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Stop Wasting Time!

January 26, 2016 by Cathy Stucker

wasted-timeDo you want to make more effective use of each day? One of the most important time management skills to learn is how to identify your daily time wasters and deal with them effectively. Take a look at the following list of common time-wasters and see if you recognize yourself in any of them.

Online Distractions

The great thing about the Internet is that you can find anything you want online. The bad thing about the Internet is that you can find anything you want online and all of it can keep you from what you should be doing. Email, Facebook, YouTube, and online forums are the worst. Have you ever popped into Facebook “for a few minutes” and not come up for air until two hours later? Yeah, we all have. But it is not something you can afford to do often.

So how do you cut out the distractions? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Productivity and Time Management Tagged With: Getting Things Done, time

Get Results Without Getting Frazzled

January 12, 2016 by Cathy Stucker

frazzledDo you ever feel like you have been working like crazy, but when you get to the end of the day, you realize you haven’t really accomplished anything?

I know I have days when I start working on something then get interrupted and may not make it back to the original task at all that day. It is frustrating and unproductive.

Here is how to change that.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Productivity and Time Management Tagged With: Getting Things Done

How to Declutter Your Mind

May 4, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

There are thousands of books, courses and consultants who promise to help you organize your stuff and be more productive. However, organizing things is not enough. You need to get rid of the clutter in your mind as well.

Here are some tips to help you clear the gunk out of your mind, be more focused and get more done.

Write it down. The more things you try to remember, the harder it becomes to remember any of them. And you may always have the nagging feeling that you are forgetting something—even if you are not. Set up a system where you write down anything that needs to be done: appointments, errands, phone calls, projects, etc. It could be a paper notebook, a file on your computer, or text messages to yourself. Use whatever works best for you, but write it all down.

Have a routine. Routines allow you to get things done without spending a lot of time thinking about what to do or in what order. If you know that every morning you get up, work out, shower, have breakfast, then check your email, you will just do it without having to agonize over it. The same thing goes for your workday. Have a routine for the things you must do every day, then follow the routine.

Set priorities. Know what is most important in your life right now, and deal with that. The rest of it can wait.

Do not attempt to multitask. You may think you can, but you can’t. Your brain can do one thing at a time, and trying to shift from one thing to another ends up taking more time than if you just did one thing at a time. Focus on what is in front of you now, do it, then move on to the next thing.

Learn to say no. You can not do everything everyone wants you to do. There are only 24 hours in the day, and you need at least a few of them for things such as eating and sleeping. This does not mean that you should never help anyone, or that you should always say no, but that you should not take on more than you can do. Too often we say yes because we do not want to be seen as selfish or uncaring. It is not selfish to say no to requests when you are already overloaded. Just say no.

Do not worry about things you can not control. Take any action you can to avoid an undesirable outcome, or to minimize the effects, then put it out of your mind. It may rain on the day of your child’s birthday party. Make a Plan B in case that happens, then forget about it. You may not get that new client. Do your best proposal, follow up appropriately, then let things take their course. Losing sleep and making yourself crazy will not make anything come out better.

Put things in logical places. Keep your briefcase, keys and other items you often carry with you in one place, together. When there is something else you need to take (e.g., a package to drop off at the post office) put it with your keys. You won’t have to hunt for what you need and you won’t forget anything.

Take time to recharge. Just like your cell phone, you lose power when you do not recharge now and then. Make time during the day to meditate, listen to music, read, have a cup of tea or whatever relaxes you. A few minutes spent recharging can make you more effective all day.

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Making Changes Tagged With: Getting Things Done, how to declutter, Productivity

The Importance of Rituals

August 25, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

ritualsRituals play an important role in society. Rituals remind us of what is important and provide a sense of stability and continuity in our lives. You can also use rituals to work more effectively and stay focused on your goals.

I am not a morning person. I do not leap from my bed, ready to take on the day, with a spring in my step and a smile on my lips. It takes a little time for me to get into the swing of the day.

Once I get rolling, the day is mine, but I could easily lose a couple of hours every day if I didn’t have rituals in place. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Motivation and Inspiration Tagged With: efficiency, Getting Things Done, rituals, working smarter

What Are Your Goals for Today?

August 20, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

goal-plannerDo you set daily goals? I find that having goals each day helps me to stay focused and get more done. A few things I’ve learned about setting daily goals:

Don’t overwhelm yourself. If your to-do list for today is: (1) Clean out the garage, (2) Write a book, (3) Bring peace to the Middle East…well, you may be setting yourself up to fail. Your daily list should only contain tasks you have a reasonable chance of completing that day.

You can still have a master list of all of those things you want or need to do, but your list for a single day should only include what you plan to do that day. Listing 127 tasks and completing six of them does not lead to a feeling of accomplishment. Especially if you added eight tasks to your list that day. However, planning to accomplish six things, and doing so, feels good. Be realistic about what you can do in one day. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Things Done Tagged With: Getting Things Done, goals, my to do list, to do list

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