Simple Tactics to Boost ROI from Your Investment of Time

Each day offers only 1,440 minutes. Unlike dollars invested in the stock market that we anticipate will give us back more dollars to reinvest, each minute can be spent no more than once. Are you getting the desired return on investing your limited time?

If you're experiencing hiccups, consider these time management tips to boost productivity:

1. Stay true to your priorities, intentionally aligning your actions with those areas of importance and better avoiding burnout. As priorities shift, it’s important to be flexible, shuffling how your time is invested to keep your actions focused on achieving your highest priority goals. It's important to regularly revisit this alignment, assessing how well you are staying focused on what matters most and investing your limited minutes in those priority actions.

2. Learn to say "no". What actions are being asked of you that don't actually need to be done? Are there tasks on your to-do list that could be delegated to someone else who can do them equally well if not even better so you open time for what only you can do? Alternatively, should you consider "not now" for something that can be delayed until a later deadline?

3. Utilize work-life integration for more overall success. Create harmony with goals for home, work, society and yourself by allowing them to complement one another rather than compete with each other. Focus on actions that can accomplish multiple goals at once, plan how you can invest your time with each of your most important priorities at the forefront of your emphasis and maintain pliability to easily address your priorities as they evolve over time.

4. Cut back on distractions with fewer pings and dings. When distracted, it can take us an average of 23 minutes to fully re-engage in the task at hand. Each time we receive a notification for a new email, social media update, text or voice mail, those are the distractions that steal our time. Stop bleeding minutes throughout the day! Turn off the notifications and schedule set times to check each platform. For folks requiring immediate responses, make them VIPs to utilize Do Not Disturb on iOS and Priority Mode on Android.

How do you make sure the limited number of minutes you have in each day is moving you forward in crafting the life you want to live? Make every minute matter!™️

Is Your Team Filled With March Mania?

Whether you are not a fan of basketball at all or you are wildly cheering for your favorite team, you're probably well aware of the fact that March mania is here, which means college basketball is heating up and folks are getting their office pools started. As conference champions are crowned and the madness of the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tourney nears, I see many parallels.

If you're asking what successful businesses have in common with winning basketball programs, here are a few of their similarities:

- Teams need strong leadership. For sports programs, that leader is the head coach, and Coach Mike Krzyzewski is a shining example of how strong leadership creates a winning environment. The leadership lessons from Coach K are limitless, like "Make people feel you, not just understand you", "Be responsive to the short-term goals, but never lose sight of your long-term mission", "Empower others to scale and sustain your impact", "Meet your people where they are" and "Your platform is a gift... Use it wisely"; however, there is no question that leadership is needed to succeed, and that same principle applies to any company's team.

- Team is defined as "Together, Everyone Achieves More". Each individual is human, which means our abilities are limited; however, if everyone is contributing to the same goal, the sum of those parts creates a much larger impact than any one can do individually. Larger goals can be achieved when everyone on the team is working together, associated in a joint action. For a college basketball program, that would be an NCAA Tournament championship; however, for your company, that success comes in achieving whatever "big, hairy, audacious" goal your team set for itself. Loftier goals are achieved only when working together, like the members of a crew rowing in sync and in the same direction.

- Teams succeed when members skillfully fulfill their roles. Throughout the history of basketball, the most successful teams pass the ball more on each possession than their opponents, trust their teammates to be in the right position at the right time, communicate clearly as to what is needed of each role player and have team members that dedicate themselves 100% to the specific roles asked of them. Whether asked to play point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward or center, each member of the team knows their role and how it meshes with the other roles to achieve the team's greatest goals. Winning teams pull together groups of stellar athletes to win against schools that have "the best player" but no one on the same page to fill the other roles.

Whether a basketball team or business entity, when each member does an assigned part and carries the associated workload, the combination of those roles is a winning team, where the synergy from working together creates bigger, better, stronger results.

Do you have a favorite sports team? How does that team exhibit principles of teamwork to make it more successful? How can your company implement the teamwork tactics of your favorite sports team to achieve greater success?

Utilize Failure to Get Better Results Next Time

Even the greatest of success stories have included failures throughout their journeys. Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling, Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs are examples featured in this infographic from Online MBA Today:

Source: OnlineMBAToday.com

As 90% of business startups fail, it is imperative to learn from our mistakes so we can pick ourselves back up and become successful. To learn more about these famous fails as well as how you can turn failure into success, please visit http://www.onlinembatoday.com/without-fail/. Here are a few key steps listed as important in turning failure into success:

1. Investigate what went wrong.

2. Learn from each failure experienced.

3. If you're accountable for the failure, accept responsibility and, then, move on rather than dwelling on it or beating yourself up.

What techniques do you utilize to turn your failures into successes? Which of those suggested by Online MBA Today will you implement for even greater results?

11 Ways to Limit Distractions and Do Your Best Work

Stop Feeling Held Back By Distractions

Do you feel as if workday distractions are depleting your productivity? Are you getting less and less done as you're pulled in more and more different directions? If so, you are not alone. As outlined in this article, "on average, most of us experience one interruption every 8 minutes or approximately 6-7 per hour... The average interruption takes approximately 5 minutes, (and) research has shown that, for every interruption, it takes an average of 25 minutes to fully regain your cognitive focus." Wow! That could mean 210 minutes or 3.5 hours of time wasted each workday, driving you further from meeting your goals.

With the negative impact of interruptions throughout the workday, it is important to take steps to eliminate distractions. Here are 11 suggestions of easy ways to get you started:

• Break projects into bite-sized actions. Then, you can feel empowered to complete each task in a single work session.

• Utilize a timer. Some folks use a timer to just get started, setting it for 15 minutes and capitalizing on that momentum to keep going towards completion of the task at hand. Other folks like using a timer to stay on track, setting it for different intervals during however long the task being done should take and making certain to still be working on it at the end of each interval. With either option, it's a powerful productivity tool.

• Wear noise-reducing headphones. Particularly when you focus on strategic thinking or creative production, wearing noise-reducing headphones can block out what's happening around you, even if not playing any sort of music at all.

• Turn off the pings and dings of tech-related notifications. Set your smartphone to silent and remove the vibrate that goes with silent mode. Stop the pop-ups telling you when you get a new comment on social media. Deactivate previews of newly received email messages. Instead, schedule times for handling calls, social media and emails. Then, for folks that do require an immediate response, like key account clients or your direct supervisor, make them VIPs so you can utilize Do Not Disturb on iOS and Priority Mode on Android.

• Be realistic about task management. While we all wish we were superheroes, we are humans that can only accomplish so much each day; unforeseen items are going to pop-up and need your attention. Therefore, schedule only 3-5 "must do" items each day, and make sure that each "what" which must be done is assigned a "when" for getting it done.

• Schedule "office hours" during your day. In these blocks of time, you can focus exclusively on assigned projects while blocking out distractions... Tell others you will be available before and after these times; then, during this timeframe, send calls to voice mail, don't check emails and hold off on answering knocks at your door. It is as if you are away in a meeting, but you can attend more intently to the work that must be done.

• Limit the impact of drivebys. If you have an extra chair in your office, make sure it has something resting in it to keep others from plopping down into it or position it somewhere more difficult to access. When someone comes into your office without an appointment, stand up and move towards your door, conveying to the visitor that it's not a convenient time. Keep an outbox near your office door so you can take those items down the hall as someone is coming to your office, always encouraging those that make unplanned visits to schedule an appointment. You want to help them, but it has to fit in your schedule such that it supports your workflows and productivity.

• Make sure your scheduled tasks fulfill your goals. Burnout comes from actions being out of alignment with your priorities and can certainly derail your productivity, limiting focus and making you more susceptible to distractions. I find it helpful to regularly audit how my actions align with my priorities.

• Work remotely when you most need to focus intently. While a library might help, research shows that a coffee shop can act as "white noise", enabling you to block out everything around you. New surroundings can boost your concentration.

• Reward yourself for successes. While we live in a "do, do, do" society, it is difficult to stay motivated to keeping achieving when we fail to celebrate each achievement. No matter how small or large is the carrot you dangle in front of yourself, having something to look forward to upon competing the task at hand makes it easier to stay focused.

• Practice mindfulness. For some, this means doing one thing at a time with complete focus. For others, this means being fully present in the moment, no matter whether in a meeting or working on the computer. Yet, for different folks, this means scheduling more intense tasks for when you have your peak energy, whether you are a morning person, a night owl or someone that uses caffeine for top focus in the mid-afternoon.

How do you keep yourself organized, focused and productive amidst all of the distractions? With what distractions do you struggle the most? Do you use any of these tactics already?

10 Easy Ways to Boost Your Productivity and Stay Sane with Work-Life Integration

 I disagree with the concept of “work-life balance”. When thinking about “balance”, it often conjures up the image of a scale, which forces a perception of tradeoffs or costs necessary for success. I do not believe my “work” competes with my “life”, regularly seeing how they complement each other. Although balance would be static, life is certainly not and requires fluid solutions.

Whether you call it “work-life integration”, “work-life harmony”, “work-life efficiency”, “work-life mash-up" or something else, it’s important to recognize how each element you choose to have in your life can add value to each of the other elements. Conflict and stress are certainly not inevitable; instead, harmony is possible.

As explained by Lifehacker in its “How to Master Work-Life Integration and Find Harmony in Your Schedule” article, “instead of thinking ‘what work can I easily integrate into my home life’, focus on the bigger picture: Integrate all areas of your life the best way you can."

Since 1984, Stew Friedman has been at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he is the Practice Professor of Management and founded the Wharton Leadership Program in 1991. Friedman has done a good deal of research related to the interactions between all the elements encompassed in life: work, home, community or society and the private realm of mind, body and spirit. I agree wholeheartedly with Friedman’s finding that “you don’t have to sacrifice, tradeoff or balance to have a sane, productive and meaningful work life and home life”. Amen!

There are a number of well-known examples for how “work-life integration” leads to greater success:

• Andre Agassi, tennis legend
• Craig Cincotta, VP of Brand Communications at Porch.com
• Barbara Corcoran, “Shark” investor
• Jennifer Dulski, President & COO of Change.org
• Julie Foudy, soccer champion
• Eric Greitens, Mission Continues founder 
• Robert Herjavec, “Shark” investor & CEO of Canada’s largest IT security provider
• Fay Johnson, Founder & CEO of deliberateLife
• Indra Nooyi, Chairperson & CEO of PepsiCo
• First Lady Michelle Obama
• Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO
• Max Schireson, former CEO of MongoDB
• rock icon Bruce Springsteen
• businesswoman & television personality Martha Stewart
• Tom Tierney, Bridgespan co-founder, and many, many more.

As Dulski explains in a post on LinkedIn, “I’m still a parent when I walk into work, and I still lead a company when I come home. If my daughter’s school calls with a question in the middle of a meeting, I’m going to take the call, and, if a viral petition breaks out in the middle of dinner, I’ll probably take that call, too… I have accepted that work and life are layers on top of each other, with rotating levels of emphasis, and I have benefited from celebrating that overlap, rather than trying to force it apart."

According to that same post by Dulski, in tech-speak, a “mashup” is a webpage or app created by combing data and / or functionality from multiple sources while, in music, a “mashup” is a piece of music combining two or more tracks into one. As Dulski explains, “one of the key concepts of a mashup is the resulting product provides value in a way that neither originally did on its own; each layer adds value to the other”, revealing why she calls handling all of life’s elements a “work-life mashup”.

Looking at your own life, are you wondering how to make this integration, harmony and efficiency possible? Here are a few action items to consider today:

1. Do great work. When you are good at your job, you can position doing something for yourself, your friends or your family during “normal” work hours as a complement, communicating clearly your “why” and showing how it empowers you to do even better work and better help the team.

Per Dulski’s post, “If colleagues and managers know they can trust you to deliver high-quality results - beyond what was asked - … they’ll be less concerned with when and where you get that work done."

2. Recognize which small changes are a good beginning. As Friedman explains, aim for “4-way wins, (where there’s) improved performance at work, at home, in the community and for yourself.” Greater productivity and satisfaction come with small changes that are under our control, and, yes, you have more control than you think.

Turnover, absenteeism and disgruntled workers are costly; therefore, when your harmony leads to the business achieving its goals, there are options. What are activities you can do to release stress in the midst of your workday? Would working from early morning to mid-afternoon and picking back up once the kids are in bed help you produce better work by letting you attend to your children’s needs for attention?

3. Offer your flexibility as a “temporary experiment”. When you frame how your solution benefits your team, explain how it will be evaluated and can be discarded if it just doesn’t work out as expected. Then, when you achieve enhanced productivity with greater outputs, everyone will support your tactics.

4. Be creative in ways to achieve multiple goals with individual actions. The Lifehacker article stated, “With a clear set of general priorities, you can plan tasks to fulfill more than one priority at once”. For example, walking your dog meets your goals to live a healthier life as well as take care of your pet simultaneously; however, if you brainstorm a big pitch for work at the same time, you can accomplish even more via this “work-life integration” tactic. Attending business conferences is another excellent example for addressing multiple elements at the same time: you're learning new information, networking with other professionals and visiting great locations.

5. Focus on outcomes over activities. Rather than doing things you think you are “supposed” to do, have specific goals mapped out for your week and incorporate actions that will drive those results. I use my Weekly Strategy Session and Daily Wrap-Ups to create a game plan and stay on track, fueling results with actual value. By focusing my actions on achieving my desired outcomes, I know whether I’m being successful.

6. Plan for all elements of your life in the same daily, weekly and monthly game plans. With a clear awareness of your priorities, you can include actions that address goals for all of those priorities, rather than segmenting your life, and you'll be able to focus on activities that will address your needs in multiple elements at the same time. Instead of compartmentalizing activities by individual elements in your life, schedule your priorities, and figure out how to bring your priorities together so multiple goals can be accomplished simultaneously.

7. Acknowledge how technology can help. In today’s technology-infused world, people seek a more blended, harmonious existence, but it’s important to honor your boundaries, using technology to stay connected when it boosts your desired results while disconnecting when that better meets your goals. Likewise, there are many ways technology can eliminate steps in a process to open time for other actions; can technology make you more efficient so you can better address all the elements in your life? How can technology empower you to get work done without needing to be at work so your hours can be more flexible? If a business owner, can you be more connected to the data you need?

8. Complete a regular audit of your harmony. Experiencing burnout is usually due to a misalignment between your goals or values and your daily actions. On a daily, weekly and monthly basis, make sure your actions are consistent with your values, including an accountability partner in your efforts if needed. For example, are you attending meetings you don’t really need to be in just so you can be seen there? Verify meetings you attend have a structured agenda, a need for input from all attending and set goals. Since our individual circumstances change at different stages in our lives, the percent of each day that needs to be devoted to each element of life will vary, meaning we must keep our focus fluid.

Corcoran has a strategy: When feeling exhausted, she makes two lists. One for “what I love” and one for “what I hate” about all that’s going on in her life. When she reflects on what she loves, she can dump the things she’s listed as what she hates.

9. Control what you can control. Above all, only you are the boss of you and can control the fate of your week. Life will throw you curve balls, but you choose how to react and with what attitude you face those challenges. How much or how little guilt you experience in any element really is in your control, just as you control your responses.

10. Encourage the right culture for “work-life integration” in your workplace. The growth of virtual workforces, where more people work remotely or with varying schedules, appears to be a result of the growing awareness related to how “work-life integration” boosts productivity. As Johnson explains, many people want "to live well while making a positive impact” and those businesses that respond appropriately will succeed greatest. Further, as Millennials (those born between 1982 and 1993) will make up roughly 75% of the global workforce by 2025, their desire to blur the lines between work and personal for a “healthy work-life blend” will continue to drive what businesses must provide, forcing more and more companies to focus on flexibility, outcomes and collaborative efforts. As entrepreneurs, we must celebrate how each of our employees and vendor partners brings value to our team in different ways. 

At the Wharton School, students focus on the three core principles of the Total Leadership Approach: be real, be whole and be innovative. As Friedman explains, “To be real is to act with authenticity by clarifying what’s important to you. To be whole is to act with integrity by recognizing how the different parts of your life affect one another. All this examination allows you to be innovative."

As you look at the relationship between all elements of your life, including work, home, community, mind, body and spirit, are you integrating layers into a mashup that drives harmony, satisfaction, enhanced productivity and greater outputs? If not, what small changes can you make now to be more real, be more whole and be more innovative for greater success in the future?

Prepare Your Business For When Natural Disasters Strike

As the Atlantic hurricane season is June 1st through November 30th, I find this an excellent time to revisit preparedness for your business, your home and you personally. There are many issues for which you need to be prepared, and hurricanes are just one of the options listed. According to the Insurance Service Office, the top causes of insured disaster-related losses from 1993 to 2012 are as follows:

1. Hurricanes / Tropical Storms - $158 billion in claims

2. Tornadoes - $141 billion in claims

3. Winter Storms - $28 billion in claims

4. Terrorism - $25 billion in claims

5. Geological Events - $18 billion in claims

When you take into account all possible natural disasters, each of us is in danger of something, no matter in which part of the world you live, work and play. Whether you face hurricanes, tornadoes, snow blizzards or thunderstorms with lightening, are you, your business and your loved ones prepared? Per Ready.gov, only 57% of people report they have readiness items set aside for use in disasters; likewise, just 34% of people have readiness supplies in their automobiles, and less than half of households have an Emergency Plan created.

In this first post of my preparedness series, let’s talk about the steps you can take now to be ready:

- Determine what types of disasters are possibilities for your area.

- Decide where you will go and who you will contact for check-in should you have to evacuate.

- Make a list of what essential equipment must be taken from the premises as evacuating.

- Learn and practice how to turn off water, gas and electricity at the main switches or valves.

- Locate your fire extinguisher and learn how to operate it.

- Find out where your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are located; mark on your calendar regularly replacing their batteries and learn which sounds indicate what.

- Establish from here employees can obtain important updates during an emergency situation, especially when and where to return to work if there is a satellite or back-up location.

- Decide how you will facilitate payroll in a disaster scenario.

- Keep your business’ policies and procedures in writing to be accessed from anywhere at any time.

If it is unsafe to go out, you might be stuck at work or your home; therefore, make sure you have the necessary supplies. Visit http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit for what should be included in a disaster supplies kit and, then, start accumulating it all, storing them somewhere easily accessible yet secure. For more about what you need, click here for a video description, and take actions to get ready now.

As different natural disasters impact different areas of the globe in different ways, take time to peruse the details at http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters, paying close attention to what you need in the various scenarios that potentially impact your area. With each, though, power outages are regularly a by-product of natural disasters; therefore, prepare for potential power outages with these steps:

- Fill up your gas tank. Without power, the pumps don’t work.

- Visit your bank's ATM for cash. Credit and debit cards won’t work during a power outage.

- Charge your mobile devices and try steps from http://bit.ly/VcvO6u to conserve battery consumption.

- Keep on hand extra batteries for your flashlights so you are always ready to see in the dark.

Another excellent resource is at http://www.preparemybusiness.org/planning, from which you can obtain checklists for recovery overview, critical business functions to consider, assessing your risks, creating your emergency communications plan, phone recovery, your disaster recovery kit, winter weather preparedness, earthquake preparedness, tornado preparedness, wildfire preparedness, flood preparedness, hurricane preparedness, crisis communications to consider and much more.

Above all, though, make a plan, prepare for possible communication gaps, have the supplies you need on hand, keep what you’ll need remotely stored in the cloud and update everything regularly.

What natural disasters are issues where you reside? How have you prepared for those potential issues? What steps can you take now to be fully prepared?

Evernote Can Boost Your Collaboration

Collaborate Better With Evernote

Although Evernote provides an excellent catchall for what I need to reference or am using to complete my current projects, its usefulness goes well beyond containing content in a manner that makes it easy to find. My experience repeatedly shows that Evernote's greatest value comes from how it supports and empowers collaboration. Yes, sharing notes can aid my workflows, but sharing Notebooks, using Work Chat and pulling Context from my LinkedIn network or Notes of others in my Business' accounts can really boost my abilities.

For example, when I'm chairing a non-profit committee or serving on a Board of Directors, Evernote enables sharing more than any online file repository. If we were to use Dropbox or Google Drive, we would be limited to Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and the like; however, by sharing a Notebook in Evernote, we can share those same types of documents PLUS any content included in any of that Notebook's notes, like typed text, articles clipped from the Internet, photos of handwritten notes, audio and video files created right in the app itself, checklists and much more.

Likewise, when I'm traveling with others, Evernote enables sharing all sorts of information related to our upcoming trip. This includes a packing list of who is bringing what, our reservations for flights, airport shuttle or rental car and hotel rooms, our expected itineraries, things we want to do while visiting this destination and contact information for places we will visit or folks we will be seeing. Avoid email madness by simply sharing a Notebook.

Whenever someone with a Premium or Business account shares a Notebook with others, they can choose what access the invitee would have for that content to be shared. If the access provided is "can edit" or "can edit and invite", voila... Collaboration is empowered! Publicity teams can share and continually update a list of press contacts. A creative services team can save design inspiration while going back and forth on production of new campaigns. Corporations can allow all employees to easily access the most up-to-date version of that company's employee handbook or any forms related to human resources, like requests for time off.

I like using Notebooks shared in Evernote for group meetings. Via that Notebook, I can seamlessly share with all attending any related information: documents to be reviewed beforehand, meeting agenda, summary notes or minutes, who is responsible for what follow-up to be completed by when and anything requested during the meeting to be shared with others. In addition, as long as I'm on the Premium or Business version, others can add requests to the agenda or make edits to the minutes without emailing back and forth with others or awaiting someone else doing it. Click here for a video of me discussing how I use this aspect of Evernote.

You can always change permissions or stop sharing, ensuring you aren't unnecessarily constrained by Evernote. Yet, when you can share what's needed for moving forward on the project at hand without clogging up someone's email inbox, there is definitely value. When folks can have at their fingertips what is needed for getting things done, there is value.

How do YOU use Evernote? In which of your uses have you found Evernote's greatest value?

Hold Your Team Accountable For Greater Success

According to Dictionary.com, accountability is the state of being liable, answerable or subject to the obligation of reporting, explaining or justifying something. Basically, accountability means having to answer for one's actions. In business, leaders who hold their employees accountable are telling their teams "behave knowing in advance you will have to explain yourself and that your actions will have consequences". If team members know that they will have to explain actions taken to the leader or other team members, typically, those employees will make better decisions, better carry their portions of the workload and be better team members, leading to greater success for the team overall.

As a leader, you have big, hairy, audacious goals for your team; however, it is much more difficult (if not impossible) to meet those goals when your team members are not on the same page, not working towards the same objectives and not carrying their respective shares of the workload. Instead of success, the results are more like a rowing team with members not rowing in tandem or in the same direction at the same time: you start spinning in circles, not moving at all or moving backwards. Sadness!

Ensure folks are on the same page, working towards the same objectives and carrying their respective shares of the workload by holding each member of your team accountable, both for the elements in their job descriptions as well as the core values to be exhibited by members of your team. To facilitate that accountability, you must do the following:

• determine when each team member will need to report back to you and explain his or her actions
• determine what consequences will occur when completed actions fulfill versus do not fulfill the leader's and team's necessary functions
• inform team members of what you have determined
• follow through on getting those explanations when deemed appropriate and carrying out the subsequent consequences, whether rewards or punishments

Beyond those initial steps, for a system of accountability to truly succeed, I've found that your employees must trust and believe there is a fair and accurate process for keeping track of their actions as well as tying their behavior to real consequences. I believe such a scenario can be created with regular checkins of the leader directly connecting with each team member, ongoing open communication and a concerted emphasis on feedback from employees leading to action on your part.

As you develop a culture of accountability and the habits of holding team members accountable, remember the following key points:

• Employees will assume their behavior is correct unless it is corrected... Set expectations clearly.
• Holding people accountable is only 90% communication and problem-solving; the other 10% is the discipline to keep at it and follow through. No, this aspect of discipline and follow through is certainly not easy; however, it is vital.
• You as the leader may never feel truly comfortable holding your team members accountable; there may always be a point of hesitation right before you hold someone accountable for their actions where a voice inside your head says "Maybe I should let this slide..." However, your responsibility as a leader is to forge ahead for the greater good of the team's success.

As leaders and managers, often, our main fear in holding people accountable is that our interaction with that person will turn emotional, whether angry, sad or something else. To move beyond that hesitation, understand that emotion can be a good thing as it will drive change to take place.

Take steps TODAY to start laying the groundwork for your team's greater success:

• Clearly spell out expectations in advance.
• Track employee performance every step of the way.
• Follow through with real consequences based on whether or not your employee's actual performance meets your conveyed expectations.
• Focus hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually on actions the team member can truly control.

Bottom line, just get started... Sometimes, simply asking team members to explain their actions each day is a great foundation on which to build and will develop habits needed for meeting higher goals. You need information in order to hold your team members accountable so start asking questions... What have you been working on today? What successes can we celebrate? What hurdles have you faced so we can overcome them? What do you see as our team's immediate needs, short-term goals and long-term vision? What role do you see yourself playing in our group's successes? How can I help you be a bigger part of the group's successes? With more information, movement can be made, but the key is to get started.

How do you utilize accountability now? Have you seen greater success by holding team members accountable? How can you implement greater accountability?

It's Not Too Late To Get Clear For The New Year

Each of us has only 1,440 minutes in each day, meaning 10,080 minutes in each week and just 525,600 minutes in each year to accomplish all we desire. Time is a limited resource so it is imperative that each of us manages our actions within the limited time we have to maximize it. Throughout the month of December, I shared with you a series of blog posts and related videos to assist you in making 2015 your best year thus far. The new year may have already kicked off; however, if you haven't already, you can still take action in organizing for your greatest success this year.

A. Verify your clarity in regards to priorities, goals and objectives.

1. Click here for the strategic-planning questions that must be answered to derive your current priorities; then, create a goal for each of the determined priorities that is supported by a SMART objective, meaning Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related.
2. Practice being strategic and proactive about which items you choose to give your limited time, utilizing the tactics shared here to say "no" when opportunities do not align with your priorities. Make time in your schedule for what brings you joy and matters most, realizing that every "yes" you offer means a "no" to something else; you'll want to be choosy with a "yes" reply.

B. Implement the following productivity tools to support your efforts in proactive scheduling:

1. Weekly Strategy Session = Evaluate which of the prior week's tasks were left undone and determine when each can be rescheduled; review the upcoming week's commitments to ensure you're prepared for each task or appointment; determine growth opportunities, and map out a plan for proactively addressing your top priorities.
2. Morning Jumpstart = Enter each day with 3 - 5 "must-do" items, and, then, start with the most difficult or vital task, maybe one that you've been avoiding which will bring great relief by accomplishing; take each element of any project step-by-step so it's manageable and feasible.
3. End-of-Day Wrap-Up = Prepare the next day's "must-do" list, accounting for what didn't get done during the current day; verify you're prepared for everything on the next day's agenda; get end-of-day updates from your team, tidy up your workspace and reflect on your day's greatest success, making note of that for which you're grateful.

C. Capitalize on the Power of One with one of each productivity tool listed below:

1. One calendar to include personal and professional, whether paper or electronic
2. One place for all your to-do items, pulling daily must-do items from a running list of tasks
3. One "data dump" so you search one place for everything that might need to be referenced
4. One address book / contact relationship management tool
5. One weekly strategy session as outlined above

D. Prepare your calendar solution for optimum success

1. Make sure your calendar is equipped with all the holidays, birthdays, important events and reminders you'll need throughout the new year, adding alerts as needed.
2. Get in a habit of documenting all activities; our brains are more for thinking than remembering.

E. Address any issues existing with your contacts solution

1. Make sure all your contacts are in one place, whether personal or professional connections.
2. Double-check that each contact record has the most up-to-date information, like phone number, email address, job title, place of employment and relevant notes; consider apps like EasilyDo, Humin, Sync.ME, Brewster, EverContact and FullContact to make that process easier.
3. Develop a system for continually inputting updated or additional information.
4. Click here to evaluate going from an address book to a Contact Relationship Manager.

F. Organize your morning routine to establish a proper foundation for a successful day ahead.

1. End each night by planning for the next day's morning.
2. Remove unnecessary actions from your morning routine.
3. Streamline your processes for getting ready, including the addition of a "drop zone" by door.
4. Make the most of every minute, giving consideration to how good health impacts productivity.

G. Clean out and organize your workspace so it is a powerful tool in your productivity toolbox.

1. Take time to edit the contents, whether paper, electronic or objects, and retain only what's accurate, applicable, useful or bringing you joy.
2. Address what emails you get daily, unsubscribing from what you no longer read and considering a bundle via Unroll.me for those you do read regularly.
3. Verify everything to remain is strategically assigned a "home" and that you have a solution for what's to arrive.

What steps have you taken or will you take now to make 2015 your best year thus far? What is your vision for the new year, and how will you proactively prepare for success in it making that happen?

Get Clear For The New Year Week #5: Clean Out And Organize Your Workspace

Now that we are just a few days away from 2015, by following the assignments in this series, you’ve laid an excellent foundation for success in the new year; however, in order to achieve your optimum success, it is important to establish a work environment that’s yet another tool in your productivity toolbox. If your paper and electronic files are unorganized and filled with unnecessary contents, they can be overwhelming and unhelpful. This week is an ideal time to “get clear for the new year” by proactively addressing your filing as well as where items are kept in your workspace.

First, take time to edit the contents of your workspace. When files are overstuffed with outdated information, it is difficult to locate what you need when you need it; therefore, it is vital to address your files before the new year, clearing out what no longer needs to be there.

• Will the documents be relevant to work in the coming year? If you’ve completed the related project or the file contains last year’s receipts, move the content into storage with your archived files, rather than keeping it with your active files.
• Do you need this piece of paper? What’s the worst that can happen if you throw it away?
• Is the info on file somewhere else or easily accessible online?

If any file's contents are no longer (1) accurate, (2) applicable, (3) useful or (4) bringing you joy, consider getting rid of those contents. Can the discarded papers be recycled or do they need to be shredded? Further, if you are keeping something that would be easy to find again online, is it something you will reference frequently enough to justify the space it is taking to retain? Consider keeping only items that would be difficult to relocate or recreate.

Likewise, as you are purging the accumulated excess from your paper and electronic files, evaluate whether you can resell or recycle any technology that is no longer being used. Those devices, cords and accessories are taking up valuable real estate in your workspace, which could be devoted to items actually being used instead. Still, if you do utilize all the technological tools in your space, are there any that can be consolidated so you retain functionality while lowering the number of devices maintained? Keep in mind efficient use of what space you have.

Then, address the onslaught of emails received daily. Unsubscribe from eNewsletters you are not reading, consider bundling subscriptions that you do read via The Swizzle or Unroll.me and create a system for diligently keeping up on reading.

Take time to verify everything in your workspace has a home as well as that each item is in its assigned home. When folks are looking to buy real estate, you often hear “location, location, location”, and I challenge you to consider your workspace in the same light as buying real estate where location really does matter. The space closest to where you will be working is considered the most valuable real estate location; therefore, that area should be filled with what items you use most frequently. Then, the placement of items moving out from there should be based on how often the item is needed, placing items used least frequently the farthest away.

• Make certain there is a 2014 tax folder to hold incoming documentation for the year ending; then, create a 2015 tax folder to be prepared for the upcoming new year’s tax records. 
• Get accounting records up to snuff by writing off uncollectable accounts receivable; while accounts receivable write-offs are tax deductions this year, they become a bonus if collected in the new year.
• Make sure your tech tools are housed near where they will be used, that all accessories are still easily accessible and that any upgrades needed are completed before the new year starts.
• Simplify your office supplies and plan space for what new supplies will be needed in the new year.

By focusing on editing out what is no longer needed and, then, strategically assigning homes to what you will be keeping, your workspace will be a useful tool in your productivity toolbox, driving your optimum success.

ASSIGNMENT: Visit here to see a video related to this blog post; then, this week, take time to edit the contents of your workspace, removing contents that are no longer accurate, applicable, useful or bringing you joy, and verify everything to remain has a home as well as that each item is in its assigned home. What needs to be added or removed in order to simplify your work for better achieving your desired results? Be strategic, aligning the set-up in your workspace with the goals you’ve set, making sure the workspace is another tool in your productivity toolbox.

Leave a comment below about your ongoing system for editing the contents of your workspace. What tends to build up most quickly? How will you maintain the productive workspace that you’ll be creating this week?

Get Clear For The New Year Week #2: Weekly Strategy Session, Morning Jumpstart and End-of-Day Wrap-up

Last week, we discussed determining and, then, focusing your actions on your personal and professional priorities, goals and objectives. To do this successfully, it is imperative to be proactive. 

If you wait until your week unfolds, you are often at the whim of others’ priorities; if you take time to plan your approach beforehand, checking your progress throughout, you are more likely to build a structure for focusing on what’s most important to you. Here are tools I recommend building into your regular habits for ensuring the greatest success in marrying your actions to your priorities:

I. Weekly Strategy Session: Whether you accomplish this at the end of your Friday, sometime over the weekend or first-thing on Monday morning, it is imperative to create a game plan for the upcoming week. Just like football teams wouldn’t go into a game with out a plan, you need a game for accomplishing all you intend for your week. In each weekly strategy session, focus on these items…

- Evaluate which of the prior week’s tasks were completed, determining what’s left undone and must be carried into the new week; then, reschedule each undone “what” to a new “when” so you have a clear timeline for winning.

- Clarify any changes to your priorities so those people and activities most important to you get scheduled accordingly; start your weekly game plan by allocating time for what’s most important before anything else.

- Review the upcoming week’s commitments to ensure you’ve prepared for the related tasks and appointments; as appropriate, include when you’ll sleep, when you’ll workout and what you’ll eat.

- Determine additional opportunities for personal and professional growth; what actions or connections will move you towards accomplishing more of your goals?

- Map out a game plan for the upcoming week’s activities, remembering that every “what” assigned a specific “when” is more likely to get done but that you have only so many minutes allocated to your week.

II. Morning Jumpstart: While we all believe we are superheroes who can accomplish a never-ending list of tasks and appointments, each of us is only one human-being; therefore, it is important to start the day on the right foot to accomplish all that is realistically possible. Jumpstart your morning in these ways...

- Enter each day of your life with 3 - 5 items that are “must do” for that day, whether those are appointments or tasks, as that is a realistic goal. If you complete more, that is a bonus.

- Follow the philosophy of “swallow the frog” such that you complete the most difficult and vital task or item you’ve been avoiding before moving to others.

- Keep in mind the saying that an elephant is eaten one bite at a time, and break projects into smaller, more manageable action items, starting each of these on your list with a specific verb.

III. End-of-Day Wrap-Up: I like to think of the last 15 minutes or so of each workday as my “check-up from the neck up”, and I always aim to accomplish the following activities…

- Review the day’s tasks, preparing the next day’s “must do” list based off what was left undone from today as well as what must be done for tomorrow.

- Evaluate your schedule for the next day and verify that you are prepared for everything coming up.

- Get end-of-day updates from each of your team members.

- Tidy up your workspace, filing newly arrived items while putting the day’s work back into each item’s assigned home.

- Reflect on your greatest success from that day, and make note of that for which you are grateful.

If you’re having trouble completing any one of these processes or think they are taking too long, you can use a timer to move things along… Here are a few benefits from using this productivity tool:

- Once you get rolling, you might not stop as activity breeds activity, ending procrastination.

- You can do anything for 15 minutes or so, better keeping yourself focused over a shorter duration.

- Shorter times allowed for specific activities lead to an extra burst of energy, driving greater output.

ASSIGNMENT: Visit http://youtu.be/Kt0UAyzyvpQ to see a video related to this blog post; then, this week, start developing the habits of a weekly strategy session, morning jumpstart and end-of-day wrap-up. Find an existing habit with which you can connect each of these new processes so you are more likely to get them all completed; then, set a timer to see how quickly you can accomplish each one. Reward yourself for successfully doing each of the three, celebrating every step towards developing them into habits.

Do you currently complete a weekly strategy session, morning jumpstart and / or end-of-day wrap-up? If you do, how have these boosted your productivity? If you don’t do them already, how can you incorporate these into your existing workflows to better boost your output?

6 Ways to Stay on Track Amidst the Holiday Hustle

As of today, we are just 10 days from the start of Hanukkah, 19 days from Christmas and 26 days from New Year’s Day, which can mean exceedingly long to-do lists over and above the normal, day-to-day workload: decorating, cooking and baking, shopping, wrapping, sending cards, television specials, parties, traveling, out-of-town visitors and much, much more… Whew! It can be extremely overwhelming, but there are steps you can take to help:

1. Be proactive and strategic about handling all your job requires. While team huddles can be good for some, all individuals can benefit from a weekly strategy session done alone for appropriately scheduling time for necessary tasks, meetings, professional growth and current priorities. By assigning a specific “when” for every “what”, more gets done and you have more wins. Then, keep that weekly game plan on track with a daily wrap-in in the last 15 minutes of each workday, where you complete a “check-up from the neck up” for tasks and appointments, get updates from each of your team members, tidy up your workspace, acknowledge the day's successes and show gratitude.

2. Take a look at your ongoing tasks and activities; see what can be deferred until after the holidays. During this time of year, we add so many activities to our already full calendars, but there are only so many hours in any day… Each time we say "yes" to something, we are saying "no" to something else; when each opportunity arises, make a conscious effort to consider, "If I say yes to this, to what am I saying no?" What can be set aside to make room for your priorities this season?

3. Make time for self-healing and keep self care a priority. Whether it is a massage, a coffee break with friends, reading the latest and greatest novel, a quick nap, time to reflect in nature, exercise or just a bit of silence in front of the fireplace, it is vital to fuel yourself in order to have any energy for giving to others.

4. Take vacation time off to handle holiday obligations. While you can’t add hours to the day, you can manage your actions for optimizing the time you have by taking some time off to finish shopping, cooking or decorating. This approach empowers you to be fully focused when you are at work, knowing you have adequate time set aside for those holiday commitments. Likewise, if you are the team lead, be aware of everyone’s desires for vacation time, and be careful to balance employee vacation requests with business needs; consider having a policy for no vacations on especially busy days or limiting the number of days off during the holidays, focusing on giving folks the time off they need to be fully engaged while at work at the same time as getting all work done.

5. Know when to ask for help. While successful collaboration, communication and scheduling can enhance your team’s ability to diffuse the company’s workload, utilizing all available bandwidth, don’t forget that there are plenty of options for outsourcing and delegating outside your organization. There are many resources, including Elance, Fiverr, Sweeps, Task Rabbit and Thumbtack, that are excellent solutions for helping with holiday overload. Utilize all available resources to optimize results.

6. Make lists for all that must be done, bought, wrapped, decorated, cleaned, etc. When faced with holiday-season projects, break each into bite-sized, action steps that can be more easily tackled; checking individual steps off will keep you motivated to continue. Then, whether paper or electronic, be sure to keep your list with you throughout the season, referencing it often.

What tactics do you utilize for maintaining productivity during the holidays? How do you incorporate seasonal commitments amidst your day-to-day routines? Have you noticed any hiccups thus far this year?

Top 10 Sources for Information on Productivity, Technology and Running Your Business

While my site + my blog are obviously excellent sources of information to use in boosting your productivity, staying up to date on technology, running your business for optimal profitability and aiding your peace of mind, I spend a good bit of time culling others' information into my Evernote database as well as re-sharing via social media content from other reputable sources which I find most helpful and valuable. 

To further assist you, here are some of my favorite such resources:

- Engadget --- As described at http://www.engadget.com/about/, “Engadget is the definitive guide to this connected life.” I utilize Engadget content to stay abreast of cutting edge technological tools, focusing on how these new or evolving gadgets can most greatly benefit my life or my clients’ lives. Engadget’s claim is that “Our primary focus is on breaking news — the latest in gadgets, technology and consumer electronics. However, we’re also interested in related developments in science, the cultural impact of technological progress, geeky things that make us laugh and, yes, even stories that are old news to some but are simply too cool or interesting for us to skip”. This is a great source for the latest and greatest regarding technology.

- Entrepreneur --- This magazine and website provide advice, insight and news for established as well as aspiring entrepreneurs about entrepreneurialism, small business management and related opportunities. Per http://www.entrepreneur.com/page/225367, Entrepreneur works to inspire, inform and celebrate entrepreneurs. This source offers practical advice on starting and growing a business.

- Fast Company --- Per http://www.fastcompany.com/about-us, Fast Company offers “a unique editorial focus on innovation in technology, ethical economics, leadership and design” and works to inspire "innovative and creative thought leaders who are actively inventing the future of business". Fast Company sets out “to chronicle how changing companies create and compete, to highlight new business practices and to showcase the teams and individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business.” This is a great source for content regarding technology, business and design.

- Huffington Post --- Founded and led by conservative-turned-liberal Arianna Huffington, this online news aggregator is a destination for content regarding world news, US politics, business, technology, entertainment, style, television, arts, books, recipes / food and comedy information. This site provides both reliable, breaking news as well as commentary and can catch you up on expansive breadth and depth of what is happening across a wide array of topics. Learn more about the community’s code of conduct and how to comment on conversations at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/p/frequently-asked-question.html.

- Inc Magazine --- For tips, advice, tools and services to help you start, run and grow your small business, the printed publication, website and social media feeds connected to the Inc brand are exceptional. As it describes itself, this is the only major publication designed exclusively to “guide CEOs and owners of small-to-midsize companies to success”. While plenty of useful information is available on its homepage, I like to visit http://www.inc.com/technology and http://www.inc.com/grow. This is a great source for information about starting up, growing your company, leading, innovations, technology and money. 

- Lifehacker --- With daily updates on its site and social media as well as annual lists to be downloaded, this source “curates tips, tricks and technology for living better in the digital age”. Lifehacker offers plenty of personal productivity and software recommendations to help you work smarter and save time. Always looking for additional content from worldwide experts, Lifehacker offers its pertinent details at http://lifehacker.com/5732066/about-lifehacker, and follow its applicable blogs for ways to get more done.

- Make Use Of --- Whether you sort the content by topics like Android, Gaming, Hardware, the Internet, iOS, Mac OS X and Windows or you reference its "top lists" of apps, software, tools and websites, there is a wealth of technology-focused information on the websites and social feeds of Make Use Of’s brand. At http://www.makeuseof.com/about/, you can learn more about this “leading destination for digital productivity tips and your guide to cool stuff on the Internet.” This source helps in using technology to boost work and play.

- Mashable --- As described at http://mashable.com/about/, “Mashable is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world.” Whether you are seeking better understanding on apps, being your most productive, gadgets, mobile devices, running a business, social media or software, Mashable offers helpful and insightful content. 

- Real Simple --- This company’s magazine, website and related products offer practical information and useful tidbits related to money, family, life strategies, technology, travel, etiquette, organizing, food and recipes, beauty, fashion, holidays, entertaining, weddings and health. I find their checklists particularly helpful, and you can subscribe to receive a daily quote that can be inspiring and amusing. Check out the Daily Finds at http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-and-more/inside-website/daily-finds for a sampling.

- Technology in Business --- This corporate brand is dedicated to promoting greater use of technology in businesses via asset management systems, technology systems, sales, marketing and business training. Per http://www.technology-in-business.net/about-us/, “technological advanced in the past few decades have greatly increased the competitive nature of business… (the site’s) aim is to continue this trend by providing… the latest information and best technologies available today.” This is a great source for information about using technology to increase productivity and to grow your business.

On a related note, I encourage you to check out Alltop as a solution for culling many of these resources together. It's an excellent tool to sort content by source, topic or how recently the information was posted.

What are your go-to blogs, social feeds, websites or publications? Do you have any go-to sources of information, particularly related to productivity, technology and running your business?

Evernote Announces New Ways to Boost Productivity

Evernote is a secure suite of apps that allow users to capture all sorts of content. Plus, all elements of the database are easy to sort, edit, search, share, present and fuel collaboration. Evernote’s ubiquity allows me to access the same information everywhere at the same time as it syncs all uploaded content “real time” between devices. Evernote’s mind-boggling search capabilities allow me to quickly access whatever content I’m seeking, and its sharing allows me to provide others access to various elements of my database as well as collaborate with committees, teams, clients, vendors and partners alike. Yet, what Evernote offers is getting better as I type.

CEO Phil Libin with EBCCs

On October 2-3, 2014, Evernote held its 4th annual conference in San Francisco, CA, entitled “From Inspiration to Achievement”, and CEO Phil Libin (wearing the black t-shirt and gray sports coat in the photo to the left with all of us Evernote Business Certified Consultants in attendance) demonstrated how Microsoft’s tools are outdated while Evernote is revitalizing the world of business tools, providing collaborative, productivity tools so everyone can complete “your life’s work” in this one workspace. As Libin explained, with the four key elements of work being write, collect, find and present, “we’ve gotten past typewriters, filing cabinets and desktops”. Now, Libin is positioning Evernote as each individual’s and each team’s workspace, in which folks will be able to more easily write, collect, find and present with the additions of the Scannable app, enhanced Presentation mode, Context and Work Chat as well as an amazingly advanced Web Client version that allows for incredibly enhanced focus as one is working in Evernote online. Here’s what’s out now or coming next month:

- The Scannable App is a companion to the Fujitsu ScanSnap Evernote Edition Desktop Scanner, which will allow for feeding data into various folks’ mobile devices and will greatly assist in “moving paper forward”.

- The enhanced Presentation mode is adding headers and footers in the layout editor, allows the presenter to make edits simultaneously as sharing the content, will make it easier to create a table of contents, automatically sets page breaks that can be changed by the presenter and makes meetings less terrible by boosting collaboration, enhancing information sharing and driving discussions.

- Context understands that people don’t write, collect, find or present in a vacuum so Evernote will use augmented intelligence to provide Premium and Business users what’s needed for being more productive, showing as needed other notes, people’s LinkedIn profiles and relevant new articles from CrunchBase, Factiva, Fast Company, Inc, LinkedIn, Pando, TechCrunch and the Wall Street Journal.

- Work Chat aims to refine the connection between working and communicating, allowing you to see who’s viewing the same note at the same time and empowering you to start a chat with team members, sharing notes within that particular chat; users will have real-time collaboration and rely less on email for doing today's work.

- The overhauled Web Client addresses what issues have always plagued accessing Evernote online, offering a simple, elegant and powerful platform to eliminate distractions while working; users will get formatting only as needed and includes beautiful search functionality.

With concurrent sessions focused on “Using Evernote to Reduce Overhead, Build a Smarter Team and Get More Done”, “Creating a More Productive Workday with Evernote”, “Effortless Teamwork: Using Evernote for Seamless Workflows”, “Merging Your Paper and Digital Worlds” and “Building the Success Habit with Evernote”, this conference was clearly focused on empowering Evernote users with a tool to be their new workspace, better enabling everyone worldwide to more easily complete their life’s work.

About which of the new offerings are you most excited? 

Further, how do YOU use Evernote now?

Eliminate Distractions to Organize for Greater Success

Do you find your thoughts drifting when you need to focus on important tasks? Do you get pulled in a hundred directions when you are time-crunched to finish a project? Are there constantly different people, places and things pulling your attention in various directions? It might be time to evaluate your tactics for eliminating distractions and come up with new solutions.

While there are many tactics for eliminating distractions that have withstood the test of time, here are a dozen strategies I have found to provide the greatest success:

- If you are working within a specific program on your computer, like Microsoft Word, QuickBooks, MailChimp or your Customer Relationship Manager, open that particular program up to full screen so you have less visible distractions from other programs.

- Turn off the pings and dings that notify you of new social media shares or incoming email messages, empowering you to be in control of when information is handled, not whoever is sending that information to you.

- Utilize Leechblock on Firefox, StayFocused on Chrome, SelfControl on Mac or Keep Me Out across various different Internet browsers, each designed to block you from specific websites for a specific amount of time or limit the amount of time you are allowed on specified sites each day.

- Create a specific game plan for your day, giving you a path to stay focused and on task. Likewise, while the specified times vary from person to person, schedule your most important tasks for the times in your day that you are at peak performance and have the most energy.

- Whether you use a pen and paper or an electronic tool, allow your brain to think, rather than remember, by getting those many different tidbits that must be remembered out of your head. 

 - Employ RescueTime to determine where you might be wasting time and, then, trim the fat.

- Schedule clearly defined “office hours” for when you’ll be available to distracting co-workers, team members and partners who need you; during other times that you have designated for focusing on important tasks at hand, consider wearing headphones as a deterrent to guests, explaining that “I’m working hard now” and encouraging them to come back later. Moreover, when times are exceptionally crazed, some consider putting caution tape across their office doorways as the ultimate deterrent for those hoping to stop by for a chat.

- Learn to say no to drop-in visitors; alternatively, when you can’t say “no” or “not right now”, utilize a timer to create boundaries for how long the conversation can last.

- Group “like with like” for activities, like processing emails, returning phone calls and checking for updates from your team members. With batching, you’ll power through these tasks like a champ!

- When scheduling appointments and meetings, be sure to keep efforts focused by setting an end time along with a start time, empowering you with a set limit for how long to proceed.

- Keep the tools you need most frequently and / or most urgently closest to where you work.

- Utilize breaks strategically. As a growing body of evidence shows, “taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves productivity and creativity… and that skipping breaks can lead to stress and exhaustion.” Ideally, you focus intently on work for 50 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break, and, then, repeat to get through your super productive day. If not so frequently, consider taking a break every 2 hours; go for a walk or eat a snack to focus better.

With what distractions do you struggle most? What tools and tactics have you found to be most successful in eliminating unnecessary distractions?