We live in a world of interruptions and distractions. These interruptions can make it tough to finish the projects that matter most to us. And the answer to this problem is – a tomato. I’m talking about a time-management method called the Pomodoro Technique. First taught in the early 1990s, the technique was developed by…
Category Archives: Focus
Four School Lessons to Unlearn Now
We’ve all been told that studying hard and doing well in school were necessary for our future success. But there are some things you learned in order to do well in school that you really need to unlearn in order to successfully start and run your own business. Here are four school rules that flunk…
Worth Repeating – September posts from New Leaf News
I’ve sorted through the New Leaf archives to choose a few posts from Septembers past. Here’s a sample of what was on our mind during recent years. When no work is getting done, you can’t seem to muster any enthusiasm, and yet you can’t relax either, it’s time to get serious about avoiding burnout. Here…
Time Myth: "busy people are more productive"
Ready for a tough assignment? The next time you feel overwhelmed because you have too much to do, slow down. This is not easy. It is a natural tendency to rush through our work when we feel short of time, but in the end it doesn’t help. That’s because busy-ness is not the same thing…
Time Myth: "I have to run faster to get everything done"
We all have certain beliefs and assumptions that we make about time. One common assumption I encounter: getting more done requires running faster. Some time management systems encourage us to work faster to save maybe 10 or 15 percent of our time. And while a saving of 10 percent is always welcome, there are much…
Time Blocking – three reasons to focus your week
Kim, who owns a growing health-care practice in San Francisco, wanted to get rid of the feeling of overwhelm that seemed to hang on no matter how hard she worked. The key to banishing overwhelm is focus. Kim and I began by considering everything that’s required to make her life and her business run during…
Quote: write your goal
A quote for the day: The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen. – Lee Iacocca
Productivity in 10 words or less
Really. You can sum up all the productivity advice in the world in just 10 words: One thing at a time. Most important first. Start now. All the rest is commentary. (I made the photo using the Candy Heart Generator at www.iheart.despair.com, a site I also enjoy for their very funny, satirical anti-motivational posters. Pay…
Need a Net Nanny? Rescue Time Provides the Loving Discipline.
How do you waste time at your computer? Are you an obsessive email-checker? Do you while away hours playing solitaire or backgammon? Are your achievements in Farmville and Mafia Wars huge compared to your achievements in the real world? Are you a connoisseur of funny pet videos on YouTube? With temptation never more than one…
Plan from your passion
Last week I received the audience feedback from a conference workshop I led in November. One respondent commented anonymously: “So inspiring, clean. Made a promise to myself as a result of this session.” This is what I live for! I was leading my popular session “Plan to Thrive – how to shape, track, and follow…