Tag Archive for: Productivity

Set Yourself Up For Success This Year

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During the end of a calendar year and at the beginning of a new one, I am frequently asked if I set goals and what does that look like? Well, it is not as simple as JUST setting goals for the year. For me, there is a lot more that goes into ending a year and beginning a new one. I believe it is about intentionality. I like to be deliberate in how I end and start a year. Why? Well, it gives me clarity and a vision forward…a path if you will.

So I thought it would be helpful to share the process I use for myself and my coaching clients. This way others can adopt it or at the very least use it as a guide to start their own practices. It really has worked well for me.  Over the last few years, I have set myself up for success with these steps.  In fact, each of my last 4 years has been better than the last and this has not happened by chance. When I look back I have been blown away by the goals I completed and how my life has changed in so many areas. To be honest, I didn’t complete every goal that I set each of these years (and that is okay).

Over the years I’ve tried different ways and I recognize that each individual is their own person and has their own way of doing things. So you’ll need to tweak this for yourself. Just use the following steps as a guide to help.

Each of the below steps is (or will be) its own blog post. Just click on the hyperlink and a new window will open.

#1 Reflect. We can’t look forward unless you take some time to look where you’ve come from. So take some time and reflect on the year that is ending. Think about what went well, what you want to change, and what you should get rid of. Click here to read about how to reflect on the year. 

#2 Know the present you. Where are you now? What is your life like in all areas? To get a good snapshot of where you are, take the time to complete my Wheel of Life assessment. Make sure you complete the accompanying worksheet since it will give you a more in-depth look of where you are and where you want to go. Click here to read more about the Wheel of Life assessment (3 minute read).

#3 Set the tone for the coming year. Select a word to help define what you want this year to look like or it could be a word to help keep you grounded and on track. Many have done this for years.

#4 Set your goals. I use the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goal method and I don’t set more than 5-7 goals at a time, otherwise, it could become unwieldy and overwhelming. If this is all new to you then I wouldn’t have more than 5 goals at any one time. And the goals you set should not be easy to achieve. They should push you outside your comfort zone and move your life forward in the direction you want it to go. Use the results from the Wheel of Life assessment to decide on what categories of your life you want to improve and also incorporate your word of the year. Click here to read more about all the details of SMARTER goals (4-minute read).

#5 Make the time. Now you need to set aside time to work on these goals because they won’t just accomplish themselves. Start with a calendar for the entire year and set milestones for each goal, then take that down to what needs to get done each month. What I also recommend is to set time each week just to move your goals forward. This will look different for each person but how much time do you think you need each week to work on your goals? Now find that time and put it on your calendar. What gets scheduled gets done.

#6 Review on a regular basis. I have found that a best practice is to schedule a quarterly review to go over your goals. I do this to make sure my goals still align with what I want. I also want to see where each goal is in the process. Here are a couple of the questions I ask myself: What are my obstacles? What can I do now to move the needle forward? In addition to the quarterly review, set a reoccurring calendar appointment for yourself to review your goals on a weekly basis. This will allow for you to determine what needs to get done each week and not forget about it.

Now, all of this might seem like a lot of work but I have found that it pays off in big dividends at the beginning and the end of each year. This process gives me the structure I need to set up my year for success.

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You can complete each step separately. It doesn’t all have to be done in one day – although it can be.

Trust the process and give it a try.

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Let me know what you think of this process and what questions you have.

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Multitasking Is Killing Your Productivity

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Multitasking was once touted as the productivity habit of champions. Answering phone calls while typing memos while scheduling meetings while Tweeting, “Liking” and posting may feel like you’re accomplishing many things all at once. You can do all your busy work along with the important tasks by balancing several devices and platforms at the same time. Multitasking seems like a natural evolution in response to the Information Age. Sure sounds like we’ve adapted to our busy lives.

Except that when you look at the actual results that multi-tasking produces, the picture starts to look pretty different.

In fact, there are studies that not only challenge the idea that multi-tasking is productive but suggest that it can be downright damaging not only to your productivity but to your neurons.

Read more

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Steal Some Of My Best Productivity Tips

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Are you looking for ways to be more productive? You’re not alone. Pretty much anyone who has a goal finds productivity to be a challenge. Finishing a project, starting a business, making more money, writing a novel, getting in shape, having more time for your family all require you to make constructive use of your waking hours.

Even writer Victor Hugo had to trick himself into writing his great novels Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by asking his butler to hide his clothes so he couldn’t leave the house and was forced to stay home and write.

While this may not be an option for most of us (since we don’t have butlers and all!), there are ways in which we can enhance our productivity without resorting to such extremes.

Here are my top five favorite productivity hacks: Read more

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Dramatically Increase Your Focus and Productivity With A Tomato Timer

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I am constantly asked by friends and those I work with for productivity tips and tricks. The Pomodoro Technique is one of my favorite and most successful tips. Why? Because it is all about FOCUS.

I use the Pomodoro Technique on a daily basis to write blog posts, complete work projects, limit my time on email, and move my PhD work forward.

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4 Tips To Increase Productivity While Decreasing Your Email

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Email provides all of us with many conveniences but it can also increase our burdens. The amount of emails we all receive can be daunting to say the least. The good news is there are several tips you can implement that will reduce your incoming email and also give you some time back to increase your productivity in other areas.

Technology provides all sorts of individuals, professionals as well as homebodies, ease of convenience. Almost everyone has a computer and uses email communication regularly.

Many people avoid telephones as much as possible unless they are texting or on social media. Practically no one today hand writes letters to friends, family, or colleagues. Email is a way of life and one of the most used methods to communicate with others.

While email provides quick communication it can also be burdensome with just the sheer volume of emails you receive on a  daily or hourly basis. There are 4 tips to employ that will reduce your incoming email and allow vital time to be productive for more pressing matters.

1. Review your current list of senders and communication.  Read more

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Close Your Eyes and Visualize

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[guestpost]This is a guest post by Amy Collinsworth who works at Boston University as the Student Outreach Manager for the Center for Career Development and the Educational Resource Center. She holds a bachelor of arts in marketing from Rockford University and a master of science in college student personnel from the University of Tennessee. Amy’s professional background includes working in MBA career management and undergraduate student leadership development. You can connect with her at @AmyCollinsworth[/guestpost]

“Today we will drive to the parking lot at your school, and by using the tool we learned about in the Tony Robbins recording*, you will make the basketball into the basket on your first shot!” dad said. I was not sure what to expect as we drove to the parking lot at Thompson Elementary that breezy spring afternoon, but I was certain my petite 4-foot-tall frame and poor hand-eye coordination would be my down-fall in making the basket. I got out of the car and walked to the hoop, carefully positioning myself a few feet in front of the hoop on the center of the faded white spray painted line.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Closed Eyes

Photo Credit: .. kai via Compfight cc

Read more

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3 Must Do’s: Stop Using a Traditional and Daunting To-Do List

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How many of us when feeling stressed and overwhelmed think if I create a to-do list and get everything I need to do on paper I will feel less stressed. Well, there is some truth to this. By putting everything that needs to get done on paper gets it out of your mind. But when you then go and look at your long to-do list you feel overwhelmed at the sheer magnitude of the list. It’s time to stop using a traditional to-do list. [Tweet This]

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Photo Credit: Mattox via Stock.XCHNG cc

Call long to-do lists what they really are – long term things you might get done, some day. [Tweet This] Don’t create a long to-do list to accomplish every day. It can be so daunting. [Tweet This] Instead create your 3 Must Do’s for each day. Read more

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