Mike Vardy's Blog, page 64

The Productivityist Podcast: The Mikes on Mics 5 Year Anniversary Show with Michael Schechter

It’s been 5 YEARS since my very first podcast recording with Michael Schechter. I thought it would be fitting to bring him back this week. We caught up on what has happened since we stopped recording podcasts together roughly 2 years ago.



This episode at its core is just the two of us being nostalgic. I even injected in some clips of our podcasts together.



Here’s what we did talk about on this episode:



We reminisced during a very “professional” segment we did on Mikes on Mics called What Are You Drinking? (3:15).


I caught  up with what he has been up to lately, and how his work on A Better Mess and in the productivity scene is being applied to what he is doing now (5:17).


We discussed what motivated us to get into productivity, the backstory of our podcast’s Episode 0 (20:36), and what the trajectory of his career and life has looked like since then (7:13).


He specified habits and things rooted from his productivity days that he still finds helpful to this day (10:49), some things he’s missed, and memories that stuck with us (16:13; 17:17; 21:31).


He also recalled the things that he doesn’t quite miss (12:11; 14:23), his tendency to be a bad friend, and my suggestion on how he can improve in this area (18:00).

Relevant Links



Workflowing/Mikes on Mics | Podcast Chart


Workflowing/Mikes on Mics



Thanks for listening. This was a fun one.

If you’re interested in supporting the podcast and receiving exclusive content while doing so, you’ll want to check out the patrons-only version of The Productivityist Podcast on Patreon. Also, remember to leave The Productivityist Podcast a rating and review on iTunes, or on whatever platform you’re listening to. I read every single bit of feedback we receive. I want to make this show better and with your help I can do just that.

The post The Productivityist Podcast: The Mikes on Mics 5 Year Anniversary Show with Michael Schechter appeared first on Productivityist.

The Productivityist Podcast: Alignment and Automation with Mridu Parikh

Joining me this week as my guest is Mridu Parikh, the woman behind Life is Organized. She is a productivity coach, business strategist, speaker and trainer. She made it her goal to help individuals get clear on their priorities through effective time management, efficient processes, systems and life-changing habits – to do more in less time.





A big fan of simplicity, we talked about introducing and learning productivity processes and systems, the methods she employs to make sure that these become habits, and how doing these alleviate stress and results in clarity and growth for individuals and teams.





Here are just a few of the things you’ll learn about in this episode:

How she reveres simplicity as the easiest way to introduce a process, and the importance of writing things down (2:19).


Working with other people, how to get them motivated to do a task or enforce a process into their life and be consistent about it. (6:20).


The concept of the learning curve, and how to speed up this often-tedious phase through research and by reaching out to people (8:37).


Her insights on alignment as a product of goals, action plans and prioritization, how to make these happen through the concept of ‘two-week sprints’ (11:41), and samples to explain how it works (13:40).


The importance of improving communication and technology, and intertwining the two to enhance processes for an individual and/or a team (16:14).


The tool that she’s been using which allows for transparency and easy collaboration, and the how and why she chose this specific tool (18:07; 20:01).


We also delved into a blog post she’s written that made her look at limitations and excuses from a different angle and reframe these into motivation to maximize potential (21:44).

Relevant Links




Home – Life Is Organized


Do This and Get Results – Life Is Organized


How to Avoid the Dreaded Learning Curve (Of Anything New!) – Life Is Organized


What Got Me From “Amateur” To “Pro” – Life Is Organized


How to Write the Perfect To-Do List – Life Is Organized


Why Thinking Like Legos Will Change Your Business – Life Is Organized


Mridu Parikh (@LifeIsOrganized) | Twitter


Productivity Freebie – The Productivityist – Life Is Organized


The Productivityist Podcast: Beyond the E-Myth with Michael E. Gerber


The Productivityist Podcast: A Closer Look at Automation with Wade Foster


Use Asana to track your team’s work & manage projects | Asana

Thanks for spending time with me this week. Enjoy the show!

If you’re interested in supporting the podcast and receiving exclusive content while doing so, you’ll want to check out the patrons-only version of The Productivityist Podcast on Patreon. Also, remember to leave The Productivityist Podcast a rating and review on iTunes, or on whatever platform you’re listening to. I read every single bit of feedback we receive. I want to make this show better and with your help, I can do just that.

The post The Productivityist Podcast: Alignment and Automation with Mridu Parikh appeared first on Productivityist.

How to Build an Input Management Plan

Have you ever used a power bar before?

You know, the ones that have 5–7 outlets on them so you can plug a bunch of devices into them?

I’m betting you have.

Now, have you ever had to look at one you’ve filled and had to figure out which device needs to be expelled because you’ve got a new one that needs its plug?

That’s how input management works. You only have so many slots to house inputs, so you should replace one input source with another instead of trying to stack them. Imagine doing that with power bars – stacking power bar into power bar in order to maximize the amount of inputs it can handle. This kind of behaviour will no doubt lead you to feel overwhelmed– possibly with fiery results. (And not the good kind of fiery, either).

You need to construct an input management plan in order to prevent being overwhelmed and to avoid a lack of comprehension and no chance of mastery occurring in your world.

If you don’t have time to create one yourself, you can model it after mine. Here’s my three-step Input Management Plan.

STEP ONE: Filter Everything

Whether that’s done through automation services like Zapier or manually by using colours, flags, etc., make sure you filter your inputs so you can better deal with them. That means planning where to put things before they arrive.

For example: if you have reference material that comes in via email, you can filter it within email or filter it by getting it out of email. Honestly, I prefer the latter and put most of my reference material in Evernote, as it keeps my email reserved for communication purposes only. But even if you don’t follow my lead on that, be sure to filter your email so that your inbox is the first staging area for messages, and not long term storage.

STEP TWO: Create Reminders

The key to extracting what inputs/information you filter is to create ways to go back to the material when you need it. A service like Stash allows me to create reminders to review things on the web I’ve saved for later consumption. Evernote has a reminders feature that can be used as well. Any worthwhile task management app has a reminders function as well. Use these to create reminders (or triggers) to review – and ultimately consume – the inputs where you’ve placed them.

Doing this will segment your searches into manageable chunks and allow you to deal with your inputs in a more reasonable and realistic way.

STEP THREE: Be Ruthless

Eventually you won’t need to have certain types of input coming your way. Sometimes it’s in the form of newsletters you receive that are either no longer valuable or ones that you don’t want to take the time to read any longer. Sometimes, it’s a podcast that you just don’t need in your life anymore. Sometimes you want to add more new inputs to your life, and that means you need to look at what you have to remove to make it manageable.

No matter what, you need to be ruthless with your input stream. Eliminate the unwanted or unneeded. Purge inputs completely through elimination or use a service like Unroll.me or Sanebox to get them out of your way and delivered in way you can absorb better.

Be ruthless with what doesn’t serve you so you can focus on what does serve you.

“In the Information Age, the first step to sanity is FILTERING. Filter the information: extract for knowledge. Filter first for substance. Filter second for significance. These filters protect against advertising. Filter third for reliability. This filter protects against politicians. Filter fourth for completeness. This filter protects against the media.”

— Marc Stiegler, David’s Sling

When you manage your inputs to streamline their consumption in a way that works for you, you’ll be able to absorb the material better. That means better results across the board. So take some time to implement the Input Management Plan I’ve shared with you above, and get started with it right away.

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6 Reasons Why You Fail to Reach Your Goals

Robert Morris is a freelance writer and personal development coach. He helps people reach success and achieve their personal and career goals. Currently, he writes for NinjaEssays writing service.

While some of us reach our goals, others struggle and fall short. Some people have huge goals like becoming millionaires or even owning a football team. Others want to live a peaceful life, spend more time with their families or spouses, and not stress too much.

No matter what the goal, it is important to remember that goals take you from point A to point B. But that’s only if you’re truly committed to them.

In this article we’ll take a look at the six most common reasons you’re not reaching your goals:

1. Failing to Create a Realistic Plan

If you fall into this category, don’t be discouraged. At some point in your life, you’ve likely heard that “nothing is impossible”. Some of us really believe this. While having higher standards can be beneficial for most people, some people may sabotage themselves. It’s possible to aim too high at the beginning. Some aim for $5 million by the end of the year despite earning $2k a month right now. 

Keep your goals realistic. Not too big, not too small. 

2. Constant Search of Motivation

Motivation is extremely subjective. It really differs from person to person. While for some individuals motivation is never an issue, others can struggle a lot in order to keep themselves motivated and focused on their goals.

In order to reach your goals, you don’t need to be motivated. You need to be driven. That means that your main goal should be the first and only thing you see when you wake up and when you go to sleep. 

3. Comparing Yourself to Others

In a world where being mainstream is no longer valued, differentiating yourself from the majority is your best chance to get noticed. Sometimes, you’ll feel attracted to compare yourself to other individuals or businesses.

It’s normal to be curious. Maybe you wonder about what other people do or how they compare to you. Are they more successful? You see…all these questions are not supposed to influence you.

In fact, they can stimulate a little bit of motivation. If outside influences are making you frustrated, then you should definitely ignore them.

Start looking after your own skin. Change your mindset, your actions, and stop comparing yourself to external sources. What you do is unique and matters; keep that in mind.

4. Listening to People

Listening to your closest friends and family is often a good idea. It is a productive way of sharing thoughts. However, others can influence your own decisions. The more you believe what other people say, the more you’ll implement it into your reality.

If you believe that you can do something; reach a specific goal, you might need to try ignoring the opinions of others and going for it.

5. Setting Too Many Targets and Goals

This is another common mistake. See, creating too many goals creates chaos in your life. A goal should take a lot of time and effort to be completed.

The more you focus on one or two goals (that’s the maximum I recommend), the more progress you’ll make. This will lead to more results.

Whenever you set goals, write them all down and mark them from one to ten according to their importance. Start with the first ones and move on to the next as you complete the previous ones.

6. Giving Up Too Early

Did you know that most successful people never gave up on their goals? For example, look at Thomas Edison. He invented the light bulb despite failing thousands of times. 

Sometimes we’re just one step closer to the success we desire. Never give up on your dreams and goals. Always try to stay positive while going through rough times.

Conclusion

Being able to reach a goal is really a big deal. What you’re basically doing is changing your current situation. To be more precise, you are improving your life by going from where you are now to where you want to be. 

In order to make this article even more helpful, here’s how you should approach a set of useful actions in order to get you started.

First, identify which one of the six problems applies to you. Maybe it’s another reason, something not mentioned here; maybe there is more than just one reason.

The second step is to write down all these reasons you’re delaying your goals. Once you are aware of them, it’s going to be much easier to create better habits and leave the unproductive actions behind. 

Ready To Take These Concepts Further?

On Wednesday, January 25th at 1pm ET/10am PT you can join Brett Kelly and Mike Vardy for a FREE Productivityist Webinar. The mission of this hour-long webinar is to help you plan your week for optimal productivity. Even though there will be a replay available, both Brett and Mike would love it if you joined them live. Click here to register today.

 

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The Productivityist Podcast: Fostering Your Inner Youpreneur with Chris Ducker

 



The guest on this episode of The Productivityist Podcast is my good friend Chris Ducker, whom I will be joining at the Tropical Think Tank event happening this coming March.

Chris is a Virtual CEO, as he manages a BPO Call Center company and a Virtual Assistance business. But it hadn’t always been this way for Chris, who has also gone through long days and nights working IN his business before realizing that it wasn’t the way to live a truly productive life. In this episode we’ll discuss his life and business principles, Youpreneur and his other businesses, and the upcoming Tropical Think Tank.

Here are some subjects we talked about:

Chris discussed the evolution and intentional changes in his businesses (2:34).
Why people prefer to work with people instead of businesses or big brands, and Chris’s insights on how to set up businesses around the P2P philosophy (6:32).
How Chris decided on making his name his own brand, and his mantra when it comes to marketing your brand (8:48).
We also discussed how productivity isn’t always about speed, an anecdote on what made him decide to slow down, start delegating and making an intention to flip the switch, get away from work and just have fun (11:43).
We talked about deleting certain tasks and projects that are no longer serving him, and why saying no to certain things, opportunities and engagements free him up to intentionally do things that he really wants to do (16:07).
Chris dives into how to be everywhere, the behind-the-scenes process to do this, and choosing which platforms – based on your brand and personality to create a regular presence in (19:02). He also provided update on the Youpreneur community and what it currently offers to its members (24:22).

Relevant Links




ChrisDucker.com – Helping Entrepreneurs Become More Productive & Profitable


Why You Need to Slow Down to Achieve More


Fun with Joel Comm by Joel Comm on iTunes


Why Focusing On ‘Being Everywhere’ is STILL Important, with Pat Flynn


Youpreneur.com – The Entrepreneurial Community Where Nobody Gets Left Behind


Chris Ducker (@ChrisDucker) | Twitter


Tropical Think Tank – Where Business IS Pleasure!

Thanks for listening!

If you’re interested in supporting the podcast and receiving exclusive content while doing so, you’ll want to check out the patrons-only version of The Productivityist Podcast on Patreon. Also, remember to leave The Productivityist Podcast a rating and review on iTunes, or on whatever platform you’re listening to. I read every single bit of feedback we receive. I want to make this show better and with your help I can do just that.

The post The Productivityist Podcast: Fostering Your Inner Youpreneur with Chris Ducker appeared first on Productivityist.

My Year In Preview: 2017 Edition

There is no doubt in my mind that reviewing the past year is a valuable exercise.

But what about previewing the year to come?

I think that’s an exercise that is just as valuable. Why? Because it offers you a map for the months ahead. You may not hit every place on the map as you navigate the year, but at least with a map you’ll have a better chance of getting to where you want to go.

Monthly Themes are the pillars of My Year in Preview. If you’re going to preview your year as well, I’d suggest you start with theming your months as a jumping off point.

Let me explain how Monthly Themes work.

They represent an overarching focus for the month. That doesn’t mean that other projects don’t get attention during those months, but there is one particular project or aspect of my life that does receive more attention than all others. That one particular thing is identified in the Monthly Theme.
I only theme 10 months of the year at the most. That way some of the “fundamental” work can be taken care of during off-months and I don’t overwhelm myself with lofty projects or goals every month of the year. I usually have one of those “unthemed” months in the summer (July or August) as my kids are out school then. In essence, they could be my Monthly Theme when that happens, but they are a constant focus of mine so they don’t get a Monthly Theme allocation. I suggest you leave at least two months unthemed as well.
Monthly Themes can be project-based, category-based, or even based on a particular quality you want to bring to the forefront. You’ll see with my Monthly Themes that 38% are project-based, 25% are category-based, 24% are based on a quality of life/work I want to focus on, and 13% aren’t themed at all. In years past I focused my Monthly Themes primarily on projects, but that has evolved over time. If you can get a blend like I have going on, then you tend to have a more harmonious year.

One of the reasons I worked with NeuYear was to build a calendar I could use for this process. You can click here to check it out for yourself.

(Want a less expensive version you can print at home? Click here.)

This year I decided to start a new monthly newsletter where I would dive deep into the details of my plans for every month. I call it the My Monthly Theme Series (MMT for short). If you’d like to receive it, simply click here to ensure you get the next edition in your inbox. I’ve placed the links to past newsletters in the appropriate months below.

(In addition, I’m going to be publishing a My Monthly Theme Report on the blog at the end of every month. It’s the perfect companion for the MMT series. Watch for those posts to go up on the last Tuesday or Thursday of every month.)

Below are the brief thoughts around my Monthly Themes from September 2016-August 2017. I will be offering more depth to these in the MMT series emails, so if you want to get the finer points of each month’s themes then sign up to receive the monthly email here.

My Monthly Themes for my year are as follows:

September: The Productivityist Playbook

The plan was to launch The Productivityist Playbook in early September, but I didn’t do it with much fanfare. The product was not quite ready and I’m still ironing out some of the kinks. The lesson learned here is to make sure that everything runs well before launching – and not to launch while on the road.

October: Talks/Workshops

I traveled quite a bit during this month, so I made preparation for the talks and workshops I was doing for my Monthly Theme. It worked out well, as I filmed my Skillshare class during this time frame, wound up delivering the class that had the most first-day enrollments of 2016, and amassed over 10,000 students in the first two weeks of the class being launched.

November: No Theme

My original theme was NOWvember, but after the amount of travel I did the previous month, I decided to kill the theme for November. I’m glad I did. This gave me the time to reassess the months ahead and “re-theme” accordingly based on My Three Words (which I’d not been living up to nearly as much as I should have at that point in time).

December: Simplify

I wrote about this in My Year in Review.

“I finally took a step back in December and got clarity. I took the time to solidify the reasoning behind My Three Words for the year and mapped out my Monthly Themes through August 2017.”

The way this month went shifted how I look at December from now on. (You’ll see that in how I themed next December.)

Read the MMT series email for December 2016.

January: Coaching

My focus for January is to better align my coaching. That means reconfiguring what I do with clients as well as prepare my current trained Productivityist Coaching Practitioners for an increase in clients. I also planned to launch the first group coaching intensive in January…and I did! (The next Productivityist Group Coaching intake is planned for May 2017. Interested? Contact me and I can discuss it with you more directly.)

Read the MMT series email for January 2017.

February: Talks

I’m speaking at two different events within a six-week span right after Groundhog Day (which is the midway point of my year) so the focus for February needs to be on honing and preparing for those talks. The other elements I’ll explore is working on my speaking page, cleaning up my media kit, and fine-tuning the talk abstracts I’m able and willing to deliver when booked to speak. In addition, I’ll lay the groundwork for future live workshops that I’d like to present when traveling from now on.

March: Relationships

I’ll be traveling for most of this month, spending time with my wife, and hanging out with fellow entrepreneurs at Chris Ducker’s Tropical Think Tank. It made the most sense for me to work on relationships during this month. The kind of tasks I’ll work on include emailing people I’ve not connected with in a while, spending intentional time on social media, and I may even study up on CRM software. I’ve never made Relationships a monthly theme before so it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

April and May: The Flagship Course

The Skillshare class I put together in late 2016 was pretty successful. According to data from Skillshare, it was the best productivity class that they released last year. I’m taking that as motivation to build something bigger in the months ahead. That means I’m going to be creating a larger course and I’m making its development my overarching focus in April and May.

Haven’t taken my Skillshare class yet? Click here to give it a go.

June: Audio/Video

I want to avoid recording episodes of The Productivityist Podcast while the kids are out of school, so the last month I have available to make that happen is June. Bonus episodes for Patreon supporters will be recorded semi-regularly over the summer, but the majority of the podcast episodes will be ready to go before the school year comes to a close.

I’m also going to focus on video content during this month as it’s an area I want to spend more time in. I’d say that most of my focus will be on video for this month if I can keep ahead with podcast episodes between now and the end of May. (I’m not recording many episodes during the month of March because of travel – but I may arrange interviews since that would align nicely with March’s monthly theme.)

July: No Theme

I could argue that the summer months are the time when my kids become my overarching focus. But that would be shortchanging them as they are an underlying focus every day of my life. Still, by going “themeless” in the month of July I can give my kids even more attention and not have any one thing occupy my attention beyond them.

August: Planning

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I start my year in September. So August is themed accordingly: Planning.

I will map out the year ahead and even spend time eliminating what’s no longer working for me. Content strategy is part of this process, as is growth planning and more. It’s actually a quiet month for me (productivity and the summer don’t go hand in hand for many people), so it’s the ideal month to plan what I’m going to do so I can hit the ground running when the kids get back to school.

The months following August are a bit more flexible since I don’t really start my year until September. The final four months at the end of the 2017 calendar year will actually be the first four months of my year.

For the benefit of those who do start their year in January, I’m going to touch on my themes for these months as well, but they aren’t set in stone since (as I mentioned earlier) I tend to map them out in August.

September and October: The Book

I had an idea last month about this and almost decided to pursue this theme in January. However, after talking to some trusted colleagues I stepped back from that idea.

But it’s an idea I want to make happen. So I’m giving it my overarching focus during the first two months of my year.

November: NOWvember Promotion

Last year, I wanted to make November a month of big promotion at Productivityist. I even own the domain NOWvember.net. I know that getting off to a great start when the calendar year begins requires finishing the current year strong. NOWvember’s aim is to help you do that.

In 2017 I’ll be bringing that vision to life. It’s getting my overarching focus so that it can be brought to life well.

December: Outreach

The holidays are a great time of year to connect with people. I decided to make outreach my focus in December so that I can foster existing relationships and forge new ones. I don’t quite know what that looks like yet, but having it locked down makes it real…and gives it importance.

As I mentioned earlier, this is my map for the months ahead. I may not hit every spot exactly as envisioned, but that’s okay. I’m going to get closer to them because I’ve put a plan in place to make it so.

Before I finish up here, I’m challenging you to preview your year.

Start by giving 9-10 of your months a theme and sketch out a rough plan within those months. You’ll be further ahead than you are now; and will wind up moving forward in the direction you want to go with more intention and attention.

And that has all the makings of a happy new year.

The post My Year In Preview: 2017 Edition appeared first on Productivityist.

The Limited Currency Called Focus

 

Ryan McRae is the creator of the blog, The ADHD NERD, a blog dedicated to helping people be more productive, successful and happy especially if they have ADHD. He is the author of Conquering the Calendar and Getting More Done and it’s available for a free download today.

You know the drill.

You want to start something new—a creative venture. Whether it’s a business, a side hustle, a new book or a new skill, you get revved up. Ideas are brewing and it keeps you up at night. You talk about it all the time to whoever has ears.

You fill up your coffee cup, sit down in your chair, and start working on the project.

A few minutes in, Facebook starts to tempt you. You want to get caught up on Twitter and watch the most trending SNL skit. You start researching books about your business, and maybe you order a couple of them. You need to take a break, and you fire up Netflix or the Xbox and a couple of hours go by.

Your progress is just slow, not steady…if you made any at all. The days turn into weeks and hardly any progress has been made.

“It just wasn’t a great idea. It didn’t take off. I’m just not sure it was going to be right for anyone.”

This is the eulogy for thousands of great businesses that couldn’t get off the ground because when it came to focus, getting it done—it just didn’t happen.

I think we make a huge mistake confusing focus and enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is being excited before a big event. We are excited about birthday parties, weddings, births and launches. But when it starts or even ends, our blustering enthusiasm wanes.

But how do we instead maintain focus when it comes to a new creative project? How do we keep going when the work becomes almost dreary because it has lost its “magic?”

The Primer of Focus

Focus is staying on task for a significant amount of time. Whether it’s watching a movie or writing a novel, we need to stay on task to finish. And we combat losing our focus all of the time. Most of us have a device that can immediately update us on the world or keep us entertained. (Heck, I’m struggling not to grab my smartphone as I type these words. . . .)

We live in a highly distracted, high input world.

Multitasking is a Great (Depriving) Skill to Have

This is the equivalent of those doctors in the 1950’s recommending cigarettes. In 10 years, we will look at multitasking as a joke. Cal Newport in Deep Work states that multitasking drains us of focus each time we switch tasks.

When a plane has to constantly change direction, it burns more fuel than it would if it maintained course. When we are constantly answering the many pings of our lives, we are constantly turning our attention on and off. It starts to wear us down and de-motivate us from the task at hand.

When you are evaluating a task or project, decide how complex it is, how much you will have to learn as you go through it, and determine a time you will work on it. I suggest a time period of at least one hour and make that time sacrosanct. If you have to relocate to a coffeehouse (or even some underground bunker) to focus, do it.

You will have more done in that one hour than you do in four hours of multitasking.

Anticipate and Manage the Hurdles

When you’re starting a new task or project, try and figure out what the hardest part of the task is going to be. Renegotiating a contract? Learning a certain piece of code? Whatever it is, prepare to be frustrated about that part. Prepare to struggle. Imagine it like a cliff wall or rapids. Gather the necessary resources to tackle that particular area. Whether it is a friend who can either do it for you or teach it to you, farm it out, or dedicate more time to conquer it.

When I was learning how to blog, I could manage the writing, but learning how to navigate WordPress was an arduous task. So I called a buddy of mine and said, “Look, I’ll trade you 3 hours of editing and/or writing for a one hour overview of WordPress. Plus coffee.”

He couldn’t get to the coffeehouse fast enough because he hated writing. I learned enough WordPress to get by and hit “publish”. This saved me countless hours to figure out what button did what.

The Gamification of Focus

I use a couple of apps that turn my focus into a game. I use Forest, an app for iOS where you grow a “tree” over time. If you leave the app, the tree woefully dies. If the tree lives, it is added to your garden. When I need some serious writing time or a task that I loathe (like planning my blog calendar) I simply cue up Forest and grow a garden.

I also award points on my to-do list to get me in motion. I try to score 100 points as soon as I can: easy tasks are 5, medium tasks are 10 and difficult tasks are 20. If I get a big win (getting an article published, etc.) that’s 50 points. I know it sounds pedantic, but my proof is in getting my work done and staying focused.

The Focused Environment

Have your surroundings promote focus instead of detract focus.

Music: It has to be the same album or song on repeat. Words I already know (Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits) or no words (Gladiator Soundtrack.) Your brain can’t parallel process, so it can’t take in new information.

Netflix: If I’m not in the mood for music, I’ll put on “SLOW TV” on Netflix and put on an episode where it shows a train just traveling around Europe for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours. It’s nice background noise and it sounds like you’re actually on the train.

Clutter: Clutter receives NO QUARTER on my desk when I’m working. I take 10 minutes and just put stuff away. I wipe off the desk.

Phone: Like above, I put it on “Do Not Disturb” and I turn off all notifications on my computer and basically my life. I haven’t disconnected the doorbell, but I’m considering options around that.

Your focus is a currency, just like the limited amount of cash in your wallet. If you waste it on meaningless things, you’ll eventually want to spend it on something you truly want, and you won’t have it to give.

Would you like to have more focus?

Join me for a FREE webinar with Mike Vardy on Tuesday, January 17 at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST. I’ll walk you through how I turned ADHD into a strength that has given me insane productivity. I’ll also show you how to do the same (if you don’t suffer from ADHD, this works for you too!). 

 

 

 

The post The Limited Currency Called Focus appeared first on Productivityist.

The Productivityist Podcast: The Sunday Basket with Lisa Woodruff

My guest on this episode is Lisa Woodruff, a professional organizer, productivity specialist and author of the book The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. She coaches people to organize their households and their lives through systems she designed specifically for whichever part of your life or house that needs help tidying up and organizing.

Lisa and I tackle one of the most popular systems she has created: The Sunday Basket. We also discuss her experience working with people as a professional organizer and how sometimes admitting that we need help is really all that’s needed to be more organized and productive.

Here are some of the things we talked about on this episode:

The three phases of life, and how her experience working with lots of clients made her efficient in identifying which phase they’re in and systems to put in place for their specific needs and hang-ups (01:44).
The concept of the Sunday Basket as an organization and productivity tool, not just for women, but for anyone who needs help dealing with mail, paper, tasks, and other projects (5:42).
How does The Sunday Basket system work in a dynamic household…and how does her family do it (8:09).
A story that led her to conceptualize The Sunday Basket – which involved an 18-inch paper pile and staying up till midnight (12:10).
The importance of realism and acknowledging when we need help to juggle work, home, and other facets of life as a step towards organization and productivity (15:20).
How she advocates going paperless, and how The Sunday Basket is designed to handle more than just paper (17:33).
The evolution of her business and the vision she has for it in the future (22:06).

Relevant Links



Welcome to Organize 365 | Organize 365 –
Resources For Getting Organized | Organize 365 –
The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time by Lisa Woodruff | Amazon
Productivity | Organize 365 –
Organization 101 – Organize 365 –
Start Here – Organize365 –
Lisa Woodruff (@organize365) | Twitter

 

Thanks for listening. Until next time remember to stop guessing…and start going!

If you’re interested in supporting the podcast and receiving exclusive content while doing so, you’ll want to check out the patrons-only version of The Productivityist Podcast on Patreon. Also, remember to leave The Productivityist Podcast a rating and review on iTunes, or on whatever platform you’re listening to. I read every single bit of feedback we receive. I want to make this show better and with your help I can do just that.

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How to Increase Your Productivity by 21% with Exercise

Today’s guest post is by Stephen Roe. Stephen writes at Thoughtful Growth, where he applies the scientific method to personal development. Want a six-step method guaranteed to make exercise a habit? Get Stephen’s free guide Habit-Forming Morning Routines.

You’ve tried all the apps. You’ve adjusted your workflow. You’ve tweaked your schedule. You’ve worked hard to be more productive, but you’re still not where you want to be.

What if I told you that research has proven there’s another strategy that will increase your productivity by 21%?

Would you try it?

Of course you would. And that strategy is exercise.

Does exercise have a direct impact on productivity?

We all know that a healthy lifestyle will help you in the long-term. But can exercise boost your productivity today?

Briston University conducted a study on 200 employees at three organizations. The employees evaluated themselves on a day with exercise and a day without. 

The results were incredible. On workout days, participants’ scores were 21% higher for concentration on work, 22% higher for finishing their work on time, 25% higher for working without unscheduled breaks, and an incredible 41% for feeling motivated to work.

Another survey of 683 workers found that fitness “significantly impact[s] employee work performance.” A study of six dental offices showed that 30 minutes of exercise increased self-rated productivity. 

It’s clear that exercise has immediate benefits. But what types of exercise are best?

The best type of exercise for productivity

We usually believe a vigorous workout will help motivate us, but research shows the opposite.

In reality, less active exercise provides the greatest productivity benefits. Research on fatigue shows that low-intensity exercise reduced symptoms of fatigue better than a high-intensity workout.

Another study showed attention, memory, and problem-solving plummeted after vigorous cycling. Those effects continued for 20 minutes, at which point the researchers stopped tracking. The group that cycling at a slower pace was unaffected. Low to moderate exertion seems to provide the most benefit to productivity.

If you love yoga, golf or dancing, start there. If you’re not sure which form of exercise to begin, try walking. Science shows walking provides many health benefits, you don’t need special equipment, and walking will fit into any spare block of time.

Speaking of which, when is the best time to exercise?

When to exercise for maximum productivity

Research on cycling and swimming has proven that your strength peaks in the evening. But mood and energy are what increases your productivity, not strength. The University of Glasgow has shown that exercise boosts these two areas at all times of the day.

Based on the information available, you’ll be most productive with a longer workout in the morning and brief exercise during the day to lift your mood.

But working out twice a day seems excessive, right?

The good news is that there is no need for grueling hours of physical training. 

The length of your workout: less is more

You already know the answer: you should exercise 30 minutes each day. Scientific studies and the U.S. Government support that number.

The problem is that many people give up if they can’t meet that goal.

So how little can you exercise in one session? The American College of Sports Medicine recommends exercise in increments of no less than 10 minutes at a time. So based on the research, one weekly 10-minute workout is better than nothing.

The foolproof method to fit exercise into your busy schedule

Habits can be tricky. But here’s the thing: it’s better to have a consistent 10-minute workout than a 60-minute routine you never do. The less time commitment, the more likely you will be to build a habit.

If any exercise seems impossible, the following strategies will help turn it into a routine that works.

1. Start small

It’s a great idea to rank the likelihood of completing your plan. Be completely honest with yourself. If it isn’t a 9 or a 10 of a possible 10, reduce the effort. It’s better to walk 30 seconds and have a habit you can increase a month later than to set a goal of 30 minutes and never reach it.

2. Have fun

Choose an exercise you like. If you dislike them all, create an incentive. Find an app that makes it a game, or reward yourself. Working out with a friend is also a fun way to stay healthy.

3. Overcome barriers

Don’t worry about equipment, nutrition, or tracking data. Each of those steps is fine, but extra work kills new habits fast. The fewer barriers standing in the way, the more progress you’ll make.

4. Schedule it

Mark exercise on your calendar, or build it into another habit. If you follow the same routine each morning (and you should), you can exercise every day as part of your routine. 

Exercise your way to better productivity

Exercise has a clear impact on your productivity. If you’re serious about finding the extra edge and accomplishing more, it’s time to stop pretending exercise is just for Olympic athletes.

Ten minutes today will improve your mood, increase your energy, and help you do more.

Why wait? 

 

 

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The Easy Way To Plan Out Your Year

This guest post is by Camilla Kragius. Camilla is the founder of No More Hamster Wheel. She loves to teach people how to work smarter instead of harder, to start living and to excel their life. You can connect with her on Facebook.

Have you ever wondered how you got so much done in school but now it feels like you never have enough time?

After graduation, we tend to start winging it. We go off schedule. Instead of having study times and important due dates on the calendar, we fill our calendar with appointments and meetings. Eventually, goals become verbal to-dos, not something that goes on the schedule.

It’s Time To Go Back To School

People often ask me how I get so much done. My answer is simple: planning. I sit down and plan out the larger projects I want to do and the goals I want to accomplish. I do this by planning with the end in mind. I ask myself, “What milestones do I need to hit along the way to get to where I want to be?”

By taking the time to work back from the end, I have a plan going forward. Let’s say you wanted to run a marathon on a specific day. How many miles do you need to run each week (starting today) in order to be ready on race day? Once you know that, lay the facts out on paper. All you need to do is to stick to it.

If you want to write a 250-page book by a certain date, how many pages do you need to write each week in order to make that deadline?

You get the picture. Planning with the end in mind helps you create a road map for going forward.

So How Do I Plan My Year?

The first step I take in planning out my year is to get a full-year wall calendar. I love the laminated ones from NeuYear. Having your entire year on one page is a great visual.

Second, I put in the cornerstones. For me, these are vacations, weekend trips, business travel and conferences.

Third, I write in the projects I am doing. I include deadlines, marketing campaigns, and personal goals.

Fourth, I add in time for education. I focus on a specific topic or theme each month. This could mean reading a book, going through a course or watching some tutorial videos. This educational content is always intentional. It is based on what I need to learn or improve in order to move my goals forward. A monthly theme allows you to be more focused and immersed as you learn. After you learn, you must implement. 

Using a full year calendar makes things clear. I can easily see how my goals and deadlines fit around vacations, marketing campaigns and business travel. It’s easier to adjust when you see all 12 months in front of you.

Balance is a myth; it’s about fitting work around life as much as possible, not life around work.

Next, I move the dates to a monthly calendar. I use a big desk version, but use whatever works for you. That allows me to make a general plan for each week during each month. This allows me to know what needs to be done in order to move the needle forward.

I use my monthly calendar to figure out my daily MIT (Most Important Tasks) sheet that I use in order to plan out my day.

Put Your Plan Into Action

To sum things up, plan out your entire year by breaking it down while keeping the end in mind. You likely already know what must be done each month, week, and day to meet your goals. If you don’t, figure that out and then plan accordingly. And don’t forget to block out time for everything on your calendar including fun, exercise, and your personal life.

All this planning may sound overwhelming, but once you spend some time with your calendar, you have a much greater chance of arriving at your preferred destination. You won’t find yourself wondering where the time went. When we get things down on paper, we can create a plan that works.

How do you plan ahead for the upcoming year?

 

 

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