Life of E's

Multi-tasking is a hot topic and one that is misunderstood. Our society and the pace of our lives encourage the concept of multi-tasking. What is misunderstood is that often multi-tasking makes us less productive rather than more productive. Our brains do not switch well between tasks and in fact, are unable to do two tasks [...]

Tags: multitasking, Productivity, responsibilities, stress, tasks, tips

Sometimes even the best intentioned folks forget to do something. It is not malicious, it’s just unfortunate. Use any or all of these ideas when you’re concerned about remembering something (and we all need to be concerned about this). Put the item on your planner (PDA or paper) and then LOOK at your planner every [...]

Tags: accomplish, grown up, happiness, Productivity, success, tasks

Clarifying one’s understanding of new concepts is a necessary — and powerful — part of the learning process. In many classrooms, ensuring the time and learning experiences that would give students the chance to solidify and apply their new learning has gone by the wayside due to fear about high-stakes testing. In fact, we have [...]

Tags: college, Professors, prompts, students, writers, writing

As an academic, you certainly need to be productive and to extend your reach (without spending TONS of time and additional effort). Here are some ideas for increasing both your productivity and your reach by using teleconferencing. Interview previous students who have been successful with you. Current or future students can listen in and gain [...]

Tags: Productivity, Speaking, Teaching, technology, teleseminars

When is it time to clear out some of your clutter? As Beth Morrissey said in a 2010 issue of The Writer Magazine, it’s time to clear out the clutter when “disarray” has reached “dismay.” So what to do, what to do? Where should you start? How about getting started with the book clutter you have [...]

Tags: Books, clutter, desk, distraction, work, workspace, writers

Although most faculty use many high tech innovations in the classroom, let’s not forget the necessity for some of the basic accoutrements. After a couple of years of hearing frequent requests for some basic office supplies and also recognizing that there were times I wished I had some sticky notes or whiteboard markers in a [...]

Tags: college, Professors, Teaching, Toolkit

Successful people are productive people. Part of being productive is taking control over those areas where you can exert some control. Here are 10 areas of your personal and professional life over which you can exert some control: What you wear. I’m assuming that if you are reading this article, you are an adult. So you [...]

Tags: control, productive, Productivity, success, successful

How do you talk to yourself as a writer?  How do you talk to others about yourself as a writer?  Are you clear on your boundaries – or is it a little fuzzy, both to yourself and to others?  Take a look at these five ‘talking points’ and use what fits with your style and need.    “That’s my scheduled writing time [...]

Tags: tips, writers, writing

If entrepreneurs and small business owners do not market themselves, chances are, they won’t be in business for long. Here are some mistakes entrepreneurs may overlook or struggle with when marketing themselves: 1. Thinking that one ‘touch’ is going to do the trick. I have recently been in conversations with someone who does workshop and he [...]

Tags: business, entrepreneurs, Marketing, mistakes, owners

Have you failed lately? It’s hard to imagine anyone reading this who hasn’t failed in a big or small way in the last few days. So, think of a current failure. If you are like me, you do not have to think too long about this. You may have felt failure as a parent, as [...]

Tags: business, failure, success