How did the Attention Compass come about? Why is it a thing now? Larry’s background through 2006 My career has been in IT management, so I understand something about tools, software, next generation technology. Throughout my career, I was always a productivity geek – Stephen Covey, David Allen, new tech, phone, etc During this time we […]

Think about attention management. About how we deal with our own ability to focus. That attention is primarily directed at the work we have to do. We need our full attention on our work, at least to the degree that our work is difficult and challenging. One of my clients asked me to organize from the

In this episode, I answer a question from my buddy and listener, Joel. He feels like he has “Squirrel Brain” and wonders how to get rid of it. So, I define “Squirrel Brain” and talk about tactics for Taming the Squirrel. I love your questions. Reach me at [email protected] or connect on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/larrytribble. I’ll try

This is one of a set of posts on common misconceptions about productivity and work. I call them Lies About Productivity. I’ll address some ‘lie’ and suggest a new mindset that is helpful toward being effective, not exhausted – Do Busy Right. The Lie: You should equate working hard to being productive. Or that work

The lie here is that outputs divided by inputs is the right way to measure our productivity. I believe that we’re thinking about productivity in the wrong ways. Particularly when it comes to knowledge workers, we use similar thoughts and equations for knowledge worker productivity that we use for factory productivity or efficiency. I want to

In this episode, I answer a question from a listener named Adrian. She’s got a great new job with a somewhat smaller company and feeling some symptoms of a less-structured position. So, I’ll be talking primarily to folks that are in the same position as Adrienne or folks who want to be in that position.

The lie: if you get busier, you have to work more hours There are options when more work suddenly hits your desk, overtime is just one of them. Sometimes, it’s the best response. But maybe not as often as we think. In this episode, I define the problem clearly and suggests strategies for clarifying priority and

What? I have four areas of work? Four areas of work knowledge. There’s two that everybody knows about. There’s the one Cal Newport talks about. And then there’s the one I talk about. That makes four areas in which you want to be as good as you can. This will put you in a position

I discuss the concept of ‘Monk Mode’ and whether it is useful for enhancing productivity, especially for knowledge workers.     Monk Mode: Increasing Productivity “Monk Mode” sets the stage for a period of intense focus on work by shutting down incoming communications and interruptions. Understanding and implementing Monk Mode could increase individual and organizational productivity. However, there

My task list just keeps getting longer and longer; what do I do? There are a couple of things. #1 If you’re constantly having to ask yourself “what do I need to do now or today”, you can count on your brain to come up with some things. Whether or not they’re the right things is pretty