Productivity is not something we should just be thinking about in terms of our current state.  Are you setting yourself up for the days ahead to be brimming with productivity?  I’m in the process of moving my home and business interstate.  I am also buying and selling real estate and dealing with all the palaver that involves lawyers, bankers and everyone else that wants a piece of you around that.  When we first found out about our dual settlement and moving dates (months ago), I blocked out my diary for the week before and the week after.  I have subsequently had ma ..read more

There’s just something about that productive feeling of ticking off a task on a to do list, isn’t there?  If you are like me, the satisfaction of seeing the ticks on a page (or highlighted lines) just gets those dopamine levels rising.  Do you sometimes get to the end of your list, and then write additional things that you did, and then tick them off?  Yeah.  Me too. And there’s no surprise as to why that feels so good and why it’s so motivating.  Dr Jason Fox in his book The Game Changer wrote about the power of making progress visible.  Seeing those last few un ..read more

Before being into productivity, I lead, managed and trained people in change.  This is where I learned that it’s important to put a lot of ground work in the early stages so that you can reap the rewards (and react faster) later.  Things like solid sponsor and stakeholder engagement, surfacing resistance and communicating to those impacted by the change. I reckon it also applies to how we run our “business as usual” work days. Time management guru, Brian Tracey says that, “Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution;  this gives you a 1,000 percent ret ..read more

Being productive is not a function of busy.  It could, in fact, be that busy is the new lazy! I caught up with a client (and friend) recently, and I remarked that it had been a long time since we spoke.  She replied, “I’ve been super busy”.  Then she paused and said, “Actually, that’s not true.  Busy is the new lazy and I hate referring to my time as busy.  Actually, I have just not been able to prioritise giving you a call.” I thought that was not just a smart reframe on her behalf but a brave one.  Telling someone they are not a priority is a tough thing to say ..read more

Productivity advice from Homer Simpson.  Really? I’ve been a fan of The Simpsons since it first hit screens in Australia in the late 80’s. I’ve always admired the cleverness of operating at two levels, keeping the kiddies and grown ups entertained. I listened to a podcast recently that made reference to an episode where, when asked to do something a bit challenging now as an investment in his future relationship with is son, Bart, Homer replied, “That’s a problem for future Homer.  Man, I don’t envy that guy.” You know I bang on all the time about doing things that your fut ..read more

My top 5 Productivity Books (that I didn’t write)   I’m always on the lookout for the latest thinking and writing on time management strategies that help us work smarter and be productive. Much of what I read (and write) comes back to some simple principles that have been talked about since . . . well . . . ancient times! Beware the barrenness of a busy life – Socrates. Better a little which is done well, than a great deal imperfectly – Plato. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work – Aristotle. If you seek tranquility, do less.  Or (more accurately) do what’s essential.  ..read more

Some things we did during lockdown are worth continuing In 2020 Kim, like many workers around the world, found herself either in lockdown or being encouraged to work from home as authorities tried to get a handle on the pandemic. Based in Victoria, she experienced one of Australia’s (and the world’s) toughest and longest lockdowns and it affected not just her but her family. Prior to the pandemic, she would take her three-year-old son to day care.  Mornings were chaotic for everyone.  A far from relaxed breakfast, often eaten on the run, was followed by a half crazed drive for the dr ..read more

Despite writing the book The First 2 Hours, I reckon it’s the fourth two hours that can have the biggest impact on ability to work smarter and be productive. In those last couple of hours in the day we have the advantage of an energetic second wind following the after lunch slump. We can leverage the scarcity + clarity = urgency equation, by committing to a knock off time (say 5.30pm), and giving ourselves a just a few tasks we want to finish up. And for me, the best use of this time, is for setting up the next day for success. Here are 5 things you can do in the afternoon ..read more

Despite all the modern time management strategies and tools to help us work smarter, people constantly tell me they are tired, exhausted and overwhelmed.  They can’t keep up with the pressures of modern-day living. It’s like we are always “on” and have no idea how to hit the off switch – we don’t even know there is one! In Australia we work 3.2 billion hours a year in unpaid overtime, we have 134 million days of accrued annual leave and 3.8 million of us don’t take lunch breaks.  And 7.4 million Australians don’t get enough sleep. We seem to have become “rest resistant”. We are addi ..read more

Pottering around is underestimated, in my opinion and can have a very positive impact on your ability to be productive and work smarter. I don’t mean in the garden (although go ahead and do so if that floats your boat).  I mean the sort of thing we used to wait until between Xmas and New Year to do. When we would play catch ups on some of the more routine tasks that whilst somewhat mundane still need to get done.  Days when we didn’t have any set commitments and we could decide in the moment what we were doing based on what we felt like doing.  I love days like this.   ..read more