The Pomodoro technique is a productivity approach that suggests you focus on a single project for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes. After four 25-minute segments, you take a longer 15-minute break. There are many advantages to this technique. You...
Yesterday, I wrote about the concepts of task batching (combining similar activities) and time blocking (putting time on your calendar for individual work). Both of these practices can be beneficial for anyone at work and at home. Thinking deeper about this, I...
Yesterday, we discussed the advantage of single tasking over multi-tasking enabling you to completely focus on the task at hand. Today, we’ll focus on two techniques – Task Batching and Time Blocking – that can make single tasking even more effective. Below is...
Ten to fifteen years ago, multi-tasking was a part of many conversations on how to be more productive. Making calls while driving. Answering emails while in a meeting. Dealing with text messages while working on a presentation. Watching TV while playing with...
With lives that are often overworked and overwhelmed, finding space to “Charge” throughout the day can become a challenge. So, we’ll wrap this week of personal energy posts with five easy ways to charge back up when you are finding yourself in a slump without...
This week, we’ve been focusing on our energy. The self-awareness of our natural tendencies can make us better able to understand situations that will drain us and strategies to recharge. Once we have this personal understanding, we can also begin to have conversations...
Continuing the momentum this week on the topic of personal energy, today I wanted to connect to a Gallup podcast where there was a discussion about getting in “flow” at work. The primary conversation was how to recognize which of your CliftonStrengths are...
Yesterday, the blog covered a foundational understanding of your energy each day. When it peaks and what you need to recharge. This post will take that knowledge and introduce activities that make up our days. By combining your understanding of your daily...
We focus a lot on maximizing our time and money. While both are important, I’ve also started thinking a lot more about maximizing energy. Knowing how your energy changes through the day can allow you to experiment with the types of activities you schedule to align...
We all procrastinate. In fact, Darius Foroux conducted a survey of 2200 of his newsletter readers and found that 88% of professional workers procrastinate at least one hour per day. You can read all his findings here. There are many reasons we give ourselves for...
The other day, I heard someone mention “OOPS Syndrome” in a conversation about calendars. I questioned what OOPS was and the response was “it’s Overly Optimistic Planning Syndrome”. This made me laugh out loud with familiarity – both something I see in myself as...
A lot has been written about time vs. money and which is more valuable. This has me thinking about time gaining interest. Is this possible? How might this happen? An interest rate on your financial investments is a fixed, annual percentage applied to your...
Today, I’m combining thinking from Gretchen Rubin and Laura Vanderkam with a bit of my own perspective sprinkled in. Several years ago, Gretchen started talking about alternatives to the “to do” list. She turned her concepts into a cute gift. You might want to...
The transition from one year to another is also a time where reoccurring meetings are set up for the year ahead. Often this is done without thought and just placing them in the same location as the year before. What would happen if we set this foundation...
Life is full of moments when we say, "when this happens, I will (fill in the blank)". We wait for many reasons: When I get my first job. When I retire. When work is a bit less busy. When the kids go to college. When I move out of my parents’ house. When I get...
Over the holiday, I read the book “Rest – Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. This seemed to be the perfect pairing to time away from work. The book highlights how work and rest are partners for those who lead creative lives....
Photo Credit: Lori Sullivan Photography Managing time has been studied and benchmarked and analyzed for years. We all find tricks and techniques to do mundane tasks faster with a goal of "finding time" in our day. I'm all behind methods for improving productivity and...
Photo Credit - Lori Sullivan In remembering the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg this week, I saw the quote in the image above in many of my social media feeds. The quote struck me in relation to personal development. I've been thinking a lot lately about how consistent...
Image courtesy of Lori Sullivan Photography I've been thinking a lot in the last several months about time and how we choose to spend it. As the pandemic hit, many of us realized we had extra time on our hands - no commutes, restaurants closed, limited shopping in...