The last few weeks, process and systems have been on my mind. At work, departments often have processes so that the approach to the work is consistent. These processes should also make the work quicker over time because the process to do the task becomes familiar....
There are a lot of sayings about time and money. Time is money. Time is something money can’t buy. The list could go on. Yet, I think one of the biggest points when the comparisons are drawn between the two is that time is finite while money is infinite. You can...
Sometimes in work or life we find ourselves “down a rabbit hole”. What we mean when using this metaphor is that we started on one project or piece of research, got sidetracked with some additional information and then started to explore other connections and related...
A podcast the other day mentioned a James Clear quote from his book Atomic Habits. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fail to the level of your systems.” James Clear This got me thinking about all the systems we use each day to get our work done. ...
Sometimes our perception of time speeds up and other times it slows down. There has been a lot of research on why this happens. Our emotions, priorities, and age all factor into the equation. Here are a few examples of speeding and slowing time. When we...
In May, Seth Godin had a post on his blog that really struck me titled Chores. There was one statement toward the end that summed up the idea perfectly. “The truth is that if we stop doing chores, we have to do real work instead. The things that aren’t...
There are a lot of benefits to the routines that give our lives structure. They streamline our tasks. Let us navigate responsibilities with ease. Provide calm and stability to our days. Yet, they also lead us to live on autopilot. We go through the motions without...
When we think about our work, there are times for input and times for output. The input moments are the times when you are taking in information. This could be doing research for a project, attending meetings, coordinating with others, or reading a book or...
Our days are full of schedules and to do lists. We have them in both our work and personal life. Days are spent transitioning between the schedules and lists. When we do have a minute to take a breath, we often fill the time with a screen of some type. This was...
Time confetti is a concept coined by Brigid Schulte in her book Overwhelmed. The term is used to describe all the bits and scraps of time that pull us in lots of directions. As a result, we are rushing from one little thing to the next. When life is full...
Time is often associated with words that are used to describe money or financial situations. One example is the concept of time windfalls. Moments when you are time affluent and can spend time on things beyond your day-to-day responsibilities. Research in...
As we think about physical bins and containers for our homes, we look for that perfect size. We want everything to fit. However, if the bin is too large, we still find a way to fill it over time. This perspective can go beyond the physical things we own and apply to...
Word pairs are such a great way to learn more about how we approach the world. They can also help us realize how others may approach the same thing differently. The segmenter vs. integrator pair considers both time and space. SEGMENTOR: A segmentor wants to...
Advice often given by time management experts is to put space in your calendar for unexpected events. A project has gone off track. A team conflict to resolve. A quick turn client request. A sick child that needs to be picked up at school. The list could go on....
Today is National Simplicity Day. The day honors the life of Henry David Thoreau and advocates a life of simplicity. While Thoreau lived in a world without the distractions of today, this thought still rings true. “Our life is fritted away by detail…Simplify,...
Many take vacations during the time between the 4th of July and Labor Day weekend. Some take long trips with their family and friends. Some take Fridays off making every weekend a long weekend. Others take random days to go to a baseball game, zoo, water park, or...
Most focus on social media these days are the downsides. We mindlessly scroll losing hours of our day. We feel depressed comparing ourselves to others “perfect” social lives. We can become more isolated and shut off from the real world. The list can go on. What we...
The title of this post may cause many to stop reading. We are in a period of overwhelm. The word productive automatically generates thoughts of “do more”. However, the definition of productivity is to maximize output. This could involve solutions that shift inputs to...
When we think about our days at work, most have at least a couple meetings on the schedule. When we expand this view to our personal lives, we have appointments, sports events, and dinners with family and friends. Most of these have at least a start time scheduled....
Busy season coming up? Overwhelm on the horizon? Often, we can look at the calendar and know that we have an extremely busy week or month ahead. Going into these busy seasons with a plan can make all the difference. This plan is a little different than the...
We are taught at a very young age the fire safety technique of stop, drop, and roll. This process is the best method to attempt to put out fire on clothing. The process is simple and clear. You STOP. You DROP to the ground. You ROLL on the ground to put...