5 Ways to Stop Wasting Time with Email

Being part of the world as we know it sometimes forces one into certain habits.  Our grandfathers would be ashamed, our great-grandfathers would wonder, “wtf is email?”  And yet, many of us - including myself - allow ourselves to be sucked into the trap of email UNproductivity.

I’d like to cover 5 methods I’m using successfully to stop wasting so much valuable time dealing with emails.  There’s bound to be at least one that will help you become more productive.

1.) Unsubscribing from Newsletters and Lists
This could be a topic all it’s own - on top of that, I could go off on a rant about how I seem to always get an email stating how I’ve successfully been unsubscribed, when I swear I just clicked a box saying stop sending me emails.  Ugh.

Most of us who are interested in a wide variety of topics across the web typically end up on dozens of email lists at some point.  Some of these are from newsletters we initially wanted information from, some of them are from purchases we’ve made, or social networking sites we joined — but in my case, almost 90% of what comes in from these email lists is total junk to me.

My tip:  Take a week or two to simply open up all these emails as soon as you see them, click unsubscribe, and be done with it.  Most emails are simple to unsubscribe from, and if they’re not, they’re probably illegal emails.  I think you’ll be surprised at how much your inbox clears up from Read more

The Best Productivity Workflow (for Me)

When it comes to productivity, one-size definitely does not fit all.  But I’ve worked hard over the past several months trying to narrow down and perfect a workflow that works for me.  Take a look, use it or parts of it, but try to get the information flow in your life forced through deliberate channels that you have control over.  It’ll help reduce anxiety, and keep you with a clear picture of where you’re headed.

First, state your goals of your productivity system and workflow.  For me, I wanted a quick easy way to get ideas out of my head, a way to organize those ideas, and a way to turn those ideas into actionable goals and items.  Seems simple, but when you try using a million different tools to get it done, it turns into a sloppy mess of a nightmare.

Next, we’ll take a quick inventory of tools or resources we currently use, would like to use, or need to find.  My list included three different todo applications!!  How am I supposed to be productive when I’m using so many different programs that all do that same thing? I narrowed down my list to the following items - below each item is a notation about what role it plays in my personal productivity workflow: Read more

How To Deal With Conflict

Conflict resolution is a skill that can be useful in all aspects of living. In the office, on the streets and in the malls, conflict will find you. But it’s how you deal with conflict that can make it less of a painful experience to go through.

Here are some quick tips to deal with conflict when it occurs in you life:

1. Avoidance:
If conflict can be avoided in anyway, go for it. Unfortunately sometimes it is the only way to improve a situation with someone who is hurting you or doing you wrong.

2. Accommodation:
Are you the reason for the conflict? Are you being bull-headed or asinine? Try to be more accommodating to the other person’s needs and wants. Why stand in the way of progress? It’s great to fight for what you believe in, just be reasonable. Read more

Starting a Gratitude Journal

What exactly is a gratitude journal? A gratitude journal is a journal that you are only allowed to write positive thoughts into. If you can, everyday, write in your gratitude journal at least five things that you are grateful for that day, and usually before bedtime, so you can go to sleep thinking positive thoughts about the day that has just passed.

The things you could be grateful could range from the courteous service at the car wash, the help of a friend, to the love of a family member, to the hand of god rocking you gently, anything counts really. Of course, writing in your gratitude journal is much easier after you have had a great day. If you have had a bad day, you still have to write five things down that you are grateful for. It’ll be a lot tougher, but you still have to find some and write them down. Read more

5 Minutes Daily for Stress Management

I have a million favorite expressions when it comes to being stressed out, but I wouldn’t bother naming all of them. When it comes down to it, I think it comes down to how we work - or even relax for, that matter - that triggers stress. Ever been stressed even when you’re well relaxed and bored? I know I have.

Since errors are unavoidable in life, it is important to find ways to decrease and prevent stressful incidents and decrease negative reactions to stress. Here are some of the things that can be done simply - since life is basically a routine to follow like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast. You can do a few of them in a longer span of time, but as they say– every minute counts.
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Don’t Let Time Get Away From You

Time is a precious commodity and if yours is getting away from you, you are in need of the self help practice known as time management. It is too easy for life’s interruptions to get the best of you and make you a slave to everyone else’s agenda.

Spending time wisely naturally plays a big role in the level of success a person can achieve. You can read all the self help literature you want but without some sort of plan for your day, your day will simply “happen” to you. You will not accomplish much and you will miss out on new opportunities because you will be in such a constant state of being behind, that you will be out of time for anything else.

Start out by planning your day ahead of time. The key is to schedule a routine time either first thing in the morning or sometime the night before, and stick with it. Make note of what needs to be done for that day. Set new goals and review those previously set. Read more

What’s Your Productivity Formula?

Anytime you can customize something to meet your individual needs, the results are sure to be improved.  Just about everybody would benefit from improved results in their lives and that is where the productivity formula comes in.  The greater number of life’s little interruptions you can manage at the moment as they come along, while still progressively moving forward on your target project, will increase productivity and success.  With that in mind, let’s look at these self help tips to put a productivity formula in place for you.

You must have a clear plan.  Are you daily tasks leading you somewhere, or are they simply getting you by?  Take some time to review your long term projects and goals.  Your daily task lists should be the product of those bigger projects being broken down.  If your daily tasks are not leading you toward your bigger picture, start over.  Make every task count. Read more

Breaking the Procrastination Habit

We all procrastinate sometimes. The danger is letting it become a habit because all that stuff piles up and has to get done sometime. It causes stress and unmet deadlines. People will consider you to be unreliable and your achievements will be few. It doesn’t feel good to be stressed out and it certainly does not look impressive to slack on your obligations. Try these tips to avoid procrastination.

Understand why you procrastinate. Self doubt and fear are the biggest reasons. You worry the results might not be good enough or your work may be rejected. Big deal. You get even less points for incompletion. Fear of imperfection is not noble; it is a cop out, so just get to work!

Attitude plays a big role in how your approach a project. If you say you hate it or dread it, you are going to be stuck in that negative place where no ideas will come to you and you will continue to hate it and dread it. Attach something positive to the start of a tough project so that you will actually look forward to it rather than dreading it. Before you go to bed the night before, psych yourself up by thinking about the venti mocha cappuccino you are going to Read more

Set a Goal and Congratulate Yourself

We all play different roles in life and one can only assume that you want to achieve your maximum potential in all of them. My primary roles are Self, Wife, Mother, and Professional. Let’s begin by asking a simple self help question, “If you don’t set goals for yourself, how do you know if you have accomplished anything?”

That sense of achievement is a big motivator to keep on climbing those mountains of life, so it is essential to get your priorities in order and set goals, achieve, and give yourself credit every one of your successes.

To address goal setting for a wider audience, let’s address the misconception that setting goals is just for your career.

This is unfortunate because at home, where we play the roles of spouse, parent, and household manager, organization and achievement are key to all other successes. To those folks I recommend to use the term “life list” instead. When it is time to put pen to paper, if you prefer, scribble “LIFE LIST” at the top of yours. Maybe even put some doodles around it. Whatever makes you excited to continue. Read more

Building Self Esteem - A Starter Guide To Self Improvement

So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.

Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you.  So which dart pins should you avoid?

Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment
Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned.  Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is. Read more

Things to Consider Before Having a Baby

Making the decision to have a baby could be the most important decision you ever make. The decision should be based on responsibility, maturity, a loving marriage, and the ability to make sacrifices.

No one should ever go into being a parent half-heartedly. Children must be an all-or-nothing decision and if you aren’t sure you are ready, please give it some thought first.

But, if you are in a loving, committed relationship and think you are ready to have a child together, here are some things to consider before you make that final decision:

1.    What kinds of sacrifices are you willing to make to be able to afford having a baby?
Babies and children have needs that can be expensive? Are you financially prepared for a baby at this time in your life?

2.    Is your marriage strong enough to withstand the stress of rearing children?
Raising a child can put added stress on a marriage. Make sure you and your partner are both committed 100% to this idea and to each other. Read more

The Absolute Power of Positive Attitude

I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive, or negative?

Now let’s say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell you what’s on your mind?

The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer number two can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.

Here’s another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?

You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.

Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor. Read more

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