Life of E's

How in the world do toxic work environments get started? Is it just one thing or is it a 'perfect storm.' Two areas to be aware of if you are working to keep your academic work environment positive and productive are language and fear. Language When kids would tease me in school, my mom would [...]

Tags: academic, attitude, boss, co-workers, fear, interactions, language, professor, toxic, words, work environment

Is writing part of your job or is it something that you want to do more of, even though you're not 'required' to? Either way, could you use some tips to keep yourself moving along productivity in your writing? Here are five that have (and are) working for me. Write like you talk; if you [...]

Tags: compose, edit, feedback, ideas, Productivity, read, talk, tips, writing

Are you busy?  Are you working on MANY projects?  Do you have enough help to get your work done (let alone keep your personal projects moving forward)?  Is it worth it to hire an assistant (even out of your own pocket)?  Here are four specific questions on this topic I was asked along with four [...]

Tags: academic, assistant, choice, delegating, help, hire, Productivity, professor, stress management

Not long ago, I sent out a question to a few hundred people about what their biggest obstacles are to productivity and Holy Moly – I got more responses to that question than to any other one I've ever sent out. Based on what people wrote in, clearly procrastination is a huge obstacle. Procrastination is [...]

Tags: attitude, obstacles, procrastination, Productivity, strategies, success, time management, tips, tools

If it is possible to conserve or control your energy, then would it also be possible to learn how to monitor and extend it little by little? Can we mindfully appropriate a certain amount of energy to this activity, person, or endeavor and a certain amount of energy to that task, project, or relationship? If [...]

Tags: attitude, awareness, charting, energy, focus, plan, Productivity, schedule, self improvement

As writers, we can hurt or help ourselves by what we say about ourselves 'as writers.' It's pretty much like anything else – state what you want to be true and avoid as much as possible stating what you DON'T want to be true. And, use others' perceptions and misperceptions of writers, as needed, to [...]

Tags: author, feedback, points, strategies, style, tips, writing

Do you know anyone who is freaking out either because they feel like they are failing and/or because things are failing around them? I won't argue but that there are banks, companies, schools, hospitals, organizations, and governments that are failing. There are. And there is success in each of these institutions, too. However, we're not [...]

Tags: bankruptcy, business, life, money management, strategies, tips

Why, oh why do we all procrastinate? It’s so stressful. Interrupt time suckers, like TV and electronic games. Set a timer. Turn off alerts. Identify your peak productivity hour. Create a routine. Break down projects into tasks. Revive yourself with some deep breathing. Reward the completion of goals. Be accountable to someone. Make a commitment [...]

Tags: procrastination, Productivity, projects, strategies, task, timer

What is your metaphor for life? Maybe you have never really thought about it. About 30 years ago, I articulated my metaphor as: 'Life is a bank and time is the medium of exchange.' This makes a great deal of sense to me because time is really the only thing that I have that is [...]

Tags: business, currency, life, loss, money, success

Recently I taught the class, If You Do Nothing Else This Semester, to help colleagues get organized at the beginning and throughout the semester. One Life of E's member who participated in the class asked the following: My latest problem has been the following dilemma between doing something right away and postponing it. Is one [...]

Tags: efficient, flexibility, organized, planning, Productivity, tasks, time management