Life of E's

There are days that I label "Pantihose Days" and then there are the days that I've finally found a new name for:  "Garanimals Days."     The difference is this (if you can't already picture it): Pantihose days are those days where I'm doing a workshop, teaching a seminar, presenting a keynote, or doing some high-level [...]

Tags: attire, garanimal, pajamas, pantihose, professional, relax, suit, teleseminars, work, work environment, workshops

What is the purpose of a coupon?   A coupon's purpose is to get people to buy something when they need a little extra push to make a purchase.   Why else would store owners offer coupons? Think about it…If every grocery store chain had more customers than it could possibly serve and there was [...]

Tags: coupons, encouragement, family, help, home, staying positive, support, work

As some smart person once said, "There is no such thing as a stupid question – only stupid mistakes." Learn to ask questions before you make a mistake and to help yourself stay productive. When you call someone on the phone or stop by someone's office, ask, "Good time, bad time?" This can become a [...]

Tags: consideration, courtesy, interruption, productive, Productivity, professional, questions to ask, telephone, time management, work

One of the primary reasons that leads people to feeling underwhelm (instead of 'just whelmed') is… "Work (or a life) that doesn't engage your talents, education, or passions." Some people experience the feeling of being underwhelmed for a day or even a week if it's filled with tasks, requests, and expectations that are menial or [...]

Tags: boredom, education, not engaging, not using talents, Productivity, strengths, talents, underwhelm, underwhelmed, work

What Do You Need to Protect Yourself From?   I know this question is not the best syntax…but it sounds better than the more formal (and more correct) "From what do you need to protect yourself?" Either way, let's think about this question…and determining an answer.   If you feel comfortable doing so, jot down [...]

Tags: just whelmed, negativity, overwhelmed, protect yourself, stress management, work

Recently I presented a webinar using the Paper Tiger Software to manage paper filing systems.  One of the Life of E’s members who attended asked:   Any suggestions about getting started? Because I have hundreds and hundreds of articles it is a bit overwhelming to get started.   Meggin’s answer:   In the webinar I [...]

Tags: clutter, filing paper, filing systems, managing files, managing paper, office, organization, overwhelm, Paper Tiger, productivity tools, work, workspace

Can you be damaged by working in a toxic academic environment? As you’re answering this question, know that by toxic, I don’t mean chemicals, asbestos, and the like. Toxic, as we will use it in this article, is defined as hostile, stress-filled, mean-spirited, cold, exclusionary places. If you have never been to a college or [...]

Tags: Productivity, work, work environment

Sane and sensible people strategically survey a situation before making their choices.  If you have any hope of creating a sane and sensible schedule, you need to survey the situation before putting your schedule together. Once you have surveyed the situation, then you can make choices based on what you see.  Let’s use a metaphor [...]

Tags: calendar, meetings, planner, scheduling, time management, work

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

Everyone in business talks about delegating and unfortunately, very few are good at it. You can immediately increase your effectiveness as a delegator by integrating these tips into your repertoire. Delegate selectively. First, you have to consider whether a particular task even needs to be done at all. If so, you then have to determine who [...]

Tags: delegate, Delegation, responsibility, work