We are approaching the time of year when many people have already blown their New Year resolutions. For example, according to the fitness industry, a ton of gym memberships are sold from December to February but attendance significantly drops from March and on when people who were hoping to get fit as a New…

We’re well into the new year, and chances are you’ve made resolutions. They’re the same ones as last year: lose weight, stop smoking, drink less, exercise more… After all, the new year is a great opportunity to have a fresh start. You can evaluate what you’ve accomplished during the last year, and clarify what you want…

Focus: Effort, Attention, concentration, motivation, application, single mindedness emphasis, to name but a few of its synonyms. Having the ability to decide at each moment what merits your attention is to me one of the secrets of success. It’s been proven time and again by sports stars and high achievers If there is something you…

I’m blissfully basking in my productive flow; last week was spent de-cluttering. From the cellar to the attic; it all got the treatment. The mice no longer have a place to hide and the dust mites go hungry. After a spout of qualifying for numerous awards such as good housekeeper of the year, most…

We’ve all familiar with creating a to-do list to increase our productivity. Another list which can jumpstart our productivity is the not-do list – things we shouldn’t do. By being conscious of what to avoid, it’ll automatically channel our energy into things that we want to do. Doing both hand in hand will maximize our…

I love inspirational quotes. They are powerful nuggets of wisdom condensed into 1-2 lines. Whenever I read them, I get so inspired to take action. I remember when I was a high school student, I would decorate the cover of my foolscap pads with quotes because they were so meaningful. Today, I have quotes plastered…

All of us have goals. Goals like losing weight, earning more money, finding a life partner, setting up our business, achieving performance targets, being fitter, building better relationships, and so on. Some people seem to have no problem achieving their goals. Some, on the other hand, don’t seem to be able to make any…

I’ve said it before: the best approach to productivity is a simple one, and that approach is to know what needs doing, and then do what needs doing. I’m not talking systems. How you manage the knowing and doing is another issue. But approaching productivity on this simple level is important. In our effort to…

This is the eighth part of a 12-part series I am posting from the end of December and into January 2009, examining the current understanding of productivity and where the concept might be heading in the future. I invite Lifehack’s readers to be an active part of this conversation, both in comments here and on…

2009 is now here and it is time to start planning for this New Year. Just what do you want from the coming year? How sure are you to achieve your New Year resolutions? Getting a fresh start with the New Year is an artificial custom – you can begin to get the life you love…

It’s so curious how we spend the last weeks of the year in a sugar-plum-induced family frenzy of parties and holiday sweaters, and expect to walk into our lives on January 1 ready to drill down and get things done. To get our minds focused back on what the year holds in store for us we…

Our Real Goals In Personal Development-speak we are always talking about goals, outcomes, success, desires and dreams. In other words, all the stuff we want to do, achieve and create in our world. And while it’s important for us to know what we want to achieve (our goal), it’s also important for us to understand why…

With the year winding down, many people are turning their eyes towards the future. January 1st looms, and the new year always holds the promise of a fresh start, another go-round and another try at the golden ring. It’s a time for taking stock, filing away the lessons of our successes…

Have you heard of a guy called Fred Shero? No?  Until recently, me neither. I’m not a big sports fan and Fred was a hugely successful Canadian NHL player and coach with a string of many hundreds of wins and numerous awards and accolades to his name. Pretty good going, but it’s not his sports…

“Your actions are your only possessions.” – Lao Tse This is an excellent personal development statement to ponder as we watch 2007 dissolve into dust. Most of you made personal, one sentence resolutions like “I want to lose weight” or “I vow to go back to school.” It is a tradition to start the New Year with…