Life of E's

My guess is that nearly everyone reading this has an egg carton in the refrigerator (unless you are a full-on vegan). Even if you currently don't have any eggs in the fridge, you have: held an egg cracked an egg looked at an egg, and maybe even pondered eggs – and their shells. Today, I [...]

Tags: clutter, distractions, energy, focus, just whelmed, positive, Productivity, stress, success

Pearl S. Buck once said, "Once the "what" is decided, the "how" always follows. We must not make the "how" an excuse for not facing and accepting the "what."   I really like that quote. So often, we start worrying about HOW something will get done and get all tangled up in that and we [...]

Tags: choices, deciding, decisions, distractions, focus, outlook, Productivity, tips

Do you need to have someone come in to haul everything out of your house to reduce some of the stress? Is it necessarily to dedicate hours and hours for weeks and weeks to de-clutter? Nope. You can take care of some small items – and see what a difference it makes. For example, imagine [...]

Tags: clutter, distractions, energy, focus, just whelmed, Productivity, stress, tips

Have you ever thought (or experienced) the following scenario (or some semblance of it)?  The places we live and work are sometimes obstacles to our living and working. My office has tissue paper walls – I hear EVERYTHING that goes on around me. There is no privacy and no uninterrupted time. This is often due [...]

Tags: distractions, Productivity, work, work environment

The phone is a wonderful invention, and it’s supposed to be a tool. Too much time spent on the phone can easily divert you from tasks at hand. This is true at work and at home. To help you manage your time productively, implement one or more of the following: 1. Keep a phone log [...]

Tags: calls, distractions, energy, focus, Productivity, Professors, saving time, teachers, Teaching, telephones, time, tips

Do you think any dust has accumulated under piles of clutter?  Is it possible that there is dirt somewhere in the midst of piles of stuff that need to given away.  Would you find any cobwebs around those places that haven’t been sorted lately? Let’s just agree that the answer is ‘Yes.’ A simple way [...]

Tags: clutter, distractions, energy, Productivity, tips

Delegating is an essential part of being productive both at home and at work. There are certainly tasks that I am sure you have done where you asked yourself “did I earn a master’s degree to qualify me to stuff these envelopes?” Other times, you wonder, “Hmmm….why am I doing this when a machine can [...]

Tags: delegate, distractions, Productivity, time, tips, work

Your desk should be the place that simply works (and works simply) for you. It shouldn’t be a place of distraction or entertainment. If you don’t feel productive, schedule a Saturday or off-work day (give yourself a productivity furlough day) to give yourself a mini-makeover. If you spend money, save the receipts for tax time. [...]

Tags: clutter, distractions, focus, Productivity, tips, work, writing

In today’s world, people think that the height of productivity is responding instantly (or as close to instantly as possible). In fact, in many cases, this lessens your productivity. In business, we can’t afford to be less productive. Here are tips for downshifting your ability to be responsive so you can upshift your productivity. Email: Getting [...]

Tags: distractions, focus, overwhelm, productive, Productivity, tips

When you see that a magazine or a website has ‘before and after’ pictures, don’t you always want to check that out first?  We all love to see what someone looked like ‘before’ and what that person looks like ‘after.’  What about the sheer number of shows on TV that show what a house, room, [...]

Tags: clutter, distractions, Productivity, stress, tips