Life of E's

What business are you in? Take out a sheet of paper and at the top of the page, write: "The parts of my "business" (and we're thinking about the 'business of your life') that I want to continue to invest in." You might write down someone's name, some activity in which you engage, some portion [...]

Tags: business, invest, planning, Productivity, strategies, stress management, tips, tools

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

Sometimes you are fortunate enough to have people who work for you and you are the only one who is delegating to them. More often, however, you are one of many who delegates to these people. When this is the case, different strategies must be employed for maximum productivity. Be sure you are delegating to [...]

Tags: assign, clarity, deadline, delegate, delegating, feedback, help, kind words, problem solver, Productivity, skill

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

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

Here are three questions to ask yourself about procrastinating: How much energy do you spend dealing with procrastination (yours and others')? Here is a quote that indicates one of the costs: Every duty which is bidden to wait returns with seven fresh duties at its back. ~Charles Kingsley Hmm…that doesn't sound too good, does it? [...]

Tags: cost, negative, procrastination, Productivity, self esteem, time management

The Time Management Tech Doesn't Matter (Much!) — it is the "infrastructure" that lies underneath the tech that matters!   Do you have your time/life/e-mail management infrastructure in place? Do you have all of the pieces you need to manage this important stuff properly? Do you even know what the right "infrastructure pieces" are?   [...]

Tags: components, contacts, infrastructure, organization, people, Productivity, store, strategies, technology, time management, tools