and puts them together to help you get a couple extra hours out of each day. Morning glory. Unless you fancy the cleaner, staying late at the office is a waste of time. Our natural bodily rhythms make us most alert between eight and nine in the morning. Arrive an hour early and you’ll get through the equivalent of two hours of... More »
Shannon Kalvar takes the approach of assuming many meetings not only have the habit of drifting fast off point, but are happy doing so. Hence why she’s called this article Three effective ways to anger people in meetings. Instead of allowing this to go on, Shannon suggests three approaches to quickly putting the meeting back on track. Cut people off after the third iteration My personal inclination is to cut people off after they have repeated themselves for the third time. Especially when the repetitions involve something wholly irrelevant, or even worse... More »
844 Shares Many of us enjoy discovering new music, particularly while working, without having to purchase tracks outright and battling lawsuits. Thankfully there are a plethora of great resources available that can scratch that itch without breaking any laws. Digital Alchemy has put together this list of free online music providers. Also, keep a lookout for a new one in the vein of Pandora called Jango. Let’s keep adding to the list. The Complete Guide to Free Music Online (Legal Edition) – [DigitalAlchemy]
There are some great places on the web for creative types to flaunt their work. The best part of publishing your portfolio in these spaces is the focus on community – which is awesome when trying to promote your work from the ground up. Stylish Labs focuses on 5 [+1] of their favorites in this article. They include two of my personal picks, Behance and Carbonmade. Both look great, complimenting any work, and are easy to set up. The obvious ones left out are Flickr and DeviantArt, but what are some of... More »
If you’re a freelancer or run your own business, it is important to know how well you would cope after something like a computer crash where all your work is lost. If your income relies on you having work, then when you lose everything you need to know how well you can get back into gear. Dave Navarro [of FreelanceFolder] runs through three steps that you’ll need to have a plan for in case something goes horribly wrong. There are three things that slow you down when it comes to getting back... More »
27 Shares Do you have a growing task list of things that never get done? You’ll need to learn to recognize 4 simple items that you shouldn’t bother adding to your lists. The One-Minute Task. If your system for tracking tasks has a lot of overhead, you may find yourself spending more time managing a task than the task takes to complete. Enter the task, set its due date and category, fiddle with the color and context, prioritize it, decide where it fits on various lists…and then it only takes 30 seconds to actually... More »
Although these tips from Mind Tools are specifically for filing on your computer [not on top], the same ideas can be used with your every day filing. Whether it be documents, desktop items or anything else that can build up into clutter. Avoid saving unnecessary documents. Don’t make a habit of saving just about everything that finds its way into your Inbox. Take a few seconds to glance through the content, and save a file only if it’s relevant to your work activity. Having too much data on your computer adds to... More »
Study sessions can be a mess; even if you’re not the gossipy, procrastinating type of student. All you guys have to be on the same page and in a good environment for study. A routine can help this tremendously, but there is more. Develop a standard notetaking method. Different students like different note taking methods. Whether you prefer mind mapping, Cornell notes, outline format, sentence format, or another method, find one that works for you and stick to it. Over time, you’ll develop your own version of note taking and will be... More »
It should be obvious that someone in a leadership position holds a lot of responsibility. If you find, as the leader of any team, productivity lacking, try reflecting on what kind you are. Each of the leadership styles have impact on reforming and/or creating company culture. There are short and long-term affects of each style. For instance, the authoritative style may produce great results in a short amount of time. However, excessive use of authority will decrease productivity in the long-term. People either get fed up and leave or fall into a... More »
Brett Kelly over at Cranking Widgets recently became a father [congratulations!] and wanted to share some changes he’s noticed in himself since having a child. Anyone who’s expecting, such as my brother, can always use some light reading in regards to becoming a parent. Brett has a few that you may not have expected, and of course wouldn’t expect to be true for every parent in the world. He also puts the call out to other bloggers out there who have children and who could share some insight. Leo and Scoble are... More »
You may not have them on your shopping list, but these extra ingredients could bump your health meter up a few notches. Not only are they not really staple items, they are amongst the healthiest foods around, according to Men’s Health. Guava Guava is an obscure tropical fruit that’s subtly acidic, with sweetness that intensifies as you eat your way to the center. Why it’s healthy: Guava has a higher concentration of lycopene — an antioxidant that fights prostate cancer — than any other plant food, including tomatoes and watermelon. In addition,... More »
Can you name four different facets of energy that will get you through your work day? Do you know how you can better manage that energy so you work, and play, better? President and founder of The Energy Project in New York and a co-author of The Power of Full Engagement Tony Schwartz says the key to productivity is managing your energy, not your time. The first level is physical. That’s the core energy any human needs to get out of bed in the morning and do what he needs to do.... More »
Probably the biggest issue with workplace meetings is their length. Almost always, meetings take longer than is necessary. This is particularly true for those daily keep-us-up-to-date meetings. You could try killing meetings all together, or try what John Trosko suggests and hold the meetings that aren’t long and strategic with everyone standing up. Instead of sitting at a traditional conference table, we took the chairs out of the room and ran meetings while standing on our feet. Well, the length of the meetings DRASTICALLY dropped, because people didn’t want to stand for... More »
