ARoundTuit Organizing & Productivity

It’s in the most critical situations when the Elements of Productivity are the most apparent.   Mood, wellness and motivation are the first to jump ship.  Worse, negativity we let in during these hard times spreads to other projects and people, sucking in everything in its path.  And its all downhill from there.

When you can no longer control what happens, you can still control how you react to it.  In the very worst of situations, your attitude may well be the only thing you … Continue Reading

What’s Your Worst Workplace Distraction?
(polls)

According to a 2005 study published by the University of London Institute of Psychiatry, “ Workers distracted by email and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers”.

The most benign interruptions have a similar effect on productivity as arriving at a 4-way-stop intersection. It is just not possible to make frequent stops and maintain speed at the same time.  So, even if you don’t get lost, you’re still not making very good time.

Frequently, repeat interruptions create a sort of panic effect, causing a … Continue Reading

I’ve been inspired by a long-term relationship into which I have fallen head-first – with an unmerciful winter cold.  Since the start of the month, there has hardly been a night where I haven’t felt like I’m not suffocating from congestion or that I could not actually cough up my toes.  I’ve tried medication, soup, tea, vaporizers and “rest” (but who can rest like this?).  I’m just plain weary.  You get the point – I know you’ve been there yourself.

All this is not enough to cancel everything and stay in bed, yet … Continue Reading

I was recently asked to contribute to Stephanie Callahan’s amazing Productive and Organized blog topic “106 Thoughts on Overcoming Overwhelm in a Freaked Out World”"

Many people occasionally experience overwhelm from changes that occur throughout our lives.  However, feeling chronically overwhelmed over personal or professional issues can cause productivity to take a nose-dive.  This is because one major side-effect of being overwhelmed is that we become unable to keep our commitments to ourselves and others. Knowing how to step out of the storm, and put things in perspective is so essential to regaining ground.

Many warm thanks to Stephanie Callahan of … Continue Reading

Here’s a great Happiness at Work clip brought to you by REI. Watch and learn!

True happiness is created from the inside-out, in the form of attitude.  Here are some simple actions you can take to increase your workplace happiness quotient by taking charge of how you feel:

1. Start the day smiling

I remember taking the bus to work, years ago in Boston.  A typical dark and wet winter morning, I rode to work standing in the aisle.  A … Continue Reading

What comes to mind when you hear “productivity”?

My best information comes from my clients, and people I speak to casually about my work.  The words “multitasking”, “information overload”,  ”time management”, and “clutter” are all parts of a recurring theme.  Too much coming in, need to increase what goes out.  This, is true.  However, the elements of productivity work together in a way you may not have imagined.

What does all this have to do with cellular biology?

Productivity is like a cell, with complex inter-dependent workings inside.  Both are influenced by a broad … Continue Reading

This Rhymes with Orange comic was published in last Sunday’s paper, and has since spread like wildfire through Professional Organizer list serves and emails. If you can relate to this, we need to talk.

On a more *professional* note, there are two things I want to point out in this comic, which demonstrate the artist’s keen understanding of office (dis)organization.

1. It makes perfect sense that there would be stuff all over the place, since there’s nowhere to put any of it away.

… Continue Reading

As I was skimming the web for inspiration this morning, I was reminded of what I fondly refer to as “the most underrated productivity tool of all”: Happiness.  Most productivity blogs address management of everything from post-its to projects.  Time, paper, email, meetings…  Happiness goes, well, sadly overlooked.

The bottom line of any productivity system is that the users have to be motivated to implement.  And, nothing, but nothing motivates most people like relationship.

Google seems to have cornered the market on workplace happiness.   Check out all the measures (including culture) in place to value creativity and career satisfaction.

… Continue Reading

Last Sunday morning, I woke up fine, but my laptop did not.  It would start, then crash.  Start, crash.  After a day of troubleshooting, I realized I would have to face the facts: time to reset the monster to factory settings.  My trusted laptop repair specialist Sam Sato, of Leading Technology Micro, Inc. confirmed (thanks for the freebie, Sam!).

I tell you now I have neither shed tears nor lost a moment’s sleep over this crash.  Even during the relatively long file restoration process (in the Age of Immediate, 7 hours is an … Continue Reading