Some members of the VitalSmarts team recently published thoughts on having good conversations about a return to work. You can read it here. I love the VitalSmarts folks. (If you follow them, you may already know that they’ve changed their brand to Crucial Learning.) In the piece, they do a great job of …
Returning to the Office: Crucial Productivity Conversations Read More »
Email is a problem, but I’m not the first one to tell you that. However, I can add some thinking that may help you recognize the basis for the problem. That can provide a basis for a solution. Email is still a relatively new communications mechanism. Sociologically, we are still learning how to use it. …
Many of my clients come to me because they struggle with email. Here is a typical conversation: Larry: How many emails do you have right now? Typical Client: Oh, maybe 50 or so. Larry: Wow, that’s a lot to keep track of. Experienced Larry: Is that total or unread? Typical Client: Oh, that’s unread. I …
Per Clay Shirky (ca. 2009, sorry, I’ve apparently been asleep) since the invention of the printing press, it has been the publisher’s job to decide what to print. This was decided by economic forces around the upfront cost of printing vs. the customer demand for a specific title (or a specific collection of of content). …
Dealing with Information Overload – Fixing Filter Failure Read More »
So what do dishes, making your bed, and the broken window theory all have in common with inbox zero? Let’s see. Around my house, I’ve noticed that, regardless of the status of the dishwasher, dishes will occasionally collect in the sink. Upon closer observation, I realized a possible cause. Sometimes my wife or I rush …
Inbox Zero Sets The Rest of Your Day Up for Success Read More »
I love using Evernote. In fact, it’s an integral part of my productivity system, Do Busy Right. Sometimes, though, I and others run into problems that throw a monkey wrench into the whole process that we need to sort out to make it as easy as possible to implement. Here is an example of one …
How to Stop Google Assistant From Hijacking Evernote Notes Read More »
Out of sight, out of mind. This phrase is usually applied to people or problems, but it can apply to our information and workflow, as well. If we use it properly, it can even be a good thing for productivity. What I mean is that if we could find a way to put potentially interrupting …
Out of Sight, Out of Mind Can Be Good for Productivity Read More »
We all do it. We put things off and struggle to learn how to avoid procrastination. It has been a long time since there were parts of my job that I really disliked doing. My most powerful tactic for removing tasks that I don’t want to do has always been delegation, and I’ve managed to …
According to Peter Drucker, improving knowledge worker productivity is the economic priority in the Western world for the 21st century. In his article “Knowledge-Worker Productivity: The Biggest Challenge,” he discusses how to address that challenge. He begins by recounting the rise of “Manual-Work Productivity” in the 20th century. From the first efforts by Fredrick Taylor through …
A recent article on Harvard Business Review reports on research performed by Holly Shakya and Nicholas Christakis and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The research produces evidence that Facebook use is negatively associated with overall well-being, particularly mental health. Meanwhile, real-world social networks that include face-to-face interaction are positively associated. The authors posit …
