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

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

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

Without a planner…you are letting others spend your life instead of recognizing the wisdom of Carl Sandburg when he said, "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it's spent."   Of course, just "having" a planner isn't enough. You have to use [...]

Tags: calendar, managing time, monthly, notes, organizer, planner, productive, Resources, stress management, tips, to do list, tools, weekly, yearly

If you want to write a "top ten" list to help people be more productive, just do the following: Title your set of tips, e.g., "Top Ten Productivity Tips to Help You _________." Write an introduction. Your introduction can be one sentence or a full paragraph. It's just a little introductory piece that prepares everyone [...]

Tags: blog post, closing, how to, Productivity, resource box, tips, writing

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: calendar, organization, planning, time management, tips, tools

Do you need solitude or solidarity when you write?  You might answer one way today and a different way some other time.  There is not one right answer.  It depends on you and it depends on your writing project.  Here are a four tactics to help you get your writing done – in a timely [...]

Tags: group, projects, strategies, tactics, tips, writer, writing

A notebook is a great place to be organizing what you have.  Do you use a lot of notebooks?  Here are 6 tips I sent to a consulting client who used A LOT of notebooks: Go through at least 1 notebook everyday until you have gone through all of them. Get rid of anything that [...]

Tags: archive, binders, dividers, managing notebooks, notebooks, organizing, storage, strategies, tips